HOLY GITA
CHAPTER TWO
SAMKHYA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE
VERSE NUMBER 31
Text in Transliteration:
svadharmam api cha ‘veksya
na viampitum arhasi
dharmyaadd hi yuddhaach chreyo ‘nyat
ksatriysys na
vidyate
Text in English:
Again, looking at
your own duty as well, you should not waver; for, there is nothing more welcome
to a kshatria than righteous war.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHVANANDA:
A kshatriya holds
righteousness superior to mere living. By waging the war of the kind that has
come about, righteousness is upheld, but by beating a retreat from it, unrighteousness
is allowed to thrive. He is no kshatriya who suffers unrighteousness to
prosper. And the man who takes to evil ways in preference to the good,
estranges himself from sreyas; he falls further. Holding on to one’s swadharma
is a sure means for the gaining of sreyas. One’s swadharma is that duty which
is best suited to one’s attainments and temperament.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHKRISHNAN:
His svadharma or
law of action, requires him to engage in battle. Protection of right by the
acceptance of battle, if necessary is the social duty of the Ksatriya, and not
renunciation. His duty is to maintain order by force and not to become an
ascetic by ‘shaving of his hair’. Krishna tells Arjuna that for warriors there
is no more ennobling duty than a fair fight. It is a privilege that leads to
heaven.
COMMENTARY BY SWMI SIVANANDA:
Lord Krishna now
gives to Arjuna worldly reasons for fighting. Up to this time, He talked to
Arjuna on the immortality of the Self and gave him philosophical reasons for
fighting. Up to this time, He talked to Arjuna on the immortality of the Self
and gave him philosophical reasons. Now He says to Arjuna, “O Arjuna: Fighting
is a Kshatriya’s own duty. You ought not to swerve from that duty. To a kshatriya
(one born in the warrior or ruling class) nothing is more welcome than a righteous
war. A warrior should fight.”
VERSE NUMBER 32
Text in Transliteration:
yadrcchayaa co ‘papannam svargadvaaram apaavrtam
sukhinah ksatriyaah paartha lahyante yudhaam eedrsam
Text in English:
Happy are the kshatriyas, O Partha, who obtain such a
warfare that comes unsought as an open gateway to heaven.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
At one time or
another the tide of fortune rises for every one. All that a man ought to do is
to discharge his duty as best as he can. It is like taking the boat up the river,
overcoming the downward flow of water. While steadfastly and devotedly doing
his duty, a favourable time comes to bless the man with all prosperity. It is
like the ebb of the tide. Then the water rushes up against the river, providing
facilities to row the boat easily. The wind also begins to blow favourably
then. By unfurling the sail the passage is quickened. A little effort at the
appropriate time leads to great results. That is called the opportune moment.
Arjuna is face to face with it now. The trials and tribulations of the exile in
the forest are over. He has but to execute his duty now as a matter of course. The
attainments of the earth and heaven, of victory and fame, and of enjoyment and
blessedness are waiting to attend on him. Diffidence and despondency are
therefore out of place at this juncture.
The tide of fortune
and the opportune time come to one and all, consistent with the growth and
evolution. Blessed are they who utilize these advantages to get fixed in
Sreyas.
COMMENTARY BY SWMI SIVANANDA:
The scriptures declare
that if a kshatria dies for a righteous cause on the battle-field, he at once
goes to heaven.
VERSE NUMBER 33
Text in Transliteration:
atha cet tvam imam dharmyam
samgraamam na
karisyasi
tatah svadharmam na karisyasi
tatah svadharmam keertim cha
hitvaa paapam
avaapsyasi
Text in English:
But if you will not
wage this righteous warfare, then forfeiting your own duty and honour, you will
incur sin.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Self annihilation
is the wage of sin. Greater than that is the fall of the man who fails to do in
time his duty that is based on righteousness. Omission of doing the right thing
is more potent for evil than the commission of the bad thing.
Fame and honour attend on the person who lives the life on
earth well. Conversely, ill-fame and dishonour come and choke the evil career.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S,RADHAKRISHNAN:
When the struggle between right and wrong is on, he who
abstains from it out of false sentimentality, weakness or cowardice would be committing
a sin.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
THE Lord reminds
Arjuna of the fame he had already earned and which he would now lose if he
refused to fight. Arjuna had acquired great fame by fighting with Lord Siva. Arjuna
proceeded on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas. He fought with Siva who appeared in
the guise of a mountaineer (kirata) and got from Him the Pasupatastra, a celestial
weapon.
VERSE NUMBER 34:
Text in Transliteration:
akeertim chaa ‘pi bhootaani kathayisyanti te vyayaam
sambhaavitasya chaa ‘keertih maranaad atiricyate
Text in English:
People will ever
recount your infamy. To the honoured, infamy is surely worse than death.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The characteristic
of the ordinary man is to preserve life somehow. But different is the way of
the hero. He knows well to safeguard life as well as sacrifice it for a great
cause. By his willingly surrendering life to an ideal, his glory increases and
fame spreads. It is bad enough for a warrior to cringe before the enemy and beg
to be spared when being trampled to death by him; it is much worse for a hero
to cling to life after losing honour and fame.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
The world also
will ever recount thy infamy which will
survive thee for a long time. Death is really preferable to disgrace to one who
has been honoured as a great hero and mighty warrior with noble qualities
VERSE NUMBER 35:
Text in Transliteration:
Byayaad ranaad uparatam mamsyante tvaam mahaarathaah
Yeshaam cha tvam bahumato buootvaa yaasyasi
laaghavam
The great
chariot-warriors will view you as one fled from the war out of fear; you that
were highly esteemed by them will be lightly held.
COMMENTARY OF CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The sworn enemies
of Arjuna such as Duryodhana and others were compelled, unwillingly though, to
admire his valour. They had to concede, with concealed envy of course, that
Arjuna was one who engaged the Lord Siva Himself in an encounter and won from
Him for prize, the divine weapon, Pasupata. All the same, they had design to
vanquish this man of mighty valour somehow. In a situation like this, they
would not construe that Arnjuna has withdrawn
from the warfront out of love and consideration for his kith and kin. They
would slight him as one who has fled from fear. Regard for the hero will at
once transform itself into ridicule. That infamy can in no way be remedied.
Fear does not become a hero. A man given to fear canno achieve anything in this
world. The deed done today from fear will be the cause for repentance tomorrow.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Duryodhana and others will certainly think that you have
fled from the battle from fear of karna and others, but not through compassion and
reverence for elders and teachers. Duryodhana and others who have shown great
esteem to you on account of your chivalry, bravery and other noble qualities,
will think very lightly of you and treat you with contempt.
VERSE NUMBER 36:
Text in Transliteration:
avacyavaadaams cha bahoon vadisyanti tavaa ‘hitaah
nindantas tava saamarthayam tato dhukhataram nu kim
Text in English:
Your enemies will also slander your strength and speak many
unseemly words. What could be more painful than that?
COMMENTARY BY CHIDBHAVANANDA:
When a man is well
off in life, all his doings will be extolled as exemplary; but if there be a
setback in his life, those very doings of his will suddenly become exposed to
uncharitable criticism and slander. People who have been all along admiring
Arjuna for his deeds of valour will not hesitate to belittle him and his deeds.
The reputation that he has so far gained is well-grounded, indeed. But irreparable will be the ignominy that is bound to come if
he failed in doing his duty. The very thought of Arjuna used to create a
shudder in the hearts of his enemies. His very martial appearance on the
battle-field has damped the war-zeal of his enemies. But if he happens to beat
a retreat now, those trembling enemies will surely come to themselves again. More
than that, their fear for Arjuna will immediately turn into ridicule of him. Their
indulgence in insolent jokes would become unbearable. There is no alternative
therefore to waging the war that has been declared.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Contrast this with the central teaching of the Gita that one
should be indifferent to praise and blame.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
There is really no pain more unbearable and tormenting than
that of slander thus incurred.
VERSE NUMBER 37:
Text in Transliteration:
hato vaa praapsyasi svargam jitvaa vaa bhoksyse maheem
tasmaad uttishtha kounteya yudhaaya drrta nischayah
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI
CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Slain you will
gain heaven; victorious you will enjoy the earth. Therefore rouse up O son of
Kunti, resolved to fight.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Whether we look at
the metaphysical truth or the social duty, our path is clear. It is possible to
rise higher through the performance of one’s duty in the right spirit, and in
the next verse Krishna proceeds to indicate the spirit.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
In either case you will be benefited. Therefore, stand up
with the firm resolution: “I will conquer the enemy or die”
Comments by the blogger:
The central truth and message of Gita can be said to be to
become indifferent both to praise and blame. It is not enough if we are able to
bear up even unwarranted blame with mental equanimity. We must be able to bear
up the praise heaped on us by others. The latter is, in comparison, more
difficult for even a religious man. Because the pull of ego and illusion is
like that! If somebody praise us even for the just cause or achievement of
ours, it is not easy to bear up with that with any equanimity. We become
overjoyed.
But the teaching of the Gita is bear both blame and praise
without becoming a party to it.
We should not try to kill untruth or lies. If we have the
habit of lying, we should not try to kill it. Because it is not possible! We must
try to espouse truth with great zeal. We should always think of the
self-satisfaction we derive when we are truthful, when we speak truth, and when
we are parties to truth at all circumstances. This is how our lying habit can
be replaced, but it can never be annihilated. If we are prone to speak angry
words without thinking, the doctors say we must try to count from one to five
before opening our mouth, and that five seconds silence would fetch a mental equilibrium
so the tumbling down of angry words can be curtailed or overcome, but never annihilated.
We must take up the cause of good so that the bad would not affect us. But at
one stage, even that good must be given up, and we must not indulge in any
action for self but with complete freedom from likes and dislikes. Because attainment
of the atman is freedom, and salvation! For that, even the desire in doing good
and enjoying the fruits thereof must be eschewed. So, the actionless self can
be realized only we become actionless. This is possible through Raja yoga and
Budhi or Gnana yoga. But even through devotion or Bhakti yoga and action or
karma yoga, this atman is attainable. But the only thing is we should indulge
in our self ordained actions without any involvement and expectation of the
fruits thereof. We must be simply be the agent of God. And must be conscious of
the fact, it is always Eshwar’s actions that are carried out in this world
through the human and non-human agency.
In the Bhagavat Gita too Sri Krishna expects of Arjuna that
only. He wants him to be His agent, for the persons on the other side have
already courted murder by their individual actions. The wicked and those stood
beside them must be cleansed of the earth.
When that is the case, how can we reconcile the teaching of
the Lord in the above verses. Isn’t it a deviation?
Yes, deviation indeed. But the Lord is not afraid of pushing
Arjuna into the war through all means. Though not foul, the above verses are in direct contrast to the
central teaching of the Gita. But the Lord wants to appeal to the ego in
Arjuna, and through that way too He wants to push Arjuna into the war, which is
a dharma yudha. Those who criticise this stance of the Lord are of shallow-witted
and very slow of understanding. This whole universe is a thought as well as
mater. It all depends upon the onlooker. If the onlooker says,”I see nothing!”
then this world is just a beautiful thought to him. But for most of us it is
very real and material. So this kind of questions and posturing cannot satisfy
both ways of looking upon the world. But what is good for the goose is good for
the gander too. And if the Lord could appeal to the ego of the greatest of
warriors, Arjuna, so much the better! But the Lord does not keep harping to it
apart from the above stanzas. This is one of the means and ways He adopts to
get Arnjuna to indulge in the essentially righteous war. And that is material.
After subjecting him to the teachings as to the nature of
the deathless Atman and then about the way of action, now in the above stanzas
the Lord has just deviated, before picking up the thread, the centrality of the
Git-teaching from the next verse onwards.
The fact the Lord does not address Arjuna as O Bharata but
as O, the son of Kunti in the last vers is very material. By this He indicates,
the above verses are intended to the ordinary average son of a woman born of
her womb.
No comments:
Post a Comment