THE HOLY GITA

Saturday 30 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 25, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OR DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 25
Text in Transliteration:
maharseenaam bhrgur aham giraam asmy ekam aksharam
yajnaanaam japayajno ‘ami sthaavaraanaam himaalayah
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Maharseenaam = among the great Rishis; bhrguh: = Bhrigu; aham = I; giraam = among words; asmi = (I) am; ekam = the one; aksharam = syllable; yajnaanaam = among sacrifices; japayajna: = the sacrifice of silent repetition; asmi  = (I) am; sthaavaraanaam  = among immovable things; himaalayah: = Himalaya.
Text in English:
Of the great Rishis I am Bhrigu; of utterances I am the monosyllable “Om”. Of Yajnas I am japayajna and of unmoving things, the Himalaya.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Among the Rishis born of the mind of Iswara, Bhrigu is ever in the highest superconscious plane. So the Lord’s glory is revealed best through him.  
“Om” is the most sacred sound symbol of Iswara. Constant utterance of this monosyllable is a sure means to reach Divinity. It is equivalent to Iswara.
Yajna is the act of the Jivatman making himself over to the Paramatman. The easiest and the most potent of all Yajnas is the Japa-yajna. Constant mental repetition of the Lord’s name is Japa-yajna. It can be performed at any other activity. It involves no harm or hindrance to anybody. The Lord is present where Japa-yajna takes place.
The vegetable Kingdom is classified as the unmoving beings. They are stationary lives, growing and thriving in the same place. Hills and mountains are held as imbued with dormant life. They are therefore classified with the vegetable kingdom. Among the mountains the Himalaya is the greatest, striking wonder on its beholder. The glory of God is patent in it.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Manu has said: “Whatever else the Brahmana may or may not do, he attains salvation by Japa (silent repetition of a Mantra) alone.”
Bhrigu is one of the mind-born sons of the Creator.
Himalaya: the highest mountain in the world.

Japayajna: There is neither injury nor loss in this Yajna. Therefore, it is regarded as the best of all Yajnas.  

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 24, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 24
Text in Transliteration:
purodhasaamcha mukhyam maam viddhi paarthabrhaspatim
senaaninaam aham skandah sarasaam asmi saagarah:
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Purodhasaam = among the household priests; cha = and; mukhyam = the chief; maam = me; viddhi = know; paartha = O partha; brhaspatim = Brihhaspati; senaaneenaam = among generals; aham = I; skandah: = Skanda; sarasaam = among lakes; asmi = (I) am; saagarah: = the ocean.
Text in English:
Of priests, O Partha, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati; of generals I am Skanda and of bodies of water I am the ocean.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The function of the priest is to administer ritualistic worship and a sanctified code of conduct among people. Brihaspati discharges this sacred duty among the Devas and so he is a deity of great eminence. Seekers of learning and wisdom pay homage to Brihaspati. It is but proper to behold him as endowed with the attributes of Iswara.
Godhead can be reached only through right understanding and right execution. These two divine qualities are personified as Ganesa and Skanda, the sons of Siva. His second son, Skanda is the best among the generalissimos leading Siva’s hosts to victory over the demons. It is but appropriate that the Lord claims this general as His own embodiment.
The ocean suggests the infinitude of the Lord. Merging the mind in its expanse is a form of the worship of the Almighty.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Brihaspati is the chief priest of the gods. He is the household priest of Indra.
Skanda is Kartikeya or Lord Subramaniya. He is the general of the hosts of the gods.

Of things holding water- natural reservoirs or lakes- I am the ocean.    

Thursday 28 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 23, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 23
Text in Transliteration:
rudraanaam samkaras chaa ‘smi vitteso yaksaraksasaam
vasoonaam paavakas chaa ‘smi meruh: sikharinaam aham
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
rudraanaam = among the Rudras; samkarah = Sankara; cha = and; asmi = (I) am; vittesah: = Vittesa or Kubera; yaksha rakshasaam = among Yakshas and Rakshasas; vasoonaam = among Vasus; paavakah: Pavaka; cha = and; asmi (I) am; meruh = Meru; sikharinaam = of mountains; aham = I;
Text in English:
Of the Rudras I am Sankara, of the Yakshas and Rakshasas I am Kubera. Of the Vasus I am Pavaka and of mountains I am Meru.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Rudras are eleven in number. Puranas are not all agreed in naming them. But their wide accepted names are Ajaikapad, Ahirbudhnya, Virabhadra, Girisa, Sankara, Aparajita, Hara, Ankaraka, Pinaki, Bhaga and Sambhu. The cosmic function of the Rudras is to make men cry, true to the etymological meaning of this word. Crying of people in particular is always for gain either in Preyas or Sreyas. The characteristic of the Rudras is to make them cry for Sreyas. Sankara among these eleven is the doer of good as his name indicates. Through distress, he makes the sadhakas or practitioner direct Godward. Spiritual anguish purifies people very quickly.
Yakshas and Rakshasas belong to the celestials. The former of these two groups are very fond of acquiring wealth and latter of hoarding it. Both of these battalions serve their king Kubera, the lord of fabulous wealth. Whoever among men, strives for, on right lines, and saves money becomes a Kubera in his own way.  Though of a transitory nature, wealth wields power in its own way and is   therefore a glory of God.
Vasus are eight in number. They are land, water, fire, air, either, moon, sun and star, constituting the gross structure of Nature. Of these, Pavaka or fire assumes various degrees of warmth and sustains life. The Lord therefore mentions it as His special manifestation.
The golden Mount Meru is believed to be the axis round which all the heavenly bodies rotate. But it is an allegorical representation of the brahma danda or the spinal cord in the human structure. The science of Yoga extols it as the golden lustrous sushumna from which all forms of sensation emanate. It is consciousness that gives it its brilliance. As the Devas resort to the Mount Meru of mythological fame, the senses and prana in the human tabernacle are all adhering to the spinal cord. The Lord therefore speaks of it as His special manifestation.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Rudras are eleven in number. The ten vital airs (Pranas and Upa-Pranas, which are five each) and the mind are the eleven Rudras. They are so called because they produce grief when they depart from the body. They have been symbolised in the Puranas as follows: Vira-bhadra, Pinaki, Aparajita, Kapali, Sthanu and Bhaga. Among these Rudras, Sankara is regarded as the chief.

Vasus are earth, water, fire, air, ether, sun, moon and stars. They are so called because they comprehend the whole universe within them. They have been symbolised in the Puranas as follows: Apah, Dhruva, Soma, Dhara, Anila, Anala, Pratyusa and Prabhasa. Of these Anala or Pavaka (fire) is the chief.  

Tuesday 26 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 22, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 22
Text in Transliteration:
vedaanaam saamavedo ‘smi devaanaam asmi vaasavah
indriyaanaam manas chaa ‘smi bhootaanaam asmi chetanaa
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Vedaanaam = among the Vedas; saamavedah: = the Sama Veda; asmi (I) am; devaanaam = among the gods; asmi = (I) am; vaasavah: = Vasava; indriyaanaam = among the senses; manah: = mind; cha = and; asmi = (I) am; bhootaanaam = among living beings; asmi = (I) am; chetanaa = intelligence.
Text in English:
Of the Vedas I am the Saman; I am Vasava among the Devas; of the senses I am the mind and among living beings I am consciousness.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
One of the names attributed to Vishnu is Saamaga, which means the chanter of the Sama Veda. Among the four Vedas, Saman is the one best set to music. It is therefore enchanting even to those who cannot understand it. Thought of God comes to all who chant or hear it. It is verily the glory of God.
Vasava is another name of Indra, the lord of the Devas. By sheer merit the deserving ones rise to this position. And all merits are the glories of God. The functioning of all the five senses becomes purposeless when the mind wanders away from them. The ways of the absent-minded man verify this position very clearly. Mind being the recorder of all the sensations, it is reckoned as an attribute of the Lord.
The difference between the living and the dead is in the presence or otherwise of consciousness. The more evolved the being, the clearer is the consciousness. Ultimately the Pure Consciousness gets equated with God.
As wealth distinguishes the wealthy man, these glories reveal the Lord.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Saamaveda is mentioned as the chief of the Vedas on account of its musical beauty.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Vasava is Indra.
Gods: such as Rudras, Adityas.
Indriyas: The five Jana-Indriyas or organs of knowledge, viz., skin, eye, tongue and nose; and the five Karma Indriyas or organs of action, viz., speech, hands, feet, genitals and anus. The mind is regarded as the eleventh sense. As the senses cannot function without the help of the mind, the mind is regarded as the chief among the senses.
Chetana: Intelligence is that state of intellect which is manifest in the aggregate of the body and the senses.
That which illumines all, from the intellect down to the grossest object, is called Chetana.


THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 21, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 21
Text in Transliteration:
aadityaanaam aham vishnur jyotishaam ravir amsumaan
mareechir marutaam asmi nakshatraanaam aham sasee
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Aadityaanaam = among the Adityas; aham = I; Vishnu = Vishnu; jyotishaam = among lights; ravih = the sun; amsumaan = radiant; mareechi = Marichi; marutaam = of the Maruts (winds); asmi = (I) am; nakshatraanaam = among the stars; aham = I; sasee = the moon.
Text in English:
Of the Adityas I am Vishnu; of the luminaries, the radiant Sun; I am Marichi of the Maruts; of the asterisms the Moon am I.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Though all flowers, fruits and crops come from the same land, the best among them are selected for exhibition. The whole of the manifested universe is the glory of Iswara; but the prominent among them, those that arrest the attention of the beholder, are selectively mentioned as the Vibhutis, or the attributes of Iswara.
The same Aditya assumes twelve names during the twelve months. These names commencing from April are Amsu, Dhata, Indra, Aryama, Vivasva, Bhaga, Parjanya, Dvashta, Mitra, Vishnu, Varna and Pusha. The Aditya of January is called Vishnu, who is very much liked by people for his commencing his course towards the summer solstice progressively dispelling the pinching cold of winter.
In the Vishnu Sahasranama the 258th name is Vishnu attributed to the sun god traversing the universe. Vishnu Himself has become Suryanarayana.
Among the forty-nine Maruts or wind gods Marichi is the foremost. The wind causes immense good to the world. The best of the wind gods is therefore identified with Iswara.
The luminary of the day is the sun. The foremost among the luminaries at night is the moon. These two heavenly bodies are therefore viewed with veneration as the manifest representatives of Iswara.     

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Adityas are Vedic gods. While the Supreme is in all things, He is more prominent in some than in others. There is an ascending order in the world. God is more revealed in life than in matter, in consciousness than in life and in saints and sages most of all. Within the same order, He is most revealed in the pre-eminent individuals. Some of these mythological beings were perhaps living realities to the Hindus of the period of the Gita.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Of the twelve Adityas I am the Adiya known as Vishnu. Dhata, Mitra, Aryama, Rudra, Varuna, Bhaga, Surya, Vivasvan, Pushan, Savita, Tvashta, and Vishnu are the twelve Aditayas. The twelve months of the year are the Adityas.
The Maruts are the gods controlling the winds. Some hold there are seven of them while others say there are forty-nine.
The twelve Adityas, the luminaries like Agni, lightning, etc., the Maruts, the stars, etc., are the Samanya Vibhutis (ordinary manifestations) of the Lord. Vishnu, the sun, Marichi, and the Moon are His Visesha Vibhutis (special manifestations) and hence they have greater splendour in them.

You can superimpose the Lord on the sun and the moon, and meditate on them as forms of the Lord. You can practise the same kind of meditation on all forms mentioned in the following verses of this chapter. 

Sunday 24 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA--CHAPTER 10, VERSE 20, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 20
Text in Transliteration:
aham aatmaa gudaakesa sarva bhootaasayathitah:
aham aadis cha madhyam cha bhootaanaam anta eva cha
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
aham = I; aatmaa = the Self; gudaakesa = O Gudakesa; sarva bhoota aasyasthitah: = seated in the hearts of all beings; aham = I; aadih: = beginning; cha = and; madhyam = the middle; cha = and; bhootaanaam = of (all) beings; antah; = the end; eva = even; cha = and.
I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all beings. I am the beginning, the middle and also the end of all beings.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The Lord is the innermost Self in all beings, which are all His gross manifestation. The effect is nothing but the cause in another form. The Lord is the material as well as the efficient cause of the universe. Gudakesa is he who has conquered sleep. The one awakened in the Self can cognize the fact that Iswara is putting on the appearance of the visible universe.
SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
It is my Cosmic Mother who has become everything. She of omnipotence has become the universe and the beings in it. She reveals Herself as the body, the intellect, the virtuous path and the spiritual pursuit. Sakti and Brahman are one. In the manifest state She is Sakti and in the absolute state, Brahman.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
The world is a living whole, a vast interconnectedness, a cosmic harmony inspired and sustained by the One Supreme.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
O Gudakesa! I am the soul (Pratyagatma) which exists in the hearts of all beings and I am also the source or origin, the middle or stay, and the end of all created beings. I am the birth, the life and the death of all beings. Meditate on Me as the innermost Self.
Gudakesa means either ‘conqueror of sleep’ or ‘thick-haired’.
He who is able to meditate on the Self with Abheda Bhavana (attitude of non-duality), is a qualified aspirant (Adhikari) of the first class. He who is not able to meditate on the Self should think of the Lord in those things which are mentioned below. This type of meditation is for the aspirants of the middle class.

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Saturday 23 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 19, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 19
Text in Transliteration:
                                sree bhagavaan uvaacha  
hanta te kathayishyaami divyaa hy aatmavibhootayah:
praadhaanyatah: kurusreshtha naa ‘sty anto vistarasya me
 Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
 sree bhagavaan uvaacha = Sri Bhagavan said:
hanta = now, very well; te = to thee; kathayisyaami (I) will declare; divyaah = divine; hi = indeed; aatma vibhootayah: = my glories; praadhaanyatah: = in their prominence; kuru srestha = best of the Kurus; na = not; asti = is; antah = end; vistarasya = of detail; me = of me.

Text in English:
                                   The Blessed Lord said:
Very well! I shall now tell you My divine glories according to their prominence, O best of the Kurus;
There is no end to the details of My manifestation.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The splendours in Nature are a verily the attributes of Iswara. It is impossible for Iswara Himself to recount them all. A few specimens only can be mentioned; His infinitude may be inferred from them.
SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
To define God from scriptural knowledge is like defining the holy city of Barnaras after getting an idea of it from the map.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Now I will tell you of My most prominent divine glories. My glories are illimitable; it is not possible to describe all of them.

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THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER NUMBER 10, VERSE NUMBER 18, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 18
Text in Transliteration:
vistarenaa ‘tmano yogam vibhootim cha janaardana
bhooyah kathaya trptir hi srnvato naa ‘ sti me ‘ mrtam
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
vistarena = in detail; aatmanah = thy ; yogam = yoga; vibhootim = glory; cha = and; janardana = O Janardana; bhooyah: = again; kathaya = tell; triptih: = contentment; hi = for; srnvatah: (of) hearing; na = not; asti = is; me = of me; amrtam = nectar.
Text in English:
Tell me again in detail, O Janardana, of Your yoga powers and attributes; for I am not satiated with hearing Your life-infusing words.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDHBAVANANDA:
He is Janardana who is adored by people both for earthly enjoyments and for emancipation. Yoga here indicates the power to know and handle things properly. They are the attributes of God which spontaneously remind man of Him. Absorption in the attributes of God is as good as the absorption in Him. While matters earthy are satiating, matters Godly are never so. The Jivatman grows increasingly in divinity as he dwells on the divine attributes of the Paramatman.
SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The relationship between Iswara and Jivatman is like that between magnet and iron.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
amrtam: nectar-like. His words are life giving.
The Gita does not set up an opposition between Brahman and the world, between the Ineffable Reality and its inadequate expression. It gives a comprehensive spiritual view. It, no doubt, mentions the Indefinable (anirdesyam), the Unmanifest Immutable (avyaktam aksaram), the Unthinkable (achintyaroopam), the Absolute beyond all empirical determination. But worship of the Absolute is difficult for embodied beings. It is easier to approach the supreme through Its relations with the world and this method is more natural. The Supreme is the Personal Lord who controls the many-sided action of nature and dwells in the heart of every creature. Parabrahman is Parameshvara, the God in Man and in the universe. But His nature is veiled by the series of becomings. Man has to discover his spiritual unity with God and so with all His creatures.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
The Lord is called Janardana because He sends or causes the demons to go to hell; or because all pray to Him for worldly success, prosperity and also salvation. Arjuna also prays to the Lord to explain His Yogic power and glory, for his salvation.
Arjuna says to Lord Krishna: “Tell me in detail of Thy mysterious power (Yoga) and sovereignty (Aishvarya) and the various things to be meditated upon. Tell me again though You have described earlier in the seventh and the ninth chapters succinctly; for there is no satiety in hearing Thy ambrosial speech or nectar-like conversation. However much of it I hear, I am not satisfied; surely it is nectar of immortality for me”.



Friday 22 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA --CHAPTER 10, VERSE 17, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 17
Text in Transliteration:
Katham vidyaam aham yogims tvaam sadaa paricintayan
Keshu-keshu cha bhaaveshu chintyo ‘si bhagavan mayaa
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Katham = how; vidyaam = shall know; aham = I; yogin = O yogin; tvaam = thee; sada = always; paricintayan = meditating; keshu keshu = in what and what; cha = and; bhaveshu = aspects; cintyah = to be thought of; asi = (thou) art; bhagavan = O blessed Lord; mayaa = by me.
Text in English:
How may I know you, O Yogin by constant meditation? In what various aspects are You, O Lord, to be thought of by me?

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
 How shall my extrovert mind cognize Your presence in things objective? The sight of the toys of the child stirs up the thought of that child in the mother: May I, in that manner, have the means to revel in you through the things of the world?
SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
As the toy fruits and toy elephant remind one of the true fruits and elephant, the symbols and images remind the devotee of the eternal and formless God.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Krishna is yogin by virtue of his work as creator. Arjuna wishes to know the aspects of nature where the Lord’s presence is more clearly manifest and asks Krishna to tell him in what various aspects he should think of Him to help his meditation.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

Arjuna says: “O Lord, how may I know Thee by constant meditation? in what aspects art Thou to be thought of by me? Even when I think of external objects I can meditate on Thee in Thy particular manifestations in them if I have a detailed knowledge of Thy glories. Therefore deign to tell me, without reserve, of Thy own glories. Then only can I behold oneness everywhere. 

Wednesday 20 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA --CHAPTER 10, VERSE 16, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 16
Text in Transliteration:
vaktum arhasy asesena divya hy aatmavichootayah:
yaabhir vibhootibhir lokaan imams tvam vyaapya tishthasi
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Vaktm = to tell; arhasi = (thou) shouldst; aseshena = without remainder; diyaah: = divine; hi = indeed; aatma vibhootayah: = thy glories; yaabhih: = by which; vibhootibhih: = by glories; lokaan world: imaan = these; tvam = thou; vyaapya = having pervaded; tishthasi = exists.
Text in English:
Condescend to tell without reserve of Your divine glories, by which glories You remain pervading all these worlds.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
A musician alone can bring out the fine touches in melody. The strength of an elephant could be demonstrated only by that stately animal turning out gigantic work. The wealth of a monarch can be well recounted by none but himself. It is only given to an Incarnation of God to reveal all of His divine splendours and glories.
SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The revelation of God comes purely by His mercy. He is the sun of knowledge. It is possible for a single ray of His to enlighten the whole world.  We are therefore able to understand one another and to acquire knowledge in all of its forms. More than all these, we get to know Him by His grace only.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

vibhatayah: manifestations, the divine glories by which the Supreme pervades all the worlds. They are the formative forces of spiritual powers which give to each object its essential nature. They are akin to Plato’s Divine Ideas, the perfect types and patterns of all things here below. Only the word “idea” is likely to suggest a pale abstraction, a bloodless category. Vibhooti is a living formative principle.

Tuesday 19 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA --CHAPTER 10, VERSE 15, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 15      
Text in Transliteration:
svayam evaa ‘tmanaa ‘tnaaban vettha tvam purushottama
bhootbhavana bhootesa devadeva jagatpate
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
svayam = thysef; eva = only; aatmanaa = by thuself; aatmaanam = thyself; vettha = (thou) knowest; tvam = thou; purushottama = O Purusha supreme; bhoota bhaavana = O source of beings; bhootesa = O Lord of beings; devadeva = O God of gods; jagatpate = O ruler of the world.
Text in English:
Verily you alone know Yourself by Yourself, O Purushottama, O Source of beings, O Lord of beings, O God of gods, O Ruler of the world.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The individual souls are called Purushas out of courtesy because they temporarily occupy the Puri of the Prakriti and then they vacate it when they get mukti or emancipation. But the Lord being the eternal Presiding Deity over the Prakriti, He is aptly eulogized as Purushottama.
Being the origin of all being, He is Bhoota bhaavanah:
Ruler of all beings that He is, the appellations Bhootesa and Jagatpati are appropriate to Him.
His glory in its entirety is known to Him alone and to none else.
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
An individual took a diamond to the market-place for valuation and asked several shop-keepers about it. The brinjal seller opined that five baskets of brinjal might be bartered for that gem. The rice merchant viewed that two bags of rice could be liberally given in exchange for it. The draper in his turn held that a bale of linen might be unhesitatingly offered for that precious thing. Finally it was given to the diamond merchant who alone could value it at two lakhs of rupees! In this fashion the Lord is also beheld in varying ways according to the people’s power of understanding. God’s glories are verily unfathomable.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Purushottama means the best among all Purushas. He assumes the four forms, viz., the source of beings, the Lord of beings, God of gods and ruler of the world. Hence He is called Purushottama.
Devadeva is He who is worshipped even by Indra and other gods.
Jagatpati: the Lord protects the world and guides the people through the instructions given in the Vedas. Hence the name ‘ruler of the world’.



Monday 18 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 14, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 14
Text in Transliteration:
sarvam etad rtam manye yan maam vadasi kesava
na hi te bhagavan vaktim vidur devaa na daanavaah:
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
saram = all; etat = this; rtam = true; manye = (I) think; yat = which; maam = to me; vadasi = (thou) sayest; kesava = O Kesava; na = not; hi = verily; te = they; bhagavan = O blessed Lord; vyaktim = manifestation; viduh: = know; devaah: = gods; na = not; daanavaah: = Danavaas.

Text in English:
I hold as true, all that You say to me, O Kesava. Neither the Devas nor the Danavas O Lord, know veily your manifestation.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
 Bhagavan is he who fully manifests six divine qualities which are: bala, omnipotence; Sri wealth and beauty; jnaana, wisdom; vairaagya, dispassion. Further He knows the past, present and future of beings. His manifestation in the human form remains unknown to the Devas themselves : how then shall the Danavas or Asuras come to know of His intents and extents!
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The sun is immensely greater than the earth; but because of the distance it appears as a small disk. In this wise Iswara’s attributes are infinite, but we know very little of Him because of our ignorance.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Bhagavan is He, in whom ever exist the six attributes in their fullness, viz., Jnana (wisdom), Vairagya (dispassion), Aishvarya (lordship), Dharma (virtue), Sri (wealth)and Bala (omnipotence). Also, He Who knows the origin, dissolution and the future of all beings and Who is omniscient, is called Bhagavan.
Vyakti: Origin.
Danavah: Demons or Titans.
Arjuna addresses the Lord as Keshava (Lord of all) because the Lord knows what is going on in his mind, as He is omniscient. As the Lord is the source of the gods, the demons and others, they cannot comprehend His manifestation or origin.


      

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 13, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 13
Text in Transliteration:
aahus tvaam rshayah sarve devarshir naaradas tathaa
asito devalo vyaasah svayam chai ‘va braveeshi me
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
ahuh: = (they) declared; tvaam = thee; rshayaah: = the Rishis; sarve = all; devarshih: = Deva Rishi; naaradah: = Narada; tathaa = also; asitaah: = Asita; devalah: = Devala; vyaasah: = Vyasa; svayam = thyself; cha = and; eva = even; bravishee = (thou) sayest; me = to me;
Text in English:
All the Rishis have thus acclaimed You, as also the Deva Rishi Narada; so also Asita, Devala and Vyasa; and now You Yourself say it to me.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The Rishi is one who has transcended the senses and the intellect and contacted the Reality through intuition.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Arjuna accepts the truth of what has been declared and proclaims his conviction that Krishna who is speaking to him is the Supreme Godhead, the Absolute, the Ever-free to which we can rise by self-surrender. He gives utterance from his own experience to the truth revealed by the seers who have seen it and become one with it. The secret wisdom is revealed by God, the seers are witnesses to it and Arjuna himself verifies it from his own experience. Abstract truth uttered by the sages become now luminous intuitions, glowing experiences of one’s whole being.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Rishi is a holy sage of disciplined mind and senses.
Devarshi: A divine sage more highly evolved than a Rishi.

       

Sunday 17 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 12, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 12
Text in Transliteration:
                            arjuna uvaacha
param brhma param dhaama
   pavitram paramam bhavaan
purusham saasvatam divyam
   aadidevam ajam vibhum
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
arjuna uvaacha = Arjuna said:
param = supreme; brahma = Brahman; param = supreme; dhaama = abode; pavitram = purifier; paramam = supreme; bhavaan = thou; purusham = Purusha; saasvatam = eternal; divyam = divine; aadidevam = primeval God; ajam = unborn; vibhum = omnipresent
Text in English:
                    Arjuna said:
You are the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Abode, the Supreme Purifier, the Eternal, Divine Purusha, the Primeval Deity, the Unborn, the Omnipresent.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Param Brahman is the Supreme Brahman,  Nirguna Nirupaadhika Brahman, the pure consciousness.
Apara Brahman is Iswara, Saguna Brahman, the Reality with all attributes and glory.
Param Dhaama is the Substratum of everything manifest and unmanifest, the Supreme Abode.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Param Brahma: The highest Self. The word Param indicates the pure and attributeless Absolute, free from the limiting adjuncts. It is Satchidananda Brahman. The ‘inferior Brahman’ is the Brahman with qualities (Saguna) or Ishvara, Brahman with the limiting adjuncts or the chosen object of meditation by the devotees.
Param Dhama means Param Tejah or the supreme light. From the Creator down to the blade of grass the Supreme Being is the support or substratum. Therefore He is known as the supreme abode.
Adideva: The primeval God or the original God Who existed before all other gods. This God is Para Brahman Itself. It is self-luminous.
Pavitram Paramam: Supreme purifier. The sacred rivers and holy places of pilgrimage can remove only the sins; but Para Brahman can destroy all sins and ignorance, the root-cause of all sins. Therefore Para Brahman or the Supreme Self is the supreme purifier.

(Dear Readers, as I was engaged in adding required content for one of the blogs, by name, MY RESOURCEFUL AUNT in the last couple of days, I could not come up with my regular postings. Thanks for kindly bearing with me. I am 58 and need the revenue generated through AdSense. But the quality or quantity of my blogs has never been with any mercenary motives. As I am spending all my wakeful hours in blogging and do not have any other source of income, I subscribed to the AdSense. Whether they give me Ads or not I will continue to blog. But I’m a man without any independent source of income and in financial difficulties. That was the only reason why I applied for the Google AdSense. Thanks for kindly bearing with me for the last two days.)       

Thursday 14 December 2017

PUBLIC NOTICE

DEAREST READERS,

I APPLIED FOR THE GOOGLE AdSense WITH REGARD TO ALL MY BLOGS INCLUDING THIS ONE. AND THEY HAVE DISAPPROVED MY ACCOUNT WITH REGARD TO THE SERIALIZED NOVEL, "MY RESOURCEFUL AUNT".
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Wednesday 13 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA --CHAPTER 10, VERSE 11, VIBHUTY YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 11
Text in Transliteration:
teshaam evaa ‘nukampaartham aham ajnaanajam tamah
naasayaamy aatmabhaavastho jnaanadeepena bhaasvataa
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Teshaam = for them; eva = mere; anukampaartham = out of compassion; aham = I; ajnaanajam = born of ignorance; tamah = darkness; naasayaami = (I) destroy; bhaavasthah = dwelling within their self; jnaana deepena = by the lamp of knowledge; bhaasvataa = luminous.
Text in English:
Out of pure compassion for them, dwelling in their hearts, I destroy the ignorance-born darkness, by the luminous lamp of wisdom.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The Lord’s choosing to reside in the hearts of beings is His compassion. Because of His presence as Conscience, beings are prompted to seek what is good or at least what seems good. The lamp of wisdom that the Lord lights is constituted of divine components. Discrimination functions as the container of oil. The contentment coming from bhakti is the oil. The flame gets put out by foul air. But this flame is fed by the pure air of meditation on Iswara. Prajnaa or the Awareness of the Self ensuing from the constant Brahmacharya, serves as the wick. The heart freed from all worries and anxieties is the lamp niche. A burning lamp runs the risk of being blown out by a gust. But a mind unaffected by attachment and aversion is the best wind-screen to this lamp. The unbroken consciousness of Iswara is the flame emanating from this lamp of wisdom, set up in the heart of the devotee. He beholds the Divine Presence within himself with the aid of this divine lamp.
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The policeman patrolling at night carries a bull’s–eye lantern with the aid of which he sees the persons loitering about. But this lantern does not disclose its carrier. If he, however, turns it on himself the others then come to know who he is. Likewise Iswara reveals Nature and its contents, but keeps Himself hidden. Nobody can see Him except through His grace and compassion.

COMMENTS BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
God affects the world for man’s welfare, Himself remaining apart from it. Aatmabhaava is also interpreted as the inner sense of beings. Here the teacher makes out how bhakti or devotion leads to the destruction of ignorance and the rise of illumination. When ignorance is destroyed, God stands revealed in the human spirit. When love and wisdom arise, the eternal is fulfilled in the individual. Bhakti is also a means to jnaana. Through it we obtain Divine grace and the power of understanding, buddhiyoga. Intellectual knowledge is rendered luminous and certain by the direct intuition of buddhi.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Luminous lamp of knowledge: The Lord dwells in the heart of the devotees who constantly think of Him and destroys the veil or the darkness born of ignorance due to the absence of discrimination, by the luminous lamp of knowledge fed by the oil of pure devotion, fanned by the wind of profound meditation on Him, provided with the wick of right intuition, generated by the constant cultivation of celibacy, piety and other divine virtues held in the chambers of the heart free from worldliness, placed in the innermost recesses of the mind free from the wind of sense-attractions (withdrawn from the objects of the senses) and untainted by likes and dislikes, and shining with the light of knowledge of the Self caused by the constant practice of meditation.

The lamp is not in need of an instrument or means or any sort of practice for the removal of darkness. The generation of the light itself is quite sufficient to remove the darkness. As soon as the darkness is removed by the light, the pot, the chair and the other articles are seen. Even so the dawn of knowledge of the Self itself is quite sufficient to remove the darkness. As soon as the darkness is removed by the light, the pot, the chair and the other articles are seen. Even so the dawn of knowledge of the Self itself is quite sufficient to remove ignorance. No other Karma or practice is necessary. After the ignorance is removed by the knowledge of the Self, Brahman alone shines in Its pristine glory.    

Tuesday 12 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA --CHAPTER 10, VERSE 10, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFSTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 10
Text in Transliteration:
teshaam satatayuktaanaam bhajataam preetipoorvakam
dadaami budhiyogam tam yena maam upayaanti te
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Teshaam = to them; satata yuktanaam = ever steadfast; bhajataam = (of the) worshipping; preeti poorvakam = with love; dadaami = (I) give; buddhi yogam = yoga of discrimination; tam = that; yena = by which; maam = to me; upayaanti = come; te = they;
Text in English:
To them, ever devout, worshipping Me with Love, I give the yoga of discrimination by which they come to Me.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
On trial sugar is found to taste sweet. Thought is then bestowed to make varieties of sweetmeats with it. This is the buddhi yoga pertaining to sugar. The glory of God begins to dawn in the mind of the sadhaka who devoutly and persistently practises yoga. This initial experience gives impetus for further pursuit of yoga, leading to greater cognition of God’s glory. This is the buddhi yoga endowed with which the sadhaka or practitioner gets to know more and yet more of the sweet sublimity of the lord and be ardently drawn to Him. Devotion does this way wax with bhddhi yoga.
SRI  RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
 A man confined within a dark room contacts a ray of light coming in through a tiny aperture. He gathers knowledge of light to that extent. But as the aperture increases in size his conception of light widens. A man in the broad day light has his own view of light. Similar to this, God reveals Himself in varying degrees and aspects according to the nature and attainments of His devotees.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
buddhiyoga: the devotion of mind by which the disciple gains the wisdom which sees the One in all the forms which change and pass.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
The devotees who have dedicated themselves to the Lord, who are ever harmonious and self-abiding, who are ever devout and who adore Him with intense love (not for attaining any selfish purpose), obtain the divine grace. The Lord gives them wisdom or the Yoga of discrimination or understanding by which they attain the knowledge of the Self. The Lord bestows on these devotees who have fixed their thoughts on Him alone, “devotion of right knowledge” (Buddhi Yoga) by which they know Him in essence. They know through the eye of intuition in deep meditation the Supreme Lord, the one in all, the Self of all, as their own Self, destitute of all limitations. Buddhi here is the inner eye of intuition by which the magnificent experience of oneness is had. Buddhi Yoga is Jnana Yoga. (Cf. IV.39: XII.6 and 7)

Why does the Lord impart this Yoga of Knowledge to His devotees? What obstacles does the Buddhi Yoga remove on the path of the aspirant or devotee? The Lord gives the answer in the following verse.

Monday 11 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA --CHAPTER 10, VERSE 09, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 09
Text in Transliteration:
macchittaa madgatapraanaa bodhayantah: parasparam
kathayantas cha maam nityam tushyanti cha ramanti cha
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Macchittaah: = with their minds wholly in me; madgata praanaah: = with their life obsorbed in me; bodhayantah: = enlightening; parasparam = mutually; kathayantah: = speaking of; cha = and; maam = me; nityam = always; tushyanti = are satisfied; cha = and; cha = and; ramanti = (they) are delighted; cha = and.
Text in English:
With their minds fixed on Me, with their life absorbed in Me, enlightening each other and ever speaking of Me, they are contented and delighted.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The easiest of all acts for one is to fix one’s mind on what one likes most. The child that understands that its all in all are mother and father, gets spontaneously absorbed in the parents. The devotee who comes to know that the Lord is the source and stay of himself, naturally directs his mind on the Maker. An adult sacrifices his everything in the service of the parents. Nothing is dearer to one than life. The Bhakta devotes that life to the Lord. But it is not like the lovers doting on each other; for there is lustful selfishness in their act. The devotee, on the other hand, invites others to share the devotion with them. Temperamental differences are set aside in this holy act. The mentation of the Lord, made to him by the others is delightful. He devotedly recounts his understanding of the Lord to the others and eagerly receives their experiences and dissertations on the Lord. Repeated recount of His glories does not render them stale or repugnant. Rather they become increasingly absorbing. Divergent disposition do in this divine manner get commingled in God.
Holy communications create contentment and not the frustration which follows indulgence. Ethereal bliss is the fruit of all forms of Godly pursuits.
How does the Lord respond to these divergent devotional activities of the devotees? The assurance ensues in the next verse.
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
No picture can be painted on a fresh glass. But if it be coated with the required chemicals, painting on it becomes possible and effective. Similarly if man’s heart were coated with the chemicals of devotion, the imprinting of the august presence of Iswara on it becomes easy.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
The characteristics of a devotee who has attained the realisation of oneness are described in this verse. The devotee constantly thinks of the Lord. His very life is absorbed in Him. He has consecrated his whole life to the Lord. According to another interpretation, all his senses (which function because of the prana), such as the eye are absorbed in Him. He takes immense delight in talking about Him, about His supreme wisdom, power, might and other attributes. He has completely dedicated himself to the Lord.

He feels intense satisfaction and is delighted as if he is in the company of his Beloved (God). The Purana says, “The sum total of the sensual pleasures of this world and also all the great pleasures of the divine regions (heavens) are not worth a sixteenth part of that bliss which proceeds from the eradication of desires and cravings”. (Cf. XII.8)

THE HOLY GITA--CHAPTER 10, VERSE 08, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 08
Text in Transliteration:
aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matvaa bhajante maam budhaa bhaavasamanvitaah
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
aham = I; sarvasya = of all; prabhavah = the source; mattah = from me; sarvam = everything; pravartate = evolves; iti =thus; matvaa = understanding; bhajante = worship; maam = me; budhaah = the wise; bhaavasamanvitaah = endowed with meditation.
Text in English:
I am the origin of all; from Me all things evolve. The wise know this and adore Me with all their heart.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The farmer who wants to bring up robust plants gives all his attention to the soil, it being the basis of good cultivation. The wise in this wise give their mind to God knowing that He is the source of everything and the thought of Him alone enriches and ennobles the mind. Their attention does not on any account deviate from God. As the plant gets itself rooted in the earth, the yogi gets himself attached to the Almighty. And that is the unfaltering yoga.
Is there then no provision for the varying temperaments to be drawn Godward? The answer is given in the next verse.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
bhaava: the right state of mind. R.
The teacher speaks now as the Lord, as Isvara. God is the material and efficient cause of the world. The aspirant is not deluded by the passing forms but knowing that the Supreme is the source of all the forms, he worships the Supreme.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Waves originate in water, depend on water and dissolve in water. The only support for the waves is water. Even so the only support for the whole world is the Lord. Realising this, feeling the omnipresence of the Lord, the wise worship Him with devotion and affection in all places. The Supreme is the same in all countries and at all times. He is the material and the efficient cause.
As Mulaprakriti or Avyaktam the Lord is the source of all forms. The Lord is the Primum mobile. He gazes at His Sakti (creative power) and the whole world evolves and the forms move. The worldly man who has neither sharp nor subtle intellect beholds the changing forms only through the fleshy eyes. He has no idea of the Indwelling Presence, the substratum, the all-pervading intelligence or the blissful consciousness. He is allured by the passing forms. He fixes his hopes and joy on these transitory forms. He lives and exerts for them. He rejoices when he gets a wife and children. If these forms pass away he is drowned in sorrow. But the wise ones constantly dwell in the Supreme, the source and the life of all, and enjoy the eternal bliss of the immortal inner Self, their own non-dual Atman, albeit all these forms around them change and pass away. They are steadfast in Yoga. They are endowed with unshakable Yoga. They worship the Supreme in contemplation and enjoy the indescribable bliss of Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

Para Brahman, known as Vasudeva, is the source of the whole world. From Him alone evolves the whole world with all its changes, viz., existence (Sthiti), destruction (Nasa), action (Kriya), fruit (Phala) and enjoyment (Bhoga). Understanding thus, the wise adore the Supreme Being and engage themselves in profound meditation on the Absolute. (Cf. IX. 10)   

Saturday 9 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 07, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 07
Text in Transliteration:
etaam vibhootim yogam cha mama yo vetti tattvatah:
so ‘vikampena yogena yujyate naa ‘tra samsayah:
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
etaam = these; vibhootim = manifold manifestations of my being; yogam = yoga power; cha = and; mama = mine; yah: = who; vetti = knows; tattvatah: = in truth; sah: = he; avikampena = unshakable; yogena = in yoga; yujyate = becomes established; na = not; atra = here; samsayah: = doubt.
Text in English:
He who knows in truth this glory and power of Mine is endowed with unfaltering yoga; of this there is no doubt.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI  CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Electricity manifests itself in various forms in instruments suited to those forms. In whatever form this energy expresses itself, the power is the same. This is a specimen of the primordial power of the Lord evolving itself into the glorious varieties of the sentient and the insentient, abounding in Nature. The discerning man knows that whatever he senses, is the power and glory of Iswara. He cannot, therefore, be any more separate from Iswara than he can be separate from earth. His yoga with God is thereby made unfaltering.
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
A lamp cannot burn without oil. Even so, man cannot be bereft of God.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
vibhooti: glory. The knower will be aware of his unity with the Divine and participate in the work of the world which is a manifestation of the Divine. The knowledge of the determinate Brahman is the way to the knowledge of the indeterminate Brahman.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Knowledge of the glory of the Lord is really conducive to Yoga. He who knows in essence the immanent pervading power of the Lord by which He causes the manifestations, and His diverse manifestations (Vibhutis) unite with Him in firm unalterable Yoga and attains eternal bliss and perfect harmony. From the ant to the Creator there is nothing except the Lord. He who knows in reality this extensive manifestation of the Lord and His Yoga (Yoga here stands for what is born of Yoga, viz., infinite Yogic powers as well as omniscience), is endowed with firm unwavering yoga. He lives in the Eternal and endowed with the highest knowledge of the Self. He who has realised this Truth is free from the superiority and inferiority complexes. There is real awakening of wisdom in him. He will behold the Lord in all beings and all beings in the Lord. He will never hate any creature on this earth. This is rare living cosmic experience. The Yogi realises the supreme goal and is absorbed in Him through his whole-hearted devotion. He is perfectly aware of his oneness with the Supreme by My divine Yoga.
He can keep his balance of mind now in whatever environments and circumstances he is placed and can do any action without losing his consciousness of oneness or identity with the Supreme Self. (Cf. VII.25; IX.5; XI.8)
What is that unshaken Yoga with which they are endowed?

The answer comes in the following verse.  

Friday 8 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA--CHAPTER 10, VERSE 06, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 06
Text in Transliteration:
maharshayah: sapta poorve chatvaaro manavas tathaa
madbhaavaa maanasaa jaataa yeshaam loka imaah: prajaah:
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Maharshayah: = the great Rishis; sapta = seven; poorve = ancient; chatvaarah: = four; manavah: = Manus; tathaa = also; mad bhaavaah: = possessed of powers like me; maanasaah: = from mindjaataah; born; yeshaam = from whom ; loke = in world; imaah: =these; prajaah: = creatures.
Text in English:
The seven great Rishis and the four ancient Manus endowed with My power, were born of My mind; and from them have come forth all the creatures in the world.

COMMENTARY BY  SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The seven great Rishis are Bhrigu, Marichi, Atri, Pula, Pulastya, kratu and Angiras. The four ancient Manus are Svarochisha, Svayambhu, Raivata and Uttama. These potentates are not of human origin. They are all born of the mind of Brahma, the Creator. In other words, they are all personifications of the several phases of the Cosmic Reality. The seven great Rishis represent the seven planes of consciousness. They are therefore said to be the originators of beings at all levels of existence and all of their domains. While the seven Rishis represent the created beings in their entirety, the four ancient Manus function as the orderly administrators of the entire Creation. The precision and regularity evinced by Nature are all due to the efficient regime of the Manus.
What is the benefit of that the sadhaka or practitioner derives by knowing this structure of the Cosmos and of its orderly functioning? The answer comes in the next verse.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
These are the powers in charge of the many processes of the world. Manu according to tradition is the first man at the beginning of each new race of beings.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
In the beginning I was alone and from Me came the mind and from the mind were produced the seven sages (such as Bhrigu, Vasishtha and others), the ancient four Kumaras (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata), as well as the four Manus of the past ages known as Savarnis, all of whom directed their thoughts to Me exclusively and were therefore endowed with divine powers and supreme wisdom.
The four Kumaras (chaste, ascetic youths) declined to marry and create offspring. They preferred to remain perpetual celibates and to practise Brahma-Vichara or profound meditation on Brahman or the Absolute.
They were all created by Me. By mind alone. They were all mind-born sons of Brahma. They were not born from the womb like ordinary mortals. Manavah, men, the present inhabitants of this world, are the sons of Manu. The Manus are the mind-born sons of God. These creatures which consist of the moving and the unmoving beings are born of the seven great sages and the four Manus. The great sages were original teachers of Brahma-Vidya or the ancient wisdom of the Upanishads. The Manus were the rulers of men. They framed the code or rules of conduct or the laws of Dharma for the guidance and upliftment of humanity.
The seven great sages represent seven planes also. In the macrocosm, Mahat or cosmic Buddhi, Ahamkara or the cosmic egoism and the five Tanmatras or the five root-elements of which the five great elements, viz., earth, water, fire, air and ether are the gross forms, represent the seven great sages. This gross universe with the moving and the unmoving beings and the subtle inner world have come out of the above seven principles. In mythology or the Puranic terminology these seven principles have been symbolised and given human names. Brigu, Marichi, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasishtha are the seven great sages.
In the microcosm, Manas (mind),  Buddhi (intellect), Chitta (subconsciousness) and Ahamkara (egoism) have been symbolised as the four Manus and given human names. The first group forms the base of the macrocosm. The second group forms the base of the microcosm (individuals). These two groups constitute this vast universe of sentient life.
Madbhava: with their being in Me, of My nature.  



THE HOLY GITA--CHAPTER 10, VERSE 05, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 05
Text in Transliteration:
Ahimsaa samataa tushtis tapo daanam yaso ‘yasah:
Bhavanti bhaavaa bhootaanaam matta eva prithagvidhaah:
Ahimsaa = non-injury; samataa = equanimity; tushtih: = contentment; tapah: = austerity; daanam = beneficence; yasah: = fame; ayasah: = ill-fame; bhavanti = arise; bhaavaah: = qualities; bhootaanaam = of beings mattah: = from; eva = alone; prthagvidhaah: = of different kinds
Text in English:
Non-injury, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame and obloquy—these different qualities of beings arise from Me alone.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Samata or equanimity is the balanced state of mind in the midst of the happenings of the desirable and undesirable occurrences.
Tapas or austerity is the determined change of life-habits from bad to good through a rigorous self-discipline
Danam or charity is the gift of the good and useful things made to the deserving persons.
Yasah: and Ayasah: or fame and obloquy are the outcome of doing the right or wrong deeds.
Electric power utilized by man expresses itself differently through different instruments. According to their attainments acquired through their karma in this life and in the past lives, men become the instruments for the expression of the Sat-cit-ananda positively as well as negatively. The qualities mentioned herein are all come from the same source—Iswara.
Who are they that have been the vehicles for the abundant expression of the glories of Iswara? The adumbrations ensues in the next stanza.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Ahimsa: non-violence; in old texts it means non-hurting, especially non-killing.
All these separate states of being issue in accordance with the past karma of beings. The Divine is indirectly responsible even for the pain and suffering of the world. He is the lord of the world and guides it, though He is unaffected by its oppositions.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Ahimsa is non-injury to living beings in thought, word and deed. Samata is that state wherein there is neither raga (like) nor Dvesha (dislike), when one gets pleasant or unpleasant objects. There is neither exhilaration when one gets pleasant or favourable objects not depression when one gets unpleasant or unfavourable objects. Tushtih is satisfaction or contentment. The man of contentment is satisfied with whatever object he gets through Prarabdha. He is satisfied with his present acquisitions. He is free from greed and so he has peace of mind. Contentment makes a man very rich. It annihilates greed. Greed makes even a rich man a beggar of beggars. A greedy man is ever restless. Tapas is restraint of the senses, with bodily mortification through the practice of fasting and slow reduction of food. The strength of the body and the senses is reduced through fasting.
Danam is beneficence. It is sharing of one’s own things with others according to one’s own things with others according to one’s own means, or distribution of rice, gold, cloth, etc., to a worthy person, in a fit place and time, especially to one who can do nothing in return.
Yasas is fame due to Dharma or virtuous actions.
Ayasah: is ill-fame or disgrace due to Adharma or sinful actions.
All these different kinds of qualities of living beings arise from Me alone,  the great Lord of the worlds, according to their respective Karmas.   


Wednesday 6 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA-CHAPTER 10, VERSE 04, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 04
Text in Transliteration:
Buddhir jnaanam asammohah:
   Ksamaa satyam damah: samah:
Sukham duhkham bhavo ‘bhaavo
   Bhayam chaa ‘bhayam eva cha
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Buddhih: = intellect; jnaanam = wisdom; asammmohah: = non-illusion; ksamaa = forgiveness; satyam = truth; damah: = self-restraint; samah: = calmness; sukham = happiness; dhukham = pain; bhavah = birth; abhaavah; = non-existence; bhayam = fear; cha = and; abhayam = fearlessness; eva = even; cha = and
Text in English:
Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, patience, truth, self-restraint, calmness, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear and fearlessness.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Buddhi or intellect is the faculty of grasping matters subtle and abstruse. Jnanam or wisdom is the discernment of Atman.
Asammohah: or non-delusion is the clarity of the mind even in critical and trying situations.
Kshmaa or patience is the kindly attitude of the mind even towards opponents and enemies.
Satyam or truth is the accurate presentation of what one has seen, known and experienced.
Damah: or self-restraint is the control of the external senses of touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing.
Samah: or calmness is the practice of the quietude of the mind and intellect.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
dama: self-control is quietude of the external senses.
sama: calmness. It is calmness of inner spirit.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Intellect is the power which the Antahkarana (the four-fold inner instrument—the mind, the subconscious mind, intellect and egoism) has of understanding subtle objects. Wisdom is knowledge of the Self. Non-delusion is freedom from illusion. It consists in acting with discrimination when anything has to be done or known at the moment. Patience is the non-agitation of the mind when assaulted or abused. Not thinking of any harm or evil for those who have assaulted or abused is also patience. Patience is enduring without lamentation the three kinds of pains, Adhyatmika, Adhidaivika and adhibhautika Tapas. Fever, etc., is Adhyatmika pain. Pain or discomfort from sever cold, heat, too much rain, thunder, and lightning is adhidaivika pain. Pain from scorpion-bite, snake-bite, and wild animals is Adhibhautika pain.
Satyam or truth is veracity. It is speaking of one’s own actual or real experience of things as actually heard or seen. There is not the least twisting or exaggeration or the slightest modification of facts. Dama or self-restraint is control of the external senses. It is the withdrawal of the senses (ear, skin, eyes, tongue and nose) from their respective objects. (viz., sound, touch, form, palatable foods and fragrance). Shama is calmness or tranquillity of the mind produced by checking the mind from thinking of external objects of the senses and by disconnecting it from the senses.
Sudham: Happiness. That which has Dharma or virtue as its chief cause and that which is favourable to all beings is happiness. Duhkham: that which has Adharma as its cause and that which is unfavourable to all beings, is pain.

 That which appears is Bhavah. Sat is bhavah. Asat or unreality is Abhavah. 

THE HOLY GITA --CHAPTER 10, VERSE 03, VIBHUTY YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTY YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 03
Text in Transliteration:
yo maam ajam anaadim cha vetti lokamahesvaram
asammoodhah sa martyeshu sarvapaapaih pramucyate
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
Yah = who; maam = me; ajam = unborn; anaadim = beginningless; cha = and; vetti = knows; loka mahesvaram = the great Lord of the worlds; asammoodhah = undeluded; sah: = he; martyeshu = amongst mortals; sarva paapaih: = from all sins; pramauchyate = is liberated.
Text in English:
He who knows Me as unborn and beginningless, as the Great Lord of the world, he among mortals is undeluded and freed from all sins.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
In His Absolute State, Brahman is unknown and unknowable. Triputi or the triad of the seer, the seen and the process of seeing is not in Him. But in His Transcendent State, a glimpse of His Reality is intuited by the perfected ones like the Rishis. They realize the existence of the imperishable as the basis of perishing Prakriti. This contact is like the looking at the infinite sky through a peep-hole. But this realization is very important to a sadhaka or practitioner. He intuits that the Lord is unborn and beginningless and that He is the Supreme Sovereign of the world. After knowing this truth he is no more deluded about the functioning of the phenomenon. Sin consists of construing man’s life as independent of Iswara’s ordainment. But the Sadhaka who links his life entirely with the plan and purpose of the Lord, gets himself freed from all sins.
To see into the way of the Transcendent Reality is given to the Enlightened only. But Brahman filters Himself down further into Immanence. In this aspect of His, He is available to the ordinary sadhakas too. This is described in the next verse.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
When we learn to look at things as derived from the One Transcendent Reality, we are delivered from all groping and bewilderment.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
As the Supreme Being is the cause of all the worlds, He is beginningless. As He is the source of the gods and the great sages, there is no source for His existence. As He is beginningless He is unborn. He is the great Lord of al the worlds.
Asammudhah: undeluded. He who has realised that his own innermost Self is not different from the Supreme Self is an undeluded person. Through the removal of ignorance, the delusion which is of the form of mutual superimposition between the Self and the not Self is also removed. He is freed from all sins done consciously or unconsciously in the three periods of time.
The ignorant man removes his sins through the performance of expiatory acts (Prayaschitta) and enjoyment of the results. But he is not completely freed from all sins because he continues to do sinful sections through the force of evil Samskaras or impressions because he has not eradicated ignorance, the root-cause of all sins, and its effect, egoism, and superimposition or the feeling of ‘I’ in the physical body. As he dies, swayed by the forces of evil Samskaras, he engages himself in doing sinful actions in the next birth. But the sage of Self-realisation is completely liberated from all sins because ignorance, the root-cause of all sins, and its effect, viz., the mistaken notion that the body is the Self on account of mutual superimposition between the self and the not-Self, is eradicated in toto along with Samskaras and all the sins. The Samskaras are burnt completely like roasted seeds. Just as burnt seeds cannot germinate, so also the burnt Samskaras cannot generate further actions or future births.


Monday 4 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA--CHAPTER 10, VERSE 02, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 02
Text in Transliteration:
na me viduh: suraganaah: prabhavam na maharshayah
aham aadir hi devaanaam maharsheenaam cha sarvasah:
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
na = not; me = my; viduh: = know; suraganaah: = the hosts of Devas; prabhavam = origin; na = not; maharshayah: = the great Rishis; aham = I; aadih: = the beginning; hi = for; devaanaam = of the Devas; maharsheenaam = of the great Rishis; cha = and; sarvsah: = in every way.
Text in English:
Neither the hosts of Devas nor the great Rishis know My origin; for in every respect I am the source of the Devas and the great Rishis.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The birth of the son and his progress in life is known to the father, but the birth and boyhood of the father ever remains beyond the ken of the son. Analogously Brahman is the Source and Witness of the universe that comes from Him and merges into Him. This Eternal Brahman is to some extent cognized by the perfected beings like the great Rishis. But His glory in its entirety can never be known by the hosts of saints and sages. He only remains partially revealed even when He embodies as an Incarnation like Rama or Krishna.
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The divine breeze blowing from the ocean of Sat-cit-ananda Brahman transports people into ecstasy. Sanaka, Sanantana and other ancient Rishis got themselves perfected by the divine breeze. A mere glimpse of this ocean sent Narada into raptures. Suka the born Brahma-Jnani touched this water but once and got himself filled with Brahmavastha and wandered the world as a divine lad. Siva the Cosmic Teacher took only three sips from this Great Ocean and became dazed with transcendental Bliss. Indeed, who can measure the depth or the characteristics of the Infinite Ocean of Brahman.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
sarvasah: in every way: sarvaprakaaraih. Shankara.
The Supreme is the unborn eternal and He is also the lord of the world. Though He has no birth, all existences derive from Him. The Teacher announces that He is in truth the Eternal God Himself, more ancient than all else and that all manifested glory is from Him.   

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Prabhavam: Origin. It may also mean great lordly power.
Maharshis: great sages like Brigu.
As I am the source of all these gods, sages and living beings, it is very difficult for them to know Me.

Sarvasah: In every way—not only am I the source of all the gods and the sages but also their efficient cause, their inner ruler and the dispenser or ordainer and the guide of their intellect, etc.

Sunday 3 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA --CHAPTER 10, VERSE 01, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 10
VIBHUTI YOGA—THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:
VERSE NUMBER 01
Text in Transliteration:
                                  Sree bhagavaan uvaacha
bhooya eva mahaabaaho srrnu me paramam vacha:
yat te ‘ham preeyamaanaaya vakshyaami hi takaamyayaa
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
sree  bhagavaan uvaacha = Sri Bhagavan said:
bhooyah: = again; eva = verily; mahaabaaho = O mighty-armed; srrnu = hear; me = my; paramam = supreme; vachah: = word; yat = which; te = to thee; aham = I; preeyamaanaaya = who art beloved; vakshyaami = (I) will declare; hitakaamayayaa = wishing (thy) welfare;
Text in English:
                                  The Blessed Lord said:
Once again, O mighty-armed, listen to My supreme word. Out of a desire to do you good I wish to speak of it to your absorbing delight.  

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The Lord is pleased with Arjuna’s keen interest in hearing of His divine glories. The master’s zeal to teach waxes in unison with the receptive faculty of the taught. This psychological fact is made evident here. The Vedantic verdict—“wonderful is the teacher, and equally clever the pupil” is more than proved by Sri Krishna and Arjuna. What the Lord imparts is the life-saving ambrosia to Arjuna.
The topic dealt with in chapters seven and nine is resumed and supplemented somewhat elaborately in this chapter. Repeated and comprehensive enquiry into the glory of the lord clarifies the understanding and promotes devotion. For, knowing and loving are interrelated. What else can man do than bend his head in reverence before the Grandeur and Sublimity of the Lord!
But what grandeur can there be in a personality bound in this mortal coil? The Lord Himself answers in the next stanza.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Priyamaanaaya may also be rendered “who are beloved”.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
I shall repeat what I said before (in the seventh and the ninth discourses). My essential nature and My manifestations have already been pointed out. As it is very difficult to understand the divine nature, I shall describe it once more to you, although it has been described already. I shall tell you of the divine glories and point out in which forms of being I should be thought of.
I will speak to you as you are delighted to hear Me. Now your heart is taking delight in Me.
The Lord wants to encourage Arjuna and cheer him up and so He Himself comes forward to give instructions to Arjuna even without his request.
Paramam Vachah: supreme word. Paramam means supreme, revealing the unsurpassed truth (Ciratisaya Vastu which is Brahman).

O Arjuna! You are immensely delighted with My speech, as if you are drinking the immortalising nectar.

Saturday 2 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 09, VERSE 34, RAJAVIDYA RAJAGUHYA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF SOVEREIGN SCIENCE AND SOVEREIGN SECRET

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 09
RAJAVIDYA RAJAGUHYA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE SOVEREIGN SCIENCE AND SOVEREIGN SECRET:
VERSE NUMBER 34
Text in Transliteration:
manmanaa bhava madbhakto madyaajee maam namaskuru
maam evai ‘shyaasi yuktvai ‘vam aatmaanam matparaayanah:
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
manmanaah: = with mind filled with me; bhava = be thou; mad bhaktah: = my devotee; madyaajee = sacrificer; maam = unto me; namaskuru = bow down; maam = to me; eva = alone; eshyasi = thus; aatmaanam = the self; matparaayanah: = taking me as the supreme goal.
Text in English:
Fix your mind on Me ; be devoted to Me ; sacrifice unto me ; bow down to Me.  Having thus made yourself steadfast in Me, taking Me as the Supreme Goal, you will come to Me.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
A selfish man resorts to God to have his desires fulfilled and his individuality preserved. But the injunction of the Lord to the discerning devotee is different. The sadhaka or the practitioner is not to practise escape mentality nor is he to develop quietism. On the other hand his talents have all to be harnessed to make life a fulfilment. In dedicating himself and his service to the Divine he gets himself utilized to the maximum. As the river gives itself to the ocean and becomes one with it, the devotee gives himself to the Lord and becomes one with Him.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
It is not the personal Krishna to whom we have to give ourselves up utterly but the Unborn, Beginningless, Eternal who speaks through Krishna. The way to rise out of our ego-centred consciousness to the divine plane is through focusing of all our energies, intellectual, emotional and volitional on God. Then our whole being is transformed and lifted up into the unity and universality of spirit. Knowledge, love and power get fused in a supreme unification. Joy and peace are the result of self-oblivion, of utter abandonment, of absolute acceptance.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Fill thy mind with me. Fix your head, heart and hands on Me. Get your heart in tune with Me. Become a true worshipper. You will secure eternal bliss. Having known Me, you will cross beyond death.
The whole being of man should be surrendered to the Lord without reservation. Then the whole life will undergo a wonderful transformation. You will have the vision of God everywhere. All sorrows and pains will vanish. Your mind will be one with the divine consciousness.
Just as the pot-ether becomes one with the universal ether when the limiting adjunct (pot) is broken, just as the Ganga and the Yamuna, leaving their names and forms become one with the ocean, so also the sage gets rid of Avidya (ignorance) and all sorts of limiting adjuncts through the direct realisation of the Self and becomes identical with Para Brahman.
Yuktva means steadied in thought, having thus fixed the mind on the Lord, knowing that I am the Self of all beings and the highest goal. (Cf. V. 17; VII. 7, 14; XVIII. 65)

Comments by the blogger:
We can go to the Lord after death in the present incarnation! This one sloka or Verse shows the way. We need not become great yogis of other types. Let us become the Bhakti Yogis. And harvest the fruits of all forms of Yoga.
But the worldly obligations are there. They pull us down. They would not allow us to give our all to the Lord. So what do we do?
Before that we should know the way of the Bhakti yoga. fixing our mind on the Lord is not so very simple and easy. Even the day-to-day affairs distract us. The daily occurrences like the arrival of our son or daughter from school on time gets us pull all stops. If there is a delay of ten minutes for the school van, we get to be so very concerned. The bus that daily takes us to the office should come on time. Mostly it comes on time. But occasionally there is a delay. That makes us grow old with concern. There are every day occurrences which make us become so very worried that we cannot think of bestowing time to God even on a daily basis. I am not speaking of all of you. Those whose preponderating guna is satva they might not be boggled down by everyday concern. But even they have long time and short time goals. If they cannot realise them, they become concerned.
But if we know how to bow down in heart at all the times to the Lord and make first small sacrifices then bigger one and become staunchly devoted to Him we will be able to fix our mind on the Lord.
If it is possible we can gradually make ourselves steadfast in Him, taking Him as the Supreme Goal we can enjoy the Heavenly pleasure even here on the earth. All our energies will be focused on the Lord.
But we need not think and fear that such a life will make us sacrifice the worldly things completely. No, we lead our daily life. But we lead our daily life with a difference. Before now, we would have been leading the life for ourselves. Now we will lead life for the glory of the Lord. We will eat and drink and be merry as always, but we will sacrifice everything and enjoy the same in the name of the Lord.
{and my dear readers and visitors of this site, the 9th chapter ends with this verse. And the 10th chapter is known as Vibhuti Yoga or the yoga of Divine Manifestation. But it deals with the Lord telling us in which things of the earth the manifestation of the Lord is predominant. Even though the Lord is manifest in each and every thing in Nature, He selects certain important things and men and gods as his Special Manifestations. I have nothing to add to the great and able commentaries by our three able commentators. So I am not going to write any puny comment of mine only for this chapter containing 42 verses. You will understand my reasoning and logic after you have read two three verses. And I will come back to harass you with my puny comments from the chapter 11 onwards}.


 iti sreemad bhagavadgeetaasoopanishatsu brahmavidyaayaam yogasaastre sree krshnaarjuna samvaade raajavidyaa raajaguhya yogo naama navamo 'dhyaayah:

In the Upanishad of the Bhagavad Gita, the knowledge of Brhman, the Supreme, the science of Yoga and the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, this is the ninth discourse designated:

                  THE YOGA OF SOVEREIGN SCIENCE AND SOVEREIGN SECRET

Friday 1 December 2017

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 09, VERSE 33, RAJAVIDYA RAJAGUHYA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE SOVEREIGN SCIENCE AND SOVEREIGN SECRET

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 09
RAJAVIDYA RAJAGUHYA YOGA OR THE YOGA OR THE SOVEREIGN SCIENCE AND SOVEREIGN SECRET:
VERSE NUMBER 33
Text in Transliteration:
Kim punar braahmanaah punyaa bhaktaa raajrasayas tathaa
Anityam asukham lokam imam praapya bhajasva maam
Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:
kim punah = how much more; braahmanah: = Brahmanas; punhaah = holy; bhaktaah = devoted; rajarsayah = royal saints; tathaa = also; anityam = impermanent; asukham = unhappy; lokam = world; imam = this; praapya = having obtained; bhajasva = worship; maam = me;
Text in English:
How much more then the holy Brahmanas and devoted royal saints! Having come into this transient joyless world, do worship Me.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Punya is in contrast with paapam already mentioned. A Brahmana is one who is perfect in mind and completely given over to spiritual life. The Kshatriya comes next to him and he is also entirely devoted to God. These two types of highly evolved people can easily attain Godhood.
What is sought as a fragrant and fresh flower today is cast aside as rubbish tomorrow. This is the case with everything in the world. Its transitoriness is self-evident. Misery is the counterpart of every earthly joy. Sorrow is ingrained in happiness. The highly evolved souls, the discerning ones should therefore take to the worship of Iswara so that they may transcend this relative existence.

SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANADA:
How shall we attain the Lord?
Can you with a distressed heart pray to Him for His grace and revelation? You shed pots full of tears for the sake of your wife, children and property. Have you ever shed a drop of tear seeking the Lord? As long as the baby is interested in toys, the mother minds her own business. But when the baby throws away those things and screams, the mother rushes to attend on it. You behave likewise towards God; and He will reveal Himself to you.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
In other word, even those who, on account of their past births, suffer from many disabilities, and are given to worldly pursuits can overcome their weakness and attain the highest. The path is easier for those Brahmins and royal sages who are spiritually disposed.
Anityam asukham lokam: impermanent sorrowful world. To the orphics life in this world is pain and weariness. We are bound to a wheel which turns through endless cycles of births and deaths. Only by purification and renunciation can we escape from the wheel and attain to the joy of union with God. John Burnet refers to the striking similarity between the Orphic beliefs and those prevalent in India at about the same time. Early Greek Philosophy (1930), p. 82. The teaching of the Buddha has for its starting point these features of the universe, its impermanence, and pain. (Cp. VIII.8.) There is a Persian saying attributed to Jesus, “The world is a bridge, pass over it but do not build upon it.” Not merely the world but every phase of the cosmic process, every aspect of human history, every stage of man’s life—the freshness of infancy, the crudeness of boyhood, the idealism of youth, the hot passions of adolescence and the ambitions of manhood are all bridges, meant for transit and not permanent habitation. Modern science demonstrates how miserably conditioned human life is. Jean-Paul Sartre’s theory of existentialism assumes that human existence is subject to certain permanent conditions. Each of us is born, is implicated in a reality which is not dependent on him, acts on other people and is exposed to action on their part. He cannot escape from death. These conditions taken together make of human existence tragic reality. Each of us, in this desperate condition, has to work out his salvation by the effort of his will. For the existentialist, man is left to his own resources. He has no faith in the saving grace of God. The teacher of the Gita shows us a way out of the transitoriness of things, the curse of age and death, jaraamaranamokshaaya (VII, 29). He asks us to take refuge in the Divine.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Rajarshis are kings who have become saints while discharging the duties of the kingdom.
It is very difficult to get a human birth which is the means of attaining the goal of life. Being born in this human body you should lead a life of devotion to the Lord. In the human body alone will you have the power to reflect (Vichara-Sakti), discrimination and dispassion. Even the gods envy the human birth.
This body is impermanent. It perishes soon. It brings pain of various sorts. So give up the efforts for securing happiness and comfort for this body. If you do not aim at Self-realisation even after attaining a human birth, you live in vain; you are wasting your life and you are a ‘slayer of the self’. You will again and again be caught in the wheel of birth and death.

 Comments by the blogger:
If the Lord says that this world is transient, we can understand it to a certain extent. But why joyless is this world? Would any of us live in this world if it is really joyless? See, if you think of it, the world is full of joy. Eating the favourite food is joyful. Sex life is utterly joyful. Begetting children is joyful. Seeing them grow day by day is utterly joyful. Dressing in beautiful and costly clothes is joyful. Endlessly partying is joyful. Telling small and non-serious lies is joyful. The sun-up and sun-down are joyful. To come to think of it, there are many an occasion which is joyful; many a thing which is enjoyable. But still, the Lord says this world is joyless. If this world is utterly joyless, everyone will either commit suicide or turn theist.
Is this world transient? Yes, something like that. We are born and grow up and age in this world. But Death is lurking throughout our life here and finally, we are consumed. So this worldly life is not permanent. That much is assured and proved. It’s a proven fact. For everybody knows that. There is an old Tamil Cine song that goes like this: ‘The pall-bearers of the dead are dead too, and this fact is not thought of by those living!’
So this world is only a transient place, not permanent. But is it joyless? Yes!
How come!
We think of this world’s happiness as blissful. But all our blissful moments taken together cannot stand comparison to the real Bliss and Beatitude those who attained the Lord enjoy.
We have elsewhere seen what a Bliss of a Brahman in comparison to a human bliss.
So when compared to the joy and bliss of Godhood the earthly joy and bliss are almost painful!
And this verse must be read in conjunction with the previous verse.
There the Lord said even Women, Vaisyas and Sudras can attain the supreme Goal if they take refuge in Him. Here in verse 33, he says, if that were the case, think of the assured way of Godhood eminently reachable by Brahmins and Rajarshis or kingly saints like Janaka.
Whether we like it or not the Brahmins have the benefit of the genetic excellence. Even an impoverished Brahmin can easily excel his counterpart or even a rich non-Brahmin in certain traits. For example, learning comes easily to them. This does not mean Non-Brahmins as a whole cannot exceed Brahmins. But such cases are few and far between. An average Brahmin enjoys thousands of years of evolving speaking in a genetic way. So the spirituality comes naturally to them. Devotion comes naturally to them. There may be and are exceptions. But as a rule, even an impoverished Brahmin is a staunch devotee of the Lord.

In Tamil Nadu, famous for its Rulers’ avowed notion of Rationalism, Bhakti Cult has increased many folds under the God-denying Dravida Rulers! So also in India. Some people speak coarsely about re-converting the Muslims and the Christians. They feed the 24*7 News Channels. We need not re-convert them. We must treat our poor brethren on a par without caste or community notions. That is the crying need of the hour.