The Essence of Bhagavad-Gita
The
Great Conversation
What makes the Bhagavad-gita such a
singular work? There are many epic and heroic poems, sagas of war from the
ancient world. Perhaps the Iliad and the Odyssey are the most well-known. Many
books describe ancient combat, the lust for battle, the tragedy of war. Many of
these confront important moral dilemmas. And yet, when the time for battle
comes, the hero accepts his fate and enters the fight. A hero who refuses the
call to adventure is a coward. It is rare to find a hero who enters a great
conversation at the moment of truth. And yet at the outset of battle in
Kurukshetra, all the action pauses to hear a dialogue between a man in great
crisis and God Himself.
To find a similar argument against war
in Greek Mythology one might cite the example of Odysseus feigning madness to
avoid Agamemnon's call to arms in his siege of Troy.
Then there's Achilles refusal to fight. But
Odysseus avoids war out of self-preservation and family affection where Achilles
sulks in his tent out of anger and pride. At no point in the ancient Greek epic
do we find any metaphysical discussion between gods and men about the nature of
soul and karma.
The central conflict in Mahabharata is the battle
of Kurukshetra. And the key moment is the beginning of the battle. The
pivot point of the entire 100,000 verse work is Arjuna's crisis of conscience.
If Arjuna decides not to fight, the battle is lost. Without Arjuna, the
Pandavas are finished.
And yet his crisis of conscience is not based on
weakness, although Krishna tells him not to be weak. He is concerned with the
future of the dynasty. If war destroys all the great heroes of an age, what
will be left? Society will be ruined. The very principles of religion will
suffer. Customs and traditions will fall by the wayside, women and children
will be corrupted. The whole system of caste and social order will never
recover.
Arjuna is not concerned with pride and adventure,
booty or gold, kingdom and fortune. Even his duty as a warrior, a principle he
has always cherished, has no value for him. He stops his chariot just as
hundreds of thousands of warriors are ready for blood, and in the heart of the
battlefield puts down his weapons. He will not pick them up again until he is
convinced.
The dialogues of Plato are set in the
gardens of the Greeks, where young men discuss abstract ideas about justice.
But the dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna is set on the plains of Kurukshetra
where men of iron and steel are about to commit wholesale slaughter. The ideas
they discuss are far from abstract, but would influence the fates of thousands
of heroes.
The highest ideals of the Greeks may be
expressed in the Platonic dialogue called "Crito" where Socrates
drinks poison while discussing the soul. http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/crito.htm
But Socrates is always more interesting for the questions he asks than for any
real answers about the meaning of life. Whereas Arjuna will not be satisfied
simply by putting interesting questions. Unlike Socrates who seems satisfied to
merely ask questions, Arjuna wants to get to the meaning of life before he
sacrifices his own in battle.
Sometimes we overlook the nobility of
Arjuna when looking deeply into the meaning of the Bhagavad-gita, since Krishna
Himself dismisses many of his questions as being superficial. But it is
Arjuna's nobility which elevates the conversation to the highest level.
Nor do we find such a conversation
anywhere in he Bible or the teachings of Christ to his disciples. Jesus Christ
found himself teaching in parables to fishermen and carpenters. If he
were able to discuss the inner meaning of spiritual life with an intimate
disciple, we have no record of such a discussion. For a true parallel, we would
need to know what conversation Jesus Christ had with his Heavenly Father while
in the Garden of Gethsemane. There it is said the Lord Jesus asked his Father
to remove the cup of wrath he was about to drink. What dialogue He may have had
with His Son, we can only imagine. What would God have said to Jesus Christ in
his moment of doubt?
In the Gita we have a
conversation by a man in crisis with God Himself, Krishna. If you could have a
conversation with God in a moment of crisis, what questions would you ask?
Arjuna asked about karma, dharma, yoga, work, action, sin, knowledge, religion,
duty, the goal of life, self-realization, the nature of reality, God, time, and
the world. As hardened warriors held their bow-strings tight, Arjuna paused his
long enough to ask about the nature of the soul, death, and the Supreme
Reality.
Any one of us who have passed through
a moment of crisis know what Arjuna felt. And like Arjuna, we can take solace
and inspiration from the words of Krishna and the message of
Bhagavad-gita even in our darkest
Bhagavad-Gita forms a small chapter in the Bhishma parva of the Mahabharata,
a 100,000 verse Sanskrit epic
describing the Kurukshetra war between the sons of Pandu and
the sons of Dhritarashtra. This battle was supposed to have taken place some
5000 years ago in the holy place known as Kurukshetra where over 6 million warriors had gathered.
As he rides into battle, Arjuna, the
warrior king, will is filled with doubts
and asks his friend, Krishna, God
himself, or an avatar of divinity, to instruct him in his correct duty
according to Dharma.
The Bhagavad-Gita comprises some 700 verses in Sanskrit
and deals with questions about yoga, Dharma, karma, meditation, duty,
the nature of the universe, the soul, God, and the universal laws of time and
space.
Of the various commentaries on the Bhagavad-Gita, the most important are those
of Sridhar Swami, (the first commentator) Shankar ( 5th century A.D.) Madhva (10th Century) Ramanuja, (11th
Century) as well as those of Baladeva
Vidyabhushana, (after Madhva) and Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura. Apart from
these, the commentaries of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, (19th century) and
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura (20th Century) are most
enlightening.
The most popular translation of Bhagavad-Gita
ever published was that of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, MacMillan 1967
which sold over a million copies.
There are
of course hundreds of translations and commentaries of the Bhagavad-Gita, but
the above mentioned translations follow the traditional schools of
Bhagavad-Gita interpretation that I have been made popular by millions of
Hindus over the last 2000 years.
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| The Bhagavad-gita is a great conversation. |
Contents of the
Bhagavad-Gita:
In his Gita-bhashya commentary Ramanuja relies on
the Gita-samgraha of his teacher Yamunacharya, which summarizes the Gita as
follows:
“It is the doctrine expounded by the
Bhagavad-gita that Narayana who is the Supreme Brahman, can only be achieved by
means of bhakti which is brought about by observance of the dharma, acquisition
of knowledge, and the renunciation of passion.”
According
Yamuna’s version, the first six chapters of the Bhagavad-gita instruct us on
gaining a well-founded position in understanding karma or action and jnana, or
knowledge, where action should be dedicated with knowledge in yoga to achieve a
harmonized relationship between soul and Supreme Soul.
The first chapter of the Gita is largely
introductory material. As the opposing armies stand ready for battle, Arjuna is
overcome, and expresses his inability to perform his duty as warrior.
Arjuna's
Crisis of Conscience
This first chapter of the
Bhagavad-gita is often overlooked as a superfluous prologue to the real
heart of Kṛṣṇa's teachings. And yet we may find the real key to the meaning of
the Gīta in Arjuna's crisis of conscience. In fact the chapter has been titled,
arjunaviṣādayogaḥ, अर्जुनविषादयोगः, in keeping with the
formality of titling each chapter according to the Yoga system taught within.
So what yoga system is examined here in the first chapter?
Some thousand years after the battle of
Kurukshetra was fought and settled and the Mahābharata composed by Vedavyāsa,
the philosopher Plato began to establish the model of Western philosophical
discourse on the basis of dialogues. Today, of course, this is commonplace, but
most critics credit Plato for inventing the form. Actually, we may find the
precedent for the dialogues of Plato in Bhagavad-gita and the dialogue between
Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.
If a dialogue has no conflict, it is flat,
bland, lifeless. Mere catechism lacks the character of true dialogue. At the
beginning of Bhagavad-gita, there is a tremendous conflict. Armed men are about
to assault each other in an all-out battle for dynasty, pitting gurus against
their disciples, grandchildren against grandfathers. It is to be the bloodiest
conflict of ancient history, eclipsing even the Trojan War. But while the Iliad
contains no philosophical dialogue, the Mahabharat gives us the Bhagavad-gita
at its very center. Just as the Trojan War hinges on whether Achilles will
fight, the Battle of Kurukshetra hinges on Arjuna's willingness to fight.
Without Arjuna, the Pandavas and Yudhisthira are lost as is their cause: dharma.
Homer's Achilles is moved by vengeance for the
death of his lover Patrocles. Vengeance has brought Arjuna to the brink of war,
but before he dives into the slaughter, he pauses. He has a moment of doubt.
This doubt is what fires the conversation between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Arjuna does
not enter the matter as a true believer, but as a reluctant warrior.
As Arjuna begins his conversation with Kṛṣṇa he
looks upon the gathered armies and sees cousins, brothers, fathers and sons,
even gurus ready to kill and die. He lays down his arms, overcome with
compassion. But Arjuna is not a coward as sometimes he is depicted; he is the
greatest warrior of the ancient world celebrated in thousands of lines of
Sanskrit. He has already defeated Shiva in a hunting duel, contested with his
father Indra the god of thunder himself in the burning of the Khandava forest.
He has conquered an entire race of ghostly warriors, the Nivata-kavachas and
sent them to hell. Arjuna is no shrinking violet.
No coward would singlehandedly demand that his
chariot be drawn up in the no-man's land between two opposing armies when
arrows are beginning to fly. And yet, after having been primed for this
battle, having won the greatest weapons of war from the gods, instead of
entering the fray swinging his sword and firing arrows from his famous Gandhiva
bow, he has a moment of doubt.
Vishada can mean "despair,
despondency." I think in today's parlance we would call it a "crisis
of conscience." The Bhagavad-Gita takes us on a journey from despondency
and suffering to enlightenment and bliss. But we begin with Arjuna's crisis of
conscience.
It may seem a conceit to call "Crisis of
Conscience" a form of yoga. And yet if "yoga" is a system for
bringing us in contact with the divine, that journey often begins with doubt.
If we don't take time to question who we are or what we are doing, we may never
confront ourselves with the truth about reality. Arjuna's crisis of consciense
makes him doubt everything. He questions Krishna: Why must he be a warrior?
What is the place of society, religion, duty, self-consciousness, God
consciousness? What happens when duty and religion clash? Arjuna is no fool. He
has participated in discussions with great sages and saints from the Kamyaka
forest to the heavenly planets. He is well-acquainted with Vedic conclusions
about duty and karma. And yet his crisis of conscience allows him and us to
explore the deepest questions through his conversation with Kṛṣṇa.
If Kṛṣṇa Himself takes us on a tour of every possible
yoga and practice, Arjuna exercises every possible doubt, not from the
rehearsed questions of a learned professor, but with the aching doubt of a
seasoned warrior, reluctant for spilling further blood. The intensity of his
crisis of conscience is matched at every step by the truths of Kṛṣṇa's
message.
In the end, Arjuna's crisis of conscience is our own. If we
approach the message of the Gīta in the same spirit as Arjuna, inquiring, but
willing to accept truth, we may aspire to achieve the same enlightenment.
"Crisis of Conscience" as yoga is useful, especially if we approach a
realized master submissively and in a spirit of inquiry. Arjuna's yogic
crisis of conscience is sincere, and his dialogue with Kṛṣṇa and the truths
contained therein conclude in the highest understanding of yoga: the yoga of
divine love.
Sanjaya, the narrator,
describes Arjuna’s crisis:
“And having spoken thus on the field of battle, Arjuna,
overwhelmed with grief, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on his
car."
Sañjaya said, "Seeing Arjuna tearful in his moment of crisis,
the slayer of Madhu, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, '"How has such a crisis come
upon you, O Arjuna? Your weakness is unbecoming one of noble birth; it will
close the doors of heaven to you and lead to infamy. This is not the time for
such cowardice. It is unlike you. You are a conqueror. Leave aside this
softness of heart. Now stand and fight!'"
"But Arjuna said, 'O Madhusūdana, how can I attack my
reverent grandfather, Bhiṣma and my teacher Drona with sharp arrows in battle?
It would be better to live by begging. The feast of triumph would be stained
with blood. I don't know which is better: to kill or be killed. Even conquering
them all there is no victory, for I am only killing my own family. My heart is
heavy and my mind is confused. I can no longer understand what to do. I am
overcome with the vice of compassion. I have no idea what is right and wrong. I
surrender myself completely to you. Consider me your disciple and teach
me."
Chapter
Two: Knowledge of the self.
In the second chapter of the Gita, Arjuna excepts
Krishna as his guru or teacher and asks
his advice in his moment of doubt. Here are the real teachings of the
Bhagavad-Gita begin. The teaching of
Krishna is for the sake of Arjuna, who, overcome by misplaced love, compassion
and anxiety about dharma and adharma, has taken refuge in God.
In the second chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Krishna
explains the nature of the soul or atma. This analysis of the soul or atma is
called “sankhya” which means “breaking it down.” Krishna analyses the soul’s
nature in relationship to the world of space and time. Krishna explains that a
“sankhya” analysis is helpful in understanding our true position. Throughout his analysis Krishna makes
constant reference to the word “yoga.” Yoga has many meanings. To “yoke
together” is a popular way to understand the word Yoga.
It’s important to understand this word, yoga. The
idea of yoking two things together is a useful point of departure. The yoke was
first used in agriculture on the south
Asian continent. India is credited with having invented this system for
bringing two bulls under control for the
purpose of pulling a plow. It is
commonplace to consider yoga as a way of harmonizing with the divine. What has
this to do all with pulling a plow?
The word yoga may be seen as referring to any method which brings opposing elements in harmony. Two bulls tend to go off in different directions; The
yoke creates a team of oxen essential for agriculture.
Our world is filled with dichotomies; the split
between positive and negative, the yin
and yan, male and female, space and time, quantum relativistic worlds, the spiritual
and material aspects of our existence.
Yoga
strives for balance, harmony. When Krishna speaks of karma yoga, he isn’t
referring to a particular set of
practices or techniques meant to bring about a result. In fact what he’s
describing is the need to bring one’s action into balance, into harmony with
one’s spiritual nature.
In the West, we’re accustomed to think of yoga as a kind of technique for
stretching. People practice yoga to bring their body into harmony so they can
cope with the stress of material life. But the idea of “yoga” has a deeper
purpose. We can think of the word yoga in terms of “harmonizing” two disparate elements. Just as
a conductor harmonizes a number of musical instruments into a synthetic unit,
the orchestra, so we balance the
different conflicts of life in harmony through different forms of “yoga.”
One may think of different schools of yoga in
terms of Hegelian dialectic: thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Whenever
two Ideas are balanced, they produce a
higher synthesis in a new idea. Karma
alone is noxious; when it is balance with yoga it becomes sacrifice. Knowledge
alone is toxic and leads to doubt one’s own self. But, balanced in yoga,
knowledge, or jnana as it is called in Sanskrit, leads to enlightenment.
Krishna’s essential message in Bhagavad-Gita is simple: When action and knowledge are in
perfect balance, they lead to the higher synthesis of dedication and divine
love.
The proper balance of understanding and action,
love and sacrifice is the subject of discussion in Bhagavad-gita. Krishna and
Arjuna dialogue about the different practices, forms of meditation, and
strategic life-views that lead to a life in balance and harmony. Krishna
concludes that the highest balance is found in dedication. This dedication to
the divine principle is called bhakti and is considered a superior yoga than
mere action or knowledge.
In the second
chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna
begins by explaining that the soul or atma is eternal and survives the
death of the body. In fact, it moves
from one body to the next, evolving consciously from one lifetime to the next.
This temporary world has no eternal reality. As
such it is an illusion, and a wise man is one who can distinguish the temporary
and eternal reality’s. As a person puts on new clothes, leaving aside the old
and useless ones, so we change bodies from one lifetime to the next.
Chapter
Three: Sacrifice, or Karma-yoga
Krishna therefore advises Arjuna to do his duty
and follow the path of karma-yoga, for if he avoids his duty there will be bad
karma. Duty must be done without consideration of reward. If work is so
dedicated to divinity, it will become purified there will be no fault in any
action. Karma-yoga here has the connotation of
“sacrificial work,” or work in harmony with a higher purpose.
Arjuna is a warrior and should therefore do
battle. Harmonizing action and duty will bring about the transcendental
perfection called samadhi, or “perfect balance.”
Krishna goes on to describe transcendental
perfection for ones whose mind is fixed in meditation. Arjuna becomes confused: he asks Krishna,
“which is better action or meditation?” Action is called karma. Meditation here
is jnana. The word jnana can also mean knowledge. Arjuna is concerned whether it is better to follow the path of action or
karma yoga, or to follow the path of knowledge and wisdom which includes
meditation, jnana-yoga. Kristin explains further what he means by the
perfection of duty or, karma-yoga.
So begins
the third chapter. Krishna says that
action is unavoidable No one can avoid work. Work without sacrifice is sinful,
that is to say it accrues the sinful reaction in karma. Work without sacrifice is selfish. Selfish work has a karmic reaction, but
unselfish work, or work dedicated to a higher purpose frees one from karma.
Work dedicated to God is
purified by sacrifice. This is the essential message of the
Vedas.
And so in the third chapter of Bhagavad-Gita
Krishna explains the need for sacrifice in accordance with the Vedas. Sacrifice
may also bring some benefit, but one should not be attached to the benefits of
sacrifice just as one should not be seduced by the flowery language of the
Vedas. Action in sacrifice is better than worldly action or materialism. One
who can free himself from ego and dedicate action to a higher power will
advance two higher plane.
Materialism is condemned. Krishna explains the
psychology of attachment and maintains that the senses and mind may be
controlled through intelligence. Once the intelligence is convinced about the
need for sacrifice, the mind and senses can be brought under control. If work
must be done, it should be done in the spirit of sacrifice or for a higher
purpose and not selfishly.
At the end
of the third chapter, Arjuna still can’t understand what to do. He doesn’t
really grasp the essence of Krishna’s teaching. Is he advocating meditation? Or
does he recommend duty? And what is Krishna’s authority? How can he say that one yoga is better than
another?
Chapter
Four: Transcendental Knowledge
The fourth
chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita begins when Arjuna wants to get at the source of
Krishna’s advice. This chapter begins
with epistemological considerations. How is
true knowledge transmitted?
Krishna explains that transcendental knowledge
should be received from a realized soul who in turn has received that
transcendental light from a higher, realized soul. Analysis will
only get us so far. Real progress
will be made when we come in contact with a bona fide teacher. Self-realization
is a nonverbal experience that may be transmitted from teacher to disciple
through divine sounder mantra but can only be truly realized through practice.
( Sadhana)
Krishna asserts his own divinity as an avatar to
Arjuna and assures him that his advice is sound. He explains that the avatars
of God descend whenever there is a
decline in religious principle called Dharma.
Since the war is an example of the decline
of dharma in the world, Krishna has
appeared to set things right. He
explains that those who understand this knowledge about divinity including the
principal of avatars need not return to
the cycle of repeated birth and death (Samsara).
Krishna explains that those who devote their
lives to divinity need not fear for future births and deaths. When karma
yoga is performed as an act of
dedication to the supreme, there is no need to fear rebirth. But, thus
performed should be free of attachment and the different influences of material
nature, sattva, raja, and tamas.
Just as light reflected through a prism breaks
into different colors, our experience as conditioned souls in the material
world is colored by these three influences. Sattva is the influence of
truthfulness, Raja, passion and creation, Tamas, survival. Our psychology is
tinged by these, and depending on the concentration of sattva, rajas, or tamas,
our character may be molded. Just as pure water is rare, pure sattva, pure
goodness, is difficult to find.
This is a more subtle analysis than the Manichean
universe of goodness and evil, where God and the Devil are at war. The version
of good and evil found in Bhagavad-gita is not a question of sin and purity,
darkness and light. It has more to do with color theory than black and white.
The black and white world of good and bad is, in fact, an alien concept in the
Mahabharata itself. The idea that we have only one life to live and that it
must be lived in sin or in purity is not the version given by Krishna to
Arjuna.
The soul passes from one body to the next in an
endless chain of birth and death, broken only by spiritual realization. The
karmic influences that drag us down our lift us up are not creations of the
devil but result from our own attachments to the world. These attachments are
not questions of sin and purity. Our lives are not black and white cases of
heaven and hell, but more subtle permutations of our own egoistic involvement
in the world of exploitation.
And the world of exploitation is a product of our
own ego perception, a symphony of colors and influences that captivate us birth
after birth. Insanity is a question of repeating the same action again and
again, expecting a different result. And so like the donkey, fooled by the
carrot on a stick, we march on and on in an illusory world of our own
perception in ignorance, passion, and goodness. Here again we meet the Hegelian dialectic: the Vedic universe is
not a world of black and white, but one with gradations and hues. The modes of
material nature are not black demons who seduce us into wrong action as opposed
to white angels who would lead us into salvation; the gunas or modes are
products of our own egoistic determination to exploit, to continue our karmic
voyage.
So, not black and white, but a world of colorful
influences, modes, gunas. Three colors produce the myriad of hues perceived by
our eyes. In the same way the interchange of influences color our world Is an
action good or bad? It’s hard to say; there’s an touch of goodness, a shade of
darkness, a tone of compassion.
Arjuna’s dilemma is to decide on a course of
action: good or bad, right or wrong, action or inaction. Krishna tells him that
even great sages and saints are baffled in trying to understand the difference.
And so, the need for divine guidance, a teacher,
a guru, one who knows the path, one who has been enlightened or at least knows
someone who has seen the light.
Because attachment is born from the influences of
material nature, one should try for detachment, freedom from the influences of
material nature. A good way to become from from attachment is through
sacrifice.
Here, in
the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna gives a more elaborate
explanation of what he means by sacrifice. And his concept of sacrifice is not
merely limited to the physical plane; sacrifice may have a psychological
dimension. One may sacrifice not only one’s actions ( karma), one may also achieve sacrifice to meditation and
concentration on the divine (jñāna-yoga) or even through the eightfold path published
on the yoga, following the system of asana,
yoga-postures, yama, self-control by
accepting positive practices, self-control by avoiding negative practices, pranayama, breath-control, pratyahara, renunciation, dharana, surrender, dhyana, meditation, and samādhi,
perfect self-balance.
Above all,
it is important to seek the truth by approaching a bona fide spiritual
master or guru, a teacher who can lead
one from darkness. A real guru is one who can impart the truth on the basis of
his own personal realization, and in accordance with what has been given in the
Scriptures by realized saints as well as the previous avatars.
Blind following
and absurd inquiry are both condemned.
One must approach the guru who is genuine with a submissive attitude of
service and make real inquiry into the purpose of life. By such knowledge one
cannot only understand the essential nature of all living beings but their
relationship with the absolute.
Krishna says that this transcendental
knowledge is the mature fruit of all
mysticism. Now that Arjuna understands clearly the nature of work, karma, or
action, the importance of knowledge in detachment, and work and sacrifice, he
should come to the proper conclusion.
Armed with transcendental knowledge about proper
conduct and sacrifice it is time for him to act. Arjuna should fight, both
as duty and sacrifice.
He should fight as an act of
dedication, free from attachment. His attachment to family and society is
mundane. His compassion is misplaced.
Free from the influences of ego and materialistic religious duty Arjuna must
fight.
So ends the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita.
Chapter
Five: Sacrifice, Knowledge, Renunciation,Dedication.
And yet, Arjuna is still not satisfied. He doesn’t understand the difference between
karma, meditation, and yoga. If self-realization is so important, then why
should he fight at all? Wouldn’t it be better for him to renounce
everything and go off into the forest as
a yogi? What has violence to do with
self-realization?
What he doesn’t understand is that while Krishna’s message
is universal its application may differ according to one’s ability or level of
consciousness.
Society may be divided into different classes of men and women
according to their qualification. Some men and women qualify as intellectuals
and professionals, others as leaders and organizers. Some people are best as
entrepreneurs and businessmen.
And then, there are those who function well in the service
industry or in production in the manufacture of goods. These social divisions
are also referred to in the Bhagavad-Gita.
One’s path of self-realization may be qualified by his
position within society. While we are all equal in spirit, as a practical
matter we have different capacities for self-realization.
Generally speaking, it isn’t good advice to tell a family man with
many responsibilities to walk away from his material life and take up the
path of renunciation. Not everyone has the same vocation for
spiritual practice.
The universal message of sacrifice and dedication must be
fine tuned for the individual according to his personal level of
consciousness as well as his place in society.
And so, Krishna says, it is not fit for Arjuna to renounce the
world. Renunciation in yoga practice is not for everyone. What is best
for Arjuna, Krishna says, is to do his duty as a warrior.
Each of us has our own pathway to truth; it is not proper
for us to give up the path which is suited for us for another more
dangerous path. One who follows another’s path is destined
for ruin.
The yoga of renunciation is improper for Arjuna, since his work,
his karma, and his duty, his Dharma, is of a more passionate nature. After all
he is a warrior both by birth and training. Those
of the more gentle and intellectual nature, the brahmanas and
sages, wandering Saints and mystic yogis of the Vedic age can take
the path of renunciation. They are more given to self abnegation by
nature. Gentle and saintly souls can lead a life of quiet contemplation;
Arjuna is better suited for combat and competition. His heart yearns for
contests at arms. He is not suited for the contemplative life of a
mystic yogi. But he can reach the same goal through self-dedication by karma
yoga.
Krishna explains that it is not action itself that must be
renounced, but attachment to its results. It is better to sacrifice the results
of our work to a higher power. One must understand that both work and its
results are temporary. And so real sannyasa or renunciation
consists in giving up our attachment to the results of
work. One must strive for perfection, sacrificing the results
of our work to a higher power. Krishna says that one who neither hates nor
desires the fruits of his activities is known to be always renounced. Such a
person, free from all dualities, easily overcomes material bondage and is
completely liberated.
At the beginning of the sixth chapter, this is re-iterated by Krishna as follows: The Blessed Lord said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic: not he who lights no fire and performs no work.
The 5th Chapter Of Bhagavad-Gita has been
summarized by Yamuna Acharya: in his Gitārthasamgraha “The 5th Chapter
sets forth the easy practicability and quick efficacy of karma-yoga, some
similar topics, and the knowledge of Brahman.” (कर्मयोगस्य सौकर्यं शैघ्र्यं काश्चन तद्विधः। ब्रह्मज्ञान प्रकारश्च पञ्चम्माध्याय उच्यते॥ karmayogasya saukaryaṃ śaighryaṃ kāścana tad vidhaḥ|
brahmajñāna prakāraś ca pañcammādhyāya ucyate||)
Bhaktivedānta Swāmī
refers to this chapter about karma-yoga as “Action in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. He
comments, “ This chapter is a practical explanation of the Krishna
consciousness, generally known as karma yoga. The question of mental
speculation as to how karma yoga can give liberation answered here went to work
in Krishna consciousness is to work with the complete knowledge of the Lord is
the predominate in such work is not different from transcendental knowledge.
Direct Krishna consciousness is bhakti yoga and jñāna-yoga is a path leading to
bhakti-yoga.”
His point here is that
when one is in full transcendental knowledge of the relationship between the
soul and the Supreme Soul, he will naturally dedicate his actions in divine
love or bhakti-yoga. A
truly realized soul will come to the conclusion that action performed in love
is the best form of knowledge. Therefore, both karma and jñāna culminate in bhakti.
Chapter Six: Yoga and
Meditation
Since Arjuna has
expressed an interest in understanding the nature of meditation, Krishna
expands on the understanding of mystic yoga in the sixth chapter, called
the yoga of meditation, dhyana-yoga.
Krishna continues, “ when one is no longer attached to the objects
of the senses, nor to actions, and when one renounces all resolves, then one is
said to have risen to devotion. For one who controls the mind, his mind
is his best friend. Anyone who fails to control the mind soon finds that his
own mind as his worst enemy. One who is equal and fixed on the self amid cold
and heat, pleasure and pain, and also honor and dishonor is the true mystic. He
who views equally well-wishers, friends, foes, strangers and those who are
different to him is distinguished above all others.”
Since Arjuna
has asked Krishna to enlighten him on the path of yoga, Krishna begins a
discussion on the nature of aṣṭanga yoga, or the eightfold path of
enlightenment. He tells Arjuna that to practice yoga one must go to a
quiet, peaceful, holy secluded place.
According
to Krishna’s instructions in the Bhagavad-gita, “One should lay kuśa
grass on the ground and then covered with a deerskin and a soft cloth. The seat
should be neither too high or too low and should be situated in a sacred place.
The Yogi should then sit on it very firmly and practice yoga to purify the hard
by controlling his mind, senses, and activities and fixing the mind of
one point.”
Bhaktivedānta
Swāmi has taken great exception with the modern practice of yoga and finds
little authenticity in such societies. He points out that sacred places
are very difficult to find. Even in India many of the sacred places have been
contaminated. In any case there very difficult to reach especially for
Westerners.
He said , “the so-called
yoga societies in big cities may be successful in earning material benefit, but
they are not at all suitable for the actual practice of yoga. One who is not
self-controlled and whose mind is not undisturbed cannot practice meditation.
Therefore in the Bṛhan-naradiya Purāna it is said, "in the iron age of Kali when people are short-lived, slow and spiritual realization, and always disturbed by various anxieties, the best means of spiritual realization is chanting the holy name of the Lord. In this age of quarreling hypocrisy the only means of deliverances chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way. हरेर्नाम हरेर्नाम हरेर्नाम एव केवलम् कलौ नस्त्य् एव नस्त्य् एव नस्त्य् एव गतिर् अन्यथ
Therefore in the Bṛhan-naradiya Purāna it is said, "in the iron age of Kali when people are short-lived, slow and spiritual realization, and always disturbed by various anxieties, the best means of spiritual realization is chanting the holy name of the Lord. In this age of quarreling hypocrisy the only means of deliverances chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way. हरेर्नाम हरेर्नाम हरेर्नाम एव केवलम् कलौ नस्त्य् एव नस्त्य् एव नस्त्य् एव गतिर् अन्यथ
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāma eva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha.”
(Bhaktivedanta Swāmī,
Bhagavad-gītā As it is, Chapter 6, verse 12)
An excellent means for
meditation in the Kali age is the holy name:
hare
kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare
rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे
हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे
Of course, Bhagavad-gita is spoken at the conclusion of the Dvapara age, thousands of years ago. And so, Krishna continues to describe the eight fold yoga path. He explains the process for meditation, breath control, fasting and physical self-control, proper regulation of the mind and intelligence, purification of consciousness, samadhi and nirvana, which in this case does not mean the cessation of material existence but the end of our participation in the world of exploitation.
Of course, Bhagavad-gita is spoken at the conclusion of the Dvapara age, thousands of years ago. And so, Krishna continues to describe the eight fold yoga path. He explains the process for meditation, breath control, fasting and physical self-control, proper regulation of the mind and intelligence, purification of consciousness, samadhi and nirvana, which in this case does not mean the cessation of material existence but the end of our participation in the world of exploitation.
Material existence is temporary, hence illusory. For the soul there is no
cessation, because it is eternal.
Arjuna rejects the yoga system as being far too difficult for an ordinary
person to practice. Heasks, "What happens to the fallen Yogi? Does he not
perish like a riven cloud with no position in any sphere?"
Krishna reassures him,
saying, "The transcendentalist engaged in auspicious activities does not
meet with destruction either in this world or in the next. One who does good is
never overcome by evil. Sincerity is invincible." In the end according to
Krishna, the best yogi is one who chooses the path of divine love. Such a yogi
is very dear. This form of yoga is called bhakti.
Krishna concludes by making a case for devotion as the highest
form of yoga. He ends the chapter by saying "And of all yogis, the one with great faith
who always abides in me, thinks of me within himself, and renders
transcendental loving service to me: he is the best of all yogis. He is the
most intimately united with me and yoga and is the highest of all. That is my
opinion."
योगिनाम् अपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना श्रद्धावान् भजते योउ मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः
yoginām
api sarveṣāṃ madgatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate you māṃ sa me yuktatamo
mataḥ, BG. 6.47
A quick sketch of the
Bhagavad-gita may skim over many subtle points; the Bhagavad-gita is worthy of
deep study. Here we are only trying our best to give a condensed synthesis of
the general ideas. For a more extensive study, I recommend consulting the
original text. Bhagavad-gita As It Is by Bhaktivedanta Swami is an excellent
version.
But allow me to continue.
Philosophy is often
divided into different categories: epistemology, or how we know what we
know; ontology or the study of being itself; metaphysics, or an analysis of the
nonphysical world; and ethics, or how to conduct ourselves in this world on the
basis of a moral point of view.
In the first six chapters
of the Gita, Krishna has rehearsed various ideas about ethics. According to the
Vedic view of ethics, or proper Dharma, there are four pillars to right
living: honesty, compassion, purity, and austerity. And yet at the beginning of the
conversation between Krishna Arjuna, mere ethical principles are demonstrated
as belonging to the relativistic world of karma. Krishna begins his discourse
by reminding Arjuna of the temporary nature of the world.
Death is inevitable for
the body; and yet the soul is eternal and transcends of the corruption of
the mortal body. Krishna asks Arjuna to go beyond his ordinary
concepts about Dharma and ethics and consider the transcendental life of the
soul. Society consciousness and God consciousness may work in harmony. But many
religious and ethical principles are really meant to serve society conscious.
God consciousness and sacrifice take us to a higher plane. When sacrifice
is coupled with transcendental knowledge it leads to divine love.
Arjuna’s concern with
ethics begins the conversation, but by contemplating the nature of
the eternal soul Krishna brings a conversation to a higher level. He is
interested not with mundane ethics, but with a transcendental ethic that
begins with sacrifice and leads to dedication with the benefit of
transcendental knowledge.
The discussion on
sacrifice and ethics that sustains the third chapter of Bhagavad-Gita
leads Arjuna into epistemological questions: how do we know what we know?
If transcendental knowledge is important, how do we come in contact with such
knowledge?
Krishna explains the real
transcendental knowledge is revealed. The infinite is not infinite unless
it can reveal itself to the finite. Revealed knowledge comes in many forms:
sometimes God himself descends as an avatar to reveal divine truth.
And sometimes the divine
spirit comes to us through the guru principle. One who is interested in
understanding the truth should approach the spiritual master to whom the truth
has been revealed.
Chapter Seven: Ontology of the Absolute
In this way, questions of
ethics and epistemology have been discussed in the first six chapters of the
Bhagavad-Gita. The word yoga has to do with a harmony or balance between action
and knowledge, as between the eternal individual soul and the
supreme soul.
Now in the seventh
chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita Arjuna directs his inquiries towards ontological
questions: what is the nature of being? What is the difference between the
individual soul and supreme soul?
What is the nature of
time and space? How does the material nature unfold from the spiritual nature?
If consciousness is subjective in the world object, then what is the nature of
the subjective evolution of consciousness?
The seventh chapter of
the Bhagavad-Gita takes us into profound metaphysical territory. Here we
explore some challenging ontological questions.
Krishna describes the
nature of the absolute: the material energy or prakriti, to achieve or spirit
soul, and the origin of both the perceived world and the super subjective world
in absolute consciousness.
Here Krishna himself
reveals himself as divinity: the origin and dissolution of all energy. He describes
in further detail the characteristics of the three modes of material nature,
sattva, rajas, and tamas, and explains their influence in the perceptive
world.
In light of the above
mentioned, he describes the different gradations of truth seekers, classifying
as impious those who have no interest in God.
And in this way he
describes four classes of pious empires men including general truth seekers,
religionists of all different stamps, and ultimately those who seek to dedicate
themselves in divine love. Worldly religionists will find only temporary
results as they pray to God for goods and services. Men who worship the
gods for temporary things will find only temporary results. Those who do
sacrifice for the absolute will find eternal benefits.
Krishna gives the Vedic
version of the material creation. He rejects the idea that the space-time
continuum is an independent reality asserting that everything constituted by
the three modes of material nature is not self dependent essence independent of
God but springs from him alone.
While he contains and
comprehends all they do not contain and comprehend them. This is the
distinction between God and his creatures they are all informed by the divine
but their changes do not touch the integrity of the divine. He is not subject
to anyone else while all things are subject to Him.
Veiled by His creative
power, Divinity is not visible to all. The world of exploitation, bewildered by
the illusory potency, called Maya, is unable to recognize the unborn, unchanging
nature of Krishna’s divinity.
He explains the situation
of the soul at the time of death and the relationship between consciousness and
matter, as well as his manifested and manifest energy.
The seventh chapter may
be titled “Relative and Absolute conceptions of the Supreme Truth.” Yamuna
Acharya summarizes it as follows:
“The
7th Chapter of
Bhagavad-gita discusses the exact knowledge of God, its concealment by prakṛti,
the resorting to God, the divisions of devotees and the superiority of the
enlighteneed one.
bhaktabhedaḥ
prabuddhasya śraiṣṭyaṃ saptama ucyate svayāthātmyaṃ prakṛtyāsya tirodhiḥ śaraṇāgatiḥ
भक्तभेदः प्रबुद्धस्य श्रैष्ट्यं सप्तम उच्यते स्वयाथात्म्यं प्रकृत्यास्य तिरोधिः शरणागतिः
(Yamunacharya,
10th Century)
Bhaktivedanta Swami
comments, “many subjects have been discussed in this chapter: the man in
distress, inquisitive man, the man and want material necessities, knowledge of
Brahman, knowledge of Paramatma, liberation from birth to death and disease, and
worship of the supreme Lord. However he who is actually elevated Krishna
consciousness does not care for the different processes. He simply directly
engages himself in activities of Krishna consciousness and thereby factually
attains his constitutional position as an internal servitor of Lord Krishna.”
Bhagavad-Gita chapter 8
His curiosity piqued, Arjuna asks about the Supreme
Spirit or Brahman. Krishna defines the supreme reality, the self,
the material world, and the importance of worldly religion and the different
gods who control the Sun the moon the wind the rain and the elements.
The Eighth chapter begins
with a definition of terms: the Sanskrit
may prove a bit technical for the
beginner. But let's take a look. Arjuna
asks Krishna to define Brahman, Adhyātma, and Karma, which should be understood by those who aspire to surrender
themselves in devotion and become free from birth and death. He’s also
interested in the as the meaning of Adhibhūta and Adhidaiva, which terms are valuable for those who aspire for
promotion after death to a better life in an earthly paradise or heavenly
planet. Also he is concerned with Adhiyajña.
And above all, in what manner will
someone know God and his dying hour?
Krishna answers that the word Brahman
refers to what is akṣara, or
indestructible. Adhyātma is “the self.”
The living soul is sometimes referred to in the Vedic literatures as Brahman or indestructible spirit. The word Brahman
is also used to refer to God in a general way as absolute spirit. This
sometimes confuses people into thinking that God and the individual soul are
one.
The Advaita commentators headed by Shankar insist on this
one-ness. The problem for the Advaita school is this: If all is one, if each
individual soul equals the Supreme Soul in spirit, then what is this material
world? “Maya,” they say. “It is all an illusion. When the illusion falls away,
you will realize yourself as One with God, or the infinite spirit, Brahman.”
Because they conclude that the world is an illusion, the advaitavadis are also
known as mayavadis, or those who advocate the theory of maya.
The absolute idealism of the mayavadis is difficult to
support. Their theory of maya leads to many preposterous conclusions. The followers of dualism, on the other hand, conclude that the world is real, while its temporary aspect gives it the
quality of a dreamlike state. Reality is based on perception.
When the Supreme
Being, in a kind of dreamlike state,
perceives the world metaphysical reality
congeals into physical reality. The world perceived by the individual soul is at the same time observed by the supreme
soul. The observed world exists as long as the supreme spirit acting as Paramatma gives it reality. So the world is real, but our participation in it is a kind of
shadow dance. The soul is
indestructible, while the sun, the
stars, and all the planets will
eventually turn to dust. True reality is
eternal. the followers of duality insist
that both God and the soul exist eternally.
The difference between them is
something like the difference between the sun and the sun's ray. The sun is the energetic source, while the
individual particles of sunlight are its potency. Both are Brahman or spiritual, and both are akṣara or indestructible. The
distinction is one of source and effect, of gradation and intensity. The
Supreme Spirit or Parabrahman is infinite where the indivividual jiva
particle is infinitesimal.
