Sri Krishna:
Foe consumer,
Now I have shown you
Yoga that leads
To the truth undying.
I taught this yoga
First to Vivaswat
Vivaswat taught it
In turn to Manu,
Next Ikshaku
Learnt it from Manu,
And so the sages
In royal succession
Carried it onward
From teacher to teacher,
Til at length it was lost,
Throughout ages forgotten.
Historical Note:
The
ancient Indian literature considers the patriarchal figure Manu the originator of the human race. (Hence the names man (English), manav
(Hindi) and manava (Sanskrit) to denote humanity.) At MBh 1:75 it
is stated that all the races originated from a few women (about 50) and a few
men. Such men and women who gave birth to human races were called patriarchs
and matriarchs. Among the prominent patriarchs were Prachetas, Daksha, Kasyapa
and Manu. The patriarch Manu was the son of Vivaswat. Vivaswat was the son of
Aditi (who herself was one of the 13 matriarchs, all of them wives of the
patriarch Kasyapa). Ikshwaku was the son of Manu who is the originator of the royal
dyanasty of Ikshwakus.
Arjuna questions how this could be possible since Vivaswat was an ancestor, born long before Krishna, who is Arjuna's charioteer. At this point, Krishna offers the teachings about reincarnation, Maya and the incarnational role that the Lord takes over and over again to establish righteousness in the world.
On Reincarnation
You and I, Arjuna,
Have lived many lives,
I remember them all,
You do not remember.
Maya, Prakriti and Lord's Incarnation as Avatar
I am the birthless, the deathless,
Lord of all that breathes.
I seem to be born.
It is only seeming.
Only my Maya.
I am still master
Of my Prakriti,
The power that makes me.
Krishna is considered to be one of the ten Avataras of Vishnu. He returned in that age because good and holy people were oppressed and unable to free themselves of the evil around them. Krishna's stories are many, mainly told in the Srimad Bhagavatam but his principle teachings are found here in the Bhagavad Gita.
Lord Krishna continues to teach Arjuna about the difference between action and non-action. This is the royal road of knowledge - the understanding that the Lord is beyond all action and that the true human nature, in reality, is one with the Lord but this knowledge is concealed by Maya. A devotee must learn to discern how to work in the spirit of the sages who had this knowledge so that, with practice, the devotee also gains this understanding.
"I establish the four castes, which correspond to the different types of guna and karma. I am their author;
Discussion: My Gurudev's teachings on caste differ from the traditionally-held caste-by-birth idea. He taught that a person's qualities, values, habits, inclinations that make up his or her nature determine caste. Hence a person whose nature is sattwic, leans towards goodness, acquiring spiritual understanding, teaching and imparting knowledge, can be considered a Brahmin; a person who is more rajasic in temperament, leans towards action rather than cerebral activities, has leadership qualities and organizational abilities or even wishes to serve in the military, in politics, can be considered a kshatriya; a person whose intellect and leadership qualities are more inclined towards business and trading, whose temperament is rajasic but expressed more in operational activities, who enjoys the fast pace and practicalities of industrial work could be seen as a vaishya; a person whose intellect and cleverness is not highly developed, more inclined to accept leadership from others, whose nature is serviceful in performing practical duties, who would rather be in a subordinate position as a helper can be considered a sudra. One is not higher than another - but all are necessary for the functioning of society, complementing each other.
Sri Krishna continues:
I am the birthless, the deathless,
Lord of all that breathes.
I seem to be born.
It is only seeming.
Only my Maya.
I am still master
Of my Prakriti,
The power that makes me.
Krishna begins to teach Arjuna now about his incarnation as an Avatar. He gradually reveals this until in Chapter 10, Divine Glory, he gives Arjuna inner sight to see his Universal form. Here he tells Arjuna, that although he appears to be a human being, unlike all other human beings, he only seems to take a birth but actually, has manifested himself through the power of Maya, Prakriti.
Discussion: Maya and Prakriti are often used interchangeably to mean the veiling power of the Lord. Prakriti is generally understood as the Lord's dynamic and creative function that manifests the world of duality and Maya is the power that conceals the Lord's unity behind the creation. All human beings are "deluded" by Maya, i.e., they are subject to duality and experience its effects of limitation - birth and death, joy and pain, heat and cold and all the subtle manifestations in the created world. The Lord however remains always without any limitations and never is affected by the creation.
He goes on to explain that he appears in every age for the purpose of ridding the world of evil and establishing dharma:
Discussion: Maya and Prakriti are often used interchangeably to mean the veiling power of the Lord. Prakriti is generally understood as the Lord's dynamic and creative function that manifests the world of duality and Maya is the power that conceals the Lord's unity behind the creation. All human beings are "deluded" by Maya, i.e., they are subject to duality and experience its effects of limitation - birth and death, joy and pain, heat and cold and all the subtle manifestations in the created world. The Lord however remains always without any limitations and never is affected by the creation.
He goes on to explain that he appears in every age for the purpose of ridding the world of evil and establishing dharma:
When goodness grows weak,
When evil increases,
I make myself a body.
In every age I come back
To deliver the holy
To destroy the sin of the sinner
To establish rightousness.
Krishna is considered to be one of the ten Avataras of Vishnu. He returned in that age because good and holy people were oppressed and unable to free themselves of the evil around them. Krishna's stories are many, mainly told in the Srimad Bhagavatam but his principle teachings are found here in the Bhagavad Gita.
Discussion: Avataras, the manifestation of the formless in form and in human incarnation is part of Vaishnava Hinduism and Christianity, although there are significant theological differences in the ways these incarnations are understood and most likely sectors of both religions would be opposed to the comparison. For some further discussion of the comparison, see:
http://www.comparativereligion.com/avatars.html.
See also
In the Mahabharat, of which the Bhagavad Gita is an excerpt, Krishna, the Avatar of that age, as a statesman and warrior has entered the battlefield of Kurukshetra as Arjuna's charioteer but this is but a role He is playing in a cosmic drama. His presence on the battlefield is the stage where He reveals his Divinity to Arjuna and to us. He appears for the sake of his devotees to fulfill their yearning to live a life united with Him. Liberation comes when a devotee understands the Lord's incarnation:
http://www.comparativereligion.com/avatars.html.
See also
http://www.suddhadharma.net/content/avatar.html
In the Mahabharat, of which the Bhagavad Gita is an excerpt, Krishna, the Avatar of that age, as a statesman and warrior has entered the battlefield of Kurukshetra as Arjuna's charioteer but this is but a role He is playing in a cosmic drama. His presence on the battlefield is the stage where He reveals his Divinity to Arjuna and to us. He appears for the sake of his devotees to fulfill their yearning to live a life united with Him. Liberation comes when a devotee understands the Lord's incarnation:
He who knows the nature
Of my task and my holy birth
Is not reborn
When he leaves this body:
He comes to me.
Taking Refuge
The Lord gives advice to take refuge in Him. Taking refuge is a spiritual commitment. It is not something one does just when one is in trouble or wants something. Taking refuge in the Lord means committing oneself to the Lord and living a life in His presence. It means not relying on one's own moods, desires, whims but seeking the Lord's guidance in everything. It means acknowledging the limitations of human understanding, the weaknesses of human nature and seeking a higher wisdom and abiding by that.
Flying from fear,
From lust and anger,
He hides in me,
His refuge, his safety:
Burnt clean in the blaze of my being,
In me, many find home.
Although people may seek many things and worship in many ways, the Lord grants them whatever they wish. All paths lead to Him but most people are only looking for material success.
Whatever wish men bring me in worship,
That wish I grant them.
Whatever path men travel
Is my path:
No matter where they walk
It leads to me.
Most men worship the gods because they want success in their worldly undertakings.
This kind of material success can be gained very quickly here on earth.
Discussion: Society is becoming more and more secular and seldom do people think about God, except when they get into trouble or when they cannot acquire what they want or fulfill their wishes through ordinary means. Then they turn to worship - to supernatural means. We need to stop and reflect on this kind of behaviour. In reality, even when we do not worship and ask for things, the world and all beings are held by the grace of God in unity with the Source of all life. We are in fact, never separated from God except in our own lack of awareness. Manifestation of material success can be gained but it is impermanent so why not seek that which is everlasting - and that is awareness that we walk always with Him and are forever united with Him?
Lord Krishna continues to teach Arjuna about the difference between action and non-action. This is the royal road of knowledge - the understanding that the Lord is beyond all action and that the true human nature, in reality, is one with the Lord but this knowledge is concealed by Maya. A devotee must learn to discern how to work in the spirit of the sages who had this knowledge so that, with practice, the devotee also gains this understanding.
"I establish the four castes, which correspond to the different types of guna and karma. I am their author;
Discussion: My Gurudev's teachings on caste differ from the traditionally-held caste-by-birth idea. He taught that a person's qualities, values, habits, inclinations that make up his or her nature determine caste. Hence a person whose nature is sattwic, leans towards goodness, acquiring spiritual understanding, teaching and imparting knowledge, can be considered a Brahmin; a person who is more rajasic in temperament, leans towards action rather than cerebral activities, has leadership qualities and organizational abilities or even wishes to serve in the military, in politics, can be considered a kshatriya; a person whose intellect and leadership qualities are more inclined towards business and trading, whose temperament is rajasic but expressed more in operational activities, who enjoys the fast pace and practicalities of industrial work could be seen as a vaishya; a person whose intellect and cleverness is not highly developed, more inclined to accept leadership from others, whose nature is serviceful in performing practical duties, who would rather be in a subordinate position as a helper can be considered a sudra. One is not higher than another - but all are necessary for the functioning of society, complementing each other.
Sri Krishna continues:
"nevertheless, you must realize that I am beyond action and changeless.
Action does not contaminate me. I have no desire for the fruits of
action. A man who understands my nature in this respect will never
become a slave of his own activity. Because they understood this, the
ancient seekers for liberation could safely engage in action. You too
must do your work in the spirit of those early seers."
Discussion: In modern life, if we were to listen to Lord Krishna's advice, what would it look like? How would your day at the office look like? How would it affect your relationships? What would you stop doing? What would you start doing? Reflect on how to apply this advice to your own life just as it is right now. Don't brush this off as only applicable to people who live in ashrams or don't have to contend with the daily struggle of living. After all, Arjuna is in the middle of a battlefield - that should tell us that we too can learn this in the midst of our own struggles.
Action and Inaction
This may seem confusing - are these opposites? Either one acts or remains passive? It is not as simple as that.Sri Krishna asks:
"What is action? What is inaction? Even the wise are puzzled by this question. Therefore,I will tell you what action is. When you know that, you will be free from all impurity.You must learn what kind of work to perform and what kind of work to avoid, and how to reach a state of calm detachment from your work. The real nature of action is hard to understand. He who see the inaction in action and the action in inaction is wise indeed. Even when he is engaged in action, he remains poised in the tranquility of the Atman."
The next verse explains this in more understandable terms by describing one's intent and attitude when doing work.
Discussion: In modern life, if we were to listen to Lord Krishna's advice, what would it look like? How would your day at the office look like? How would it affect your relationships? What would you stop doing? What would you start doing? Reflect on how to apply this advice to your own life just as it is right now. Don't brush this off as only applicable to people who live in ashrams or don't have to contend with the daily struggle of living. After all, Arjuna is in the middle of a battlefield - that should tell us that we too can learn this in the midst of our own struggles.
Action and Inaction
This may seem confusing - are these opposites? Either one acts or remains passive? It is not as simple as that.Sri Krishna asks:
"What is action? What is inaction? Even the wise are puzzled by this question. Therefore,I will tell you what action is. When you know that, you will be free from all impurity.You must learn what kind of work to perform and what kind of work to avoid, and how to reach a state of calm detachment from your work. The real nature of action is hard to understand. He who see the inaction in action and the action in inaction is wise indeed. Even when he is engaged in action, he remains poised in the tranquility of the Atman."
The next verse explains this in more understandable terms by describing one's intent and attitude when doing work.
The seers say truly
That he is wise
Who acts without lust or scheming
For the fruit of the act:
His act falls from him,
Its chain is broken,
Melted in the flame of my knowledge.
Turning his face from the fruit,
He needs nothing:
The Atman is enough
He acts, and is beyond action.
Not hoping, not lusting,
Bridling body and mind,
He calls nothing his own:
He acts, and earns no evil.
What God's Will gives
He takes, and is contented.
Pain follows pleasure,
He is not troubled:
Gain follows loss,
He is indifferent:
Of whom should he be jealous?
He acts, and is not bound by his action.
Discussion: To act without lust or scheming for the fruit of the act. What would that look like? First, I would go back to Krishna's advice about having discernment about which actions to do or avoid. Assuming, we have chosen worthy work, the next consideration is how we approach the work. Are we focused on the goal and for what reason? Is it to satisfy lust of some kind for monetary gain, recognition, to compete with someone else to prove we are better? Do we hope to impress the boss? Or do we feel it is the right thing to do - that it will improve things for people, the product will work more efficiently, the process will save people time or help deliver a better product in the long run. Perhaps the work we do will beautify the space it is in or relieve somebody's pain or lighten their burden. Perhaps the work we do will educate someone so they will be able to help themselves. Choosing worthy goals is important for our own congruity - that our heart, mind and hands will feel congruent about the meaning and worthiness of our work. Then, in conducting the work, are we eager to get it over with - as long as we produce an end product in the fastest time possible, so it will be good enough? Are we so focused on the end result that we overlook many of the intricate processes of planning that would help us evaluate the best implementation? Are we scheming to get our product out there first rather than doing what we know needs to be done to ensure that the product is safe? Are we so eager to establish a relationship, that we don't think through whether the mutual benefit will be there? We are just lusting to grab that account. I don't think we have to think too hard to look at our work situations and the dynamics behind them whether we can apply the principles of the Bhagavad Gita. Try doing a few personal case studies.
When was the last time, you just felt calm, making the right choices, doing something because it feels like the right thing to do, struggling through the obstacles and not giving up when things get hard but problem-solving without too much complaining, not looking over someone else's shoulder whether they are doing things better, accepting responsibility for your own actions and their outcome?
It is not easy to be consistently in this kind of space. The more we seek to be there, the easier though it becomes. The more we compromise, the tougher it gets to have discernment and the more often we are misled by weak intent, temptations to cut corners, to impress, to compete, to lose sight of our own centre, to follow someone else's ideas, to abdicate responsibility, the more lost we feel. Peace of mind and heart deserts us.
We may at first glance read the Gita and think it speaks of the unattainable. But when we nail things down by looking at what we actually do, the choices we are confronted with and our decisions, we can start to see how relevant the Gita's message is. It may take some time to move towards the ideal- but we can see that there is good advice giving us direction and plenty of food for thought to help us sort out our lives.....It is especially difficult if we are in a milieu that does not resonate with this direction, granted, and one may have to act a role one does not necessarily wish to assume. This is part of accepting things as they are. Arjuna surely didn't want to be in the place where he was. But Krishna spurred him on to do what he had to do under those circumstances, not wait for an ideal situation.
To learn this acceptance is why we need to accompany a life of action with a life of meditation - to get to that place in the mind beyond the dualities, to establish our connection with the witnessing aspect of consciousness. When Krishna speaks of the action within inaction and the inaction within action - he is referring to the state of mind cultivated by meditation. When we are in a witness state in meditation, we are inactive, physically - but the high level of awareness that we cultivate stays with us and is present when we are engaged in action. Similarly, when we are meditating and the body remains still, we are actually performing the best kind of action which will strengthen are discrimination when we are in busy mode and engaged in the world - the inaction of meditation (the still and calm state of mind) remains with us in our actions, so they are not fueled by restless desire, confusion and inconsistency.
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