VERSE NUMBER 29:
Text in Transliteration:
aascharyavat pasyati kaschid enam
aascharavach vadati
tathai’va chaa ‘nyah
aascharyavach chai ‘nam anyah srrnoti
srutvaa ‘py enam
veda na chai ‘va kaschit
Text in English:
One beholds the Self as wonderful; another mentions of It as
marvellous; another again hears of It as strange; though hearing yet another
knows It not at all.
COMMNTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHVANANDA:
The atman cannot be
classified with the phenomenal things. Hardly ever anybody thinks of enquiring
into what is beyond the phenomenal universe. Explorers into the realm of Atman
are rare. This field remains incomprehensible to those not yet fully evolved in
mind. Light passes imperfectly through tainted and heterogenous glass. Even so
matters pertaining to Atman remain hazy to the imperfect in mind. One feels
amazed fancying that he has grasped It either while meditating or while
enquiring of it. It is but natural for one to be wonder-struck while reading,
hearing or reflecting on the Atman. Reflecting on It is as good as mentally
seeing It. Through all these apperceptions the Atmian remains but partially
comprehended or not comprehended at all. Mind is the screen that hides Its
view.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHAN:
Though the truth of the self is free of
access to all mankind, it is attained only by the very few who are willing to
pay the price in self-discipline, steadfastness and non-attachment. Though the
truth is open to all, many do not feel any urge to seek. Of those who have the
urge, many suffer from doubt and vacillation. Even if they do not have doubts,
many are scared away by difficulties. Only a few rare souls succeed in braving the perils and
reaching the goal.
Cp. Katha Upanishad., II,7. “Even those one has beheld,
heard and proclaimed it, no one has understood it.” Shankara.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
This verse may be interpreted in this manner. He that sees,
hears and speaks of the Self is a wonderful man. Such a man is very rare. He is
the one among many thousands. Thus the self is very hard to understand.
Comments by the blogger:
Self is a wonderful thing, but it is out of the reach of our
senses. But, by withdrawing all our senses and concentrate between the brows,
with the help of the senses which are perishable like our own bodies, is
perfectly possible. But, here the Lord, who had been eulogising the greatness
of the Self or Soul or Atman, tells Arjuna that it is a marvellous thing but is
not attainable. It should sound as a dichotomy. But, it is a case of seeing the
Truth differently. Because it has many faces! If we take this verse in its
wholeness and exclusive entirety, it would mean, despite one’s efforts, the
Atman or the Self is totally unattainable! Could it be the intention of the
Lord who had right from the beginning urging the despondent Arjuna that it is
just the body that he would have to slay and never the soul, and the soul is
uncleavable by weapons, cannot be burnt by fir, cannot be wet by water and
cannot be dried by air or wind, and thus urging him to pay scant respect to the
bodies, and the Atman in them will survive as it is out of the onslaught of
time and all other limiting adjuncts, all of a sudden turn around and said that
it is totally unattainable?
In the Git, sometimes we can take the single sloka or verse
as all-inclusive and a prayer in full in itself. Or it, the single sloka or
verse, can be taken as a spiritual way of life and we can live by that single
verse and attain salvation; or get very near that state according as our
efforts and steadfastness. But, like the present verse, there are some slokas
or verses which form part of a viewpoint.
So far as I am concerned, this verse belongs to neither category.
Though couched in negativity, it is not negative and the
Lord cannot be taken as expounding that the Atman or Soul is definitely
unattainable. Though couched in negativity, it is just a posit. Sri Krishna
uses a different technique in creating a wonder in the mind of Arjuna about the
marvellous greatness of the Atman and the very effort of attainment thereof.
We talk about the infinite sky, infinite ocean, not because
there is no finite quality in their extant or quantity, and they indeed are
infinite. They are referred to as infinite because of their immensity if not
immeasurableness. The waters of the oceans are theoretically measurable. And it
has shores as boundaries. So also the case of the sky. The sky is round in
shape like everything in this world and our bodily holes and cells, and it has
limits. But the immensity of the same defies even proven logic!
We often swear deathless love to our beloved and that it
would endure all the incarnations we shall take. This is another kind of
endlessness and infinity, though the love must end with the end of the
lifetime. Even during the lifetime there is no guarantee that it would never
change. But we are fond of swearing like the earth, like the sky and like the
waters in the ocean, I will love you for ever and ever. For ever is too much
urged on by a too little a person.
In phrasing this sloka or verse almost in unchangeable
negativity, the Lord indeed follow the worldly people’s way of speaking in
hyperbole just to impress. Here the thing about Atman is not an easy joke. So
the Lord wishes to create a wonder in the mind of the student about the almost
totally unattainable character of the Atman or Soul.
In actual truth the atman is attainable. But it is so very
difficult.
After urging the greatness and imperishable character of the
Atman or Soul, in this individual verse , the Lord speaks about the wonderful
marvel of the quality of the Atman.
The Upanishads, Bhagavat Gita and the Brahma Sutra
constitute the PRSTHANATRIAYA or the Trinity of the Hindu Scriptures. Every
ideal and posit elsewhere must be according to these Trinity of the Hindu
Scriptures. Anything repugnant to them must be set aside as having no force and
authority.
And or these three-fold Scriptures, Gita alone is readable
and readily understandable even by the uninitiated. But how many of the Hindus
read this immortal Gita in their lifetime. The rasa or quintessence of the
Upanishads is in the Gita. Brahma Sutra is nothing but the aphoristic
adumbrations of the Upanishads, but very abstract, and not readily understandable.
So Gita-study is a must for all of us. But still, on the wayside store, when we
buy second hand books, how many of us even think of getting a volume of Gita at
a reduced price? This is the way of the world.
Since the Lord knows everything, he uses all the forms of
arguments and posits to impress and impart everything about the Atman or Soul
to His student. That is why, here , he says Arman is unattainable. But, this is
just to impress upon the problem involved in it. Imparting of the yoga is the
Lord’s aim. So He resorts to all the ways of the world, and means and kinds of
argument!
Atman or Soul is definitely attainable, but only by the few.
Then what is the fun in reading the Gita and wasting our
time?
Because, the constant and continual reading of Gita would
benefit us that there are different kinds of consciousness than we knew, and
make us bear our loss and gain with a reasonable mindset. Thus we are gradually
preparing for the ultimate salvation or self-realisation.
That is why I have been reading Baghavat Gita for well over
fifteen years. We are sure to evlolve inwardly but gradually. The key is to
read and stay with the Lord’s words with unflinching faith and conviction! But
for that I am not a great expert in Gita philosophy. I have read many a
commentary and share with you my viewpoints and understanding. That is all.
When we start to make a study of Gita, there would be much hardship and
difficulties in staying with the Lord. And some verses would give out a
challenge for our logical understanding of things and matters. We might not be
able to readily understand some slokas or verses. But we should not put aside
the book. The commentaries by Swami Chidbhavananda are available both in Tamil
and English. They are published by SRI RAMAKRISHNA TAPOVANAM, THIRUPARAITHURAI,
THIRUCHIRAPALLI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA. POTAL PIN CODE: 639115. AND the commentary by Swami Sivananda is
published in English by THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY, P.O. SHIVANANDANAGAR, Dt.
Tehri-Garwal, Uttar Pradesh, India. The book is also available at its office in
Himalaya, India. The commentary by Dr.S.Radhakrishnan is published by:
HarperCollins Publishers India pvt Ltd, 7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi
110 002.
And you may also stay with me and visit and recommend the
site to your dear and nears.
HOLY GITA
CHAPTER TWO
SAMKHYA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE
VERSE NUMBER 30
Text in Transliteration:
dehi nityam avadhyo ‘yam dehe sarvasya bhaarata
tasmaat sarvaani bhootaaoni na tvam socitum arhasi
Text in English:
This, the Indweller
in the bodies of all is ever invulnerable, O Bharata. Therefore you should not
grieve for any being.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
This view of the
materialists are herein set aside as baseless. Further, the fact about Arman is
conclusively presented. It is incumbent on man to be poised above despondency
and thereby pave the way for spiritual enlightenment. And this is verily the
path of ‘sreyas’
Swami Chidbhavanada quotes from Sri Ramakrishna as follows:-
“A man suffers from a midnight dream that somebody comes
with a sword in hand to butcher him to pieces. Being frightened beyond wit, he
screams and wakes up. He finds in the dim lamp light the door bolted within and
the presence of none in the room. Still his heart continues to palpitate
rapidly for sometime. This is the sign of one’s identification with one’s
body.”
COMMENTARY BY DR. S. RADHAKRISHNAN:
Man is a compound
of Self which is immortal and body which is mortal. Even if we accept this
position that body is naturally mortal, still as it is the means of furthering
the interests of the Self it has to be preserved. This is not by itself a
satisfactory reason. So Krishna refers to Arjuna’s duty as a warrior.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
The body of any creature may be destroyed but the Self
cannot be killed. Therefore you should not Grieve regarding any creature
whatever, Bhishma or anybody else.
Comments by the blogger:
It takes a lot to understand the subtlety involved in
understanding even vaguely about this atman or soul or self. An ordinary
average person is always thinking of his and family’s day today needs. Only a
person of mental mettle and spiritual grasp can form a good understanding of
the atman or soul or self. That is the reason why here in this sloka or verse,
Sri Krishna calls Arjuna as ‘O Bharata.’ Because of his high lineage and
continuity of high breeding, he is the right person to attempt at a proper
understanding of the same. He teaches that as the compound of body and soul go
into making the man, despite the body’s destruction, the spirit survives. But
that does not mean that the body can be slain at will. Here the persons
standing in the opposite side have earned such bodily death. So only, if they
are slain without hatred and with a sense of duty, no sin would accrue to
Arjuna because his swadharma or self-ordained duty is to slay the enemy who
gives battle irrespective of his or their merit of otherwise. That is how ‘O
Bhara’ should be understood here. Instead of this, the Lord could have called
him, ‘O, son of kunti’ or even ‘mahabhahu’ a person with strong arms, a
connection to the physical prowess only, as distinguished from the mental
mettle required here.
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