THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER THREE
KARMA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF ACTION OR THE METHOD OF ACTION
VERSE NUMBER 31
Text in Transliteration:
ye me matam idam nityam anutishthanti maanavaah
sraddhaavanto ‘nasooyanto mucyante e ‘pi karmabhih
Text in English:
Those who ever abide in this teaching of Mine, full of
sraddha and free from cavilling, they too are released from actions.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
A wayfarer is unable
to find out, by himself the intricate path to his destination. But he places faith
on those who go that way and follow their instructions. By this means he is
sure to achive the end. A pilgrim in the path of spirituality is of mediocreif
he with sraddha entrusts himelf to the adepts in yoga. Even he gets freed from
the shackles of karma.
“sraddha” is a state of mind conducive to all round
advancement. Ardently applying oneself to an undertaking, to be meek and
accommodative with the others, placing faith in fellow beings—these are all characteristics
of “sraddha.” To be submissive to the preceptor is the mark of having “srddha”
in him. Earnestly digesting the understandable portions in the Bhagavad Gita
and hoping that the abstruse portions will soon become lucid—this is placing
sraddha in this great book.
It is cavilling if one becomes intolerant of others
obtaining what is not obtained by oneself. Merits in one, if any, get melted
away if one is given to cavilling. Conversely, advancement is ensured for one
who delights in the prosperity of others.
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Haughty people there are who deride the the ignorance,
credulity and superstion in others. They are proud of their own attainments. Such
people hardly ever make any progress in spirituality. On the other hand, the
humble and the meek who are ever dependent on the Lord, get over their effects,
if any, very soon. The gracious Lord sees to it that His erring devotees come
round soon.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Sraddha is a mental attitude. It means faith. It is faith in
one’s own Self, in the scriptures and in the teachings of the spiritual
preceptor. It is a compound of the higher emotion of faith, reverence and
humility.
Comments by the blogger:
When reading through the Gita we will surely come across
several passages which will run against our cherished notions and desires. Can’t
one live for one? Should we simply prostrate at His feet and surrender
everything? HE says his spirit permeates the entire universe, how about the
cooum river in Chennai and ghettos of Calcutta? Is he there too?
We will find all our cherished notions and ambitions
trounced by the Lord. Several people have left reading the Holy Gita in the
midway because it teaches a way of life fit only to hermits!
Shraddha is unflinching faith in God and His teachings.
We as human beings know only one thing and that is our
earth, but compared to the universe, both in size and magnitude it is not even
an iota of dust particle. But the Lord inheres in all of us and He alone knows
what is best for us. This faith and conviction also is shraddha. Great many
people have achived great many things simply through their shraddha.
Why not we too?
There is both good and bad in this world. How could God
inhere in the bad? It is easy to answer. All this has been brought into
existence only by Him, and apart from his illusion nothing is there. So we
should have faith in the Lord. And this world has been purposely made
incomplete and many here are unjustifiable and ugly. That is why Lord Shiva has
been adorned with the comely moon as well as the hissing cobra. Both good and
bad have been designedly brought into existence here. Our purpose of life is
not finding justice to this world, but have faith, or shraddha in the wisdom of
the overmastering supercosmic intelligent person and Being and adhere to Gita’s teaching
with total faith and conviction.
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