Arjuna’s surrender and advice on Athma.

Gita essays - 2 

In the first Chapter Arjuna was doing all the talking, trying to solve his problem of raga (attachment), moha (delusion) and soka (grief) and in the process delivering a long lecture on Dharma and Adharma, concluding it with his decision that he would not take up arms against Bhishma and Drona even if it meant death at the hands of the Kauravas and then sat down putting down the bows and arrows.  Lord Krishna had been silent  all along giving Arjuna a patient hearing like an expert management counsellor and now reacts with a sharp rebuke urging Arjuna to shed the unmanly behaviour and stand up to do his duty.  Then Arjuna comes up with his real problem of helplessness to solve the problem of inner weakness of raga, soka, and moha  and surrenders to Lord Krishna with these words (2-7):

कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसंमूढचेताः। (Kaarpanyadoshopahataswabhaavah Pricchaami twaam dharmasammoodha chetaah;

यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ।। (Yacchreyah syaan nishchitam broohi tanme Shishyaste’ham shaadhi maam twaam prapannam.)

My mind is overpowered by helplessness and my intellect is completely deluded regarding righteousness. With my mind thus confused, I ask You.  I am Your disciple who has surrendered to You.  Please teach me decisively what is good for me.

When Arjuna surrenders with these words, the roles get changed.  Arjuna is no longer the Yajamana and Sri Krishna an ordinary driver; Arjuna is now a humble disciple and Sri Krishna, the Jnani Guru.  And only after Arjuna’s realisation of his helplessness and surrender, Lord Krishna starts his advice in the course of which he gives the essence of Jnana kanda and Karma kanda of Vedas, which makes Bhagavad Gita one of the Prasthana thrayas, authoritative basic texts along with Upanishads and Brahma Sutras. This advice along with Arjuna’s reaction runs into 17 chapters in which in chapter 2 we get a brief introduction and in chapter 18 a short sum-up.

In chapter 2, after Arjuna’s surrender Lord Krishna starts his advice with feedback and sarcasm as well, as seen from the first verse of advice where he says “You speak words of great wisdom, but you forget that wise people do not grieve for either the dead and living and act the same way”(2-11).  He thus points out that Self-ignorance, Athma ajjnanam is the basis of his problem and so in the first phase of advice he imparts Athma-anathma vidya briefly, dealing with Arjuna’s problem from a philosophical angle and in that process starts explaining the nature of Athma, one’s Real Self. It is because of His advice based on AthmaJnanam, Self-knowledge, that  the chapter gets its title as Sankhya Yoga.  

One is not the physical body which is subject to changes as child, youth and old person and perishes ultimately in course of time but is the unchanging eternal Athma within which undergoes no change at any time when the body undergoes all the changes.  When the present body perishes, Athma acquires a new one and continues in it.  So as Athma, there was no time when all of us were not there in the past nor will it be in the future.  That is why a wise person, called Dheera, does not grieve over the death of the body which is always changing and is unreal, as only unreal things keep changing.  The Reality behind the unreal body is the unchanging Athma.  

What is the nature of this Athma?  Lord Krishna describes in verse 2-24:

अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च।(Acchedyo’yam adaahyo’yam akledyo’shoshya eva cha)
नित्यः सर्वगतः स्थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातनः।। (Nityah sarvagatah sthaanur achalo’yam sanaatanah.)

This (Athma) cannot be cut, nor burnt, cannot be wetted, and cannot be dried. This is eternal, all-pervading, changeless, immovable, and unborn.

So weapons, fire, water, and wind do not affect it.  Therefore one who thinks of himself as the killer and the other as killed does not really know that He slays not nor the other is slain.  What happens at death is Athma casts off one body for another just as a person changes clothes, casting off old one to put on new one.  Further death is certain for the one born and also birth is certain for the dead.  Again the body is a combination of pancha bhuthas which are in a manifest state as body, only when body is alive and are in an unmanifest state before birth and after death. So Arjuna should not grieve over the inevitable and as a warrior in the battlefield, he should go ahead doing his duty of fighting as per his visesha dharma as a kshatriya, shedding his delusion and grief.  For Arjuna as a kshatriya it is his svadharma to fight a righteous war to establish Dharma and not to back out of it for his selfish or personal reasons. Only failure to fight such a battle is a sinful act and he will incur no sin acting in accordance with his visesha dharma; only in running away from it, he will incur sin.  So fighting, he will attain the heaven if killed, or if victorious, rule the world.  Lord Krishna also points out that even from a worldly angle, he should not run away from the battle as it will earn the ridicule of his peers as an act of fear and cowardice and this dishonour is worse than death for a kshatriya.

Now Lord Krishna concludes this phase of advice which was given from a philosophical and ethical angle with an important advice which is as well valid for all in the battle of life (2-38):

सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ।( Sukhaduhkhe same kritwaa laabhaalaabhau jayaajayau)
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि।।(Tato yuddhaaya yujyaswa naivam paapamavaapsyasi.)

Treating happiness and sorrow, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike, engage in battle. This way you will not incur sin.

Lord Krishna here emphasises a quality of which he has spoken earlier.  This is the quality of equanimity, also called samatvam.  Samatvaṁ means balance of mind, ie to keep one’s cool in all situations without being carried away by the situation. Samatvam is also called Yoga, in the second phase of advice in this chapter, to be seen later.

The salient features of this phase of advice are:

1)    Athma is eternal and indestructible

2)    Bodies enveloping the Athma are ephemeral with a beginning and end

3)    Death is only for the body and it is certain for one born

4)    Embodied beings constantly pass through the cycle of birth and death and so wise do not grieve over death.

5)    As Athma is indestructible, one cannot slay nor get slain

6)    For a kshatriya not to fight a righteous war is only an act of sin and not fighting it

7)    Not to fight will only invite ridicule as coward and dishonour is worse than death for a kshatriya

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Brahma Sutras

Prasthana Thraya – 1

Prasthana Thraya, is the name collectively given to the three authoritative basic texts of the Vedanta Darshana.  They are Brahma Sutras, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. We shall see each one of them briefly in this and succeeding blogs, starting with Brahma Sutras, the most important and also the most difficult to grasp of the three.

Brahma Sutras is authored by Sage Veda Vyasa and is also variously known as Vedanta Sutrani and Sariraka Sutrani. This work is in sutra form. Sutra is a brief statement packed with ideas. A sutra should be concise, clear, unambiguous dealing with essentials only with no verbal frills. Brahma Sutras has 555 sutras divided into four chapters, adhyayas, with each chapter being subdivided into four sections each, known as padas. Each of these sections are further subdivided into adhikaranas or topics and there is in total 191 adhikaranas. The adhikaranas are not uniform and consist of five factors each: visaya (subject matter), samsayah (doubt), purva paksha (objections of other systems), Siddantha (conclusion of Vedantins) and sangathih (the link between previous and present topic).  With this brief introduction we shall take a bird’s eye-view of Brahma Sutras.

First Chapter

The First chapter comprises 134 sutras in 39 adhikaraṇas.  It is called Samanvayā-dhyāya, Samanvaya meaning consistency. It attempts to establish consistency in various statements concerning Brahman in various Upanishads. The chapter itself starts with the sutra “Athatho Brahmajijnasa” which translates into “Now, therefore the desire to know Brahman”. A correct, doubt-free understanding of Brahman is important as that alone leads to freedom from samsara, leading to moksha, liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Brahman alone is the ultimate cause of this universe. He alone is the upadhana karanam (material cause) and nimitha karanam (intelligent cause) for this universe,.  He is transcendant as well as immanent in this world. He is Anandamaya, full of eternal bliss. The only source of knowledge of this Brahman is the Upanishads. Brahma jnanam is not one of the means of liberation; it is the only means of liberation. Vedantic study is not the one of the means of Brahma jnanam; Vedanta is the only means of Brahma jnanam. Vedanta is an independent and unique pramanam. Vedanta deals with Brahman alone and nothing else. Brahma jnanam is jivatma, Paramatma aikyajnanam i.e. the knowledge of the basic identity of Jiva with Brahman. In this chapter the contradictory views of Sankhya philosophy and Purva Miimamsa regarding Brahman’s role in creation are also analysed and refuted.

Second Chapter

The Second chapter contains 157 sutras spread over 47 adhikaranams and is called Avirodha-dhyaya, avirodha meaning non-contradiction or non-conflict. Contradiction is a defect in the teaching and here it is shown that teaching of Brahman in Brahma Sutra is defect free. Here three types of seeming contradictions i.e. with Sruthi, Smrithi and Yukthi (logic) are analysed and negated. The second chapter is heavily logic-oriented as it tries to establish that there are there are no logical contradictions in the Vedanta system. Here it examines and dismisses not only the refutations of other darshanas like Sankhya and Vaiseshika but also of other schools of philosophy, Buddism and Jainism, as well.  In the second chapter, the teaching of the first chapter is reconfirmed and defended.  This was done by negating all the possible objections and establishing that there is no virodhah for the view established in the first chapter. In the second pada of this chapter the fallacies of other non-Vedantic systems are exposed.  This critical review enhances our reverence for Vedanta system and enthrones in our mind the Vedantic teaching.

Third Chapter

The third chapter is called Sadhana-dhyaya and is the longest, with 186 sutras spread over 67 adhikaraṇas. This chapter deals with the spiritual sadhanas required to gain Brahma Vidya. In the first two padas the two fundamental requirements, Vairagyam(dispassion) and Mumukshutvam(intense desire for moksha) are emphasised. The first pada talks about the doctrine of reincarnation, the departure of the soul from the physical body, and its going back to the earth and of Panchagnividya. This is done in order to create Vairagya or indifference to sensual enjoyments herein and hereafter. Second pada highlights Jnana Yoga sadhana by analysing Tat pada, Tvam pada and Aikyam in the Mahavakhya “Tat Tvam Asi”. In this connection it describes all the glorious attributes of the Supreme Brahman, His Omniscience, Omnipotence, etc., in order to create mumukshutvam making Brahman the sole object of quest. This pada discusses all the three states of Jiva;  waking, dream and deep sleep, to show they are only illusory and to establish the identity of Jiva and Brahman as the fourth state, Turiya. In third pada various upasanas are discussed as a means of attaining Brahma Jnanam by making intellect subtle and developing Chitta Ekagratha, one-pointed focussed mind.  

Upasanas are methods of meditation of Saguna Brahman on various symbols or Pratikas such as Vaisvanara or Virat, Sun, Akasa, Food, Prana and Mind. These symbols are props for the mind to lean upon in the beginning. The gross mind is rendered subtle, sharp and one-pointed by such upasanas which are called Vidyas. Fourth pada has Karma Yoga as its central theme. Ashrama karmas are discussed as the prime component of Karma Yoga. As a part of sannyasa ashrama duty, sravanam, mananam and nididyasanam are also highlighted. Duties of various ashramas; sannyasa, brahmacharya etc. are discussed in detail.  Rituals as part of Karma Yoga help to purify the mind. Such a purified mind when made subtle through upasana becomes fit to absorb Brahma Jnanam, through the process of sravana, manana, nididyasana.

Fourth Chapter

The fourth chapter has 78 sutras spread over 38 adhikaranas and is the smallest chapter. This chapter is called Phala-dhyaya as it discusses the benefit or fruit of Brahma Jnanam which is mukthi or liberation. This chapter discusses all the three types of mukthi; Jivan mukthi, Krama mukthi and Videha mukthi. The first pada discusses how one attaining Brahma Jnanam has his Sanchitha karma liquidated and attains Jivan mukthi. The Jivanmuktha attains Videha mukthi when Prarabhdha karma is liquidated through exhaustion. The second pada describes Devayana, also called arciradimarga, the path by which Saguna Brahma upasaka Jiva who has practised severe spiritual disciplines like tapas, sraddhā and brahmacarya, and also the Saguna Brahma upasana, travels to Brahmaloka after death.  Third and fourth padas describe how the upasaka Jiva getting Brahma Jnanam in Brahma loka, attains mukthi there and this type of mukthi is called krama mukthi. The work ends with the sutra, “anavṛttiḥ sabdat”, repeated twice for emphasis, meaning `There is no return, since the scriptures declare so'. This means that the Jiva reaching the Brahmaloka thus will not return to this mundane existence. 

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Sadhana Chathushtayam - Four disciplines

Tattva Bodha-1

Tattva Bodha is an introductory text for the study of Vedanta that explains in simple prose style the technical terms of Vedanta. It is a preliminary text for the study of Prasthana thraya viz. Upanishads, Bhagavat Gita and Brahma Sutra.  Sri Sankara who has written commentaries for 10 key Upanishads and the other two of Prasthana thraya has also authored Tattva Bodha.  Tattva Bodha means Self-knowledge, knowledge of our Real nature.  Tattva Bodha opens with a prayer and after prayer comes the first topic “Sadhana Chathushtayam” the four means of practice to be cultivated by a serious student of Self-enquiry to facilitate the absorption of Athma Jnanam, knowledge of Self, at the time of Sravanam, Mananam and Nidhidhyasanam. The four means include also six virtues for disciplining the mind and bringing it under one’s control. Even if one does not have total control over mind initially one should try to cultivate these virtues in full to claim Athma Jnanam as one’s own and become a Jivanmuktha. The four means are:

1.     Viveka – Discrimination
2.    Vairagya – Dispassion
3.    Mumukhsutvam – Desire for Moksha,
4.    Shad Sampath – six virtues for mind-discipline

Swami Paramarthananda refers to them as four D’s – Discrimination, Dispassion, Desire and Discipline.  Now we shall see them one by one in detail.

Viveka – Discrimination.  Viveka is qualified as Nithya Anithya vasthu viveka i.e. the differentiation between the Real and the unreal, between the permanent and the impermanent.   The whole universe exists in space-time frame and anything subject to time cannot be permanent as it has an origin and exit.  Everything in the universe including universe itself is subject to change..  What is permanent is only the changeless substratum of the changing universe i.e. Brahman, which is beyond time and space. This firm knowledge of what is ephemeral and what is eternal is Viveka.

Vairagya – Dispassion.  From the above Viveka, follows Vairagya, dispassion for worldly objects and even for heavenly pleasures.  He does not hate them or run away from them; only he does not crave for them in their absence or get attached to them in their presence. The world and its objects need not be rejected as they have their own limited use.  No slavish addiction even to ethical pleasures is the end-aim of Vairagya.  No person, situation, object, relationship can be depended on for eternal happiness and security.  Dependence on them is like leaning on a cardboard chair.  A cardboard chair can be treasured in the showcase, admired as an ornamental piece but cannot be leaned upon.  This applies to other worldly pleasure as well as they can be enjoyed only so long as one’s punya allows. So the priority is only for attaining Brahman, the eternal one, and for things that will take him to his goal and all other things rank low in priority.  He has only disinterested detachment towards all the pleasures and objects of this world or the other.

Mumukshutvam – intense desire for Moksha. This desire for Moksha, Swami Tejomayananda classifies into four categories

1.     Very dull (ati manda) – “It is Okay if I get it this life, otherwise there is always next life” attitude.  This is not true mumukshutvam

2.     Dull (manda) – “I will start seeking liberation after discharging all my responsibilities” attitude.

3.     Middle (madhyama) – “I must get liberation soon.  The earlier the better” attitude

4.     Strong (theevra) – “I want liberation here and now” attitude.  This person’s intensity is comparable to the intensity of a drowning person for air.

It is the theevra mumukshuthvam  that enables one to reach the goal of Self-knowledge. To him all other qualities accrue easily

4. Shad Sampath – the six virtues. They are:

1.     Sama – Mind control. वृत्तयो मनः(vrrattayo manaha) – mind is thought forms says Ramana Maharishi in Upadesa Saar. So mind control amounts to thought control. The purity of the thoughts can be maintained by good practices like Dhyana, japa, satsang and prayer.  Mind cannot be allowed to have a freedom of its own and it has to follow the direction of the intellect.  This goes hand in hand with Vairagya and Dama, the sense-control.

2.     Dama – Sense control. The sense organs are gateways of the mind to the outer world.  So they determine what enters the mind.  Senses are extrovert by nature and run after their sense objects without any discrimination. It is only through sound intellect and good habits they can be kept on track under control.  Kathopanishad compares sense organs to horses, sensory objects to the path it traverses on, mind to reins and intellect to the charioteer.  Neither reins nor horses should be allowed to determine the direction of the chariot. Only the charioteer should.  Same way mind and Indriyas must be under the control of the intellect and the intellect properly developed through satsang,  and study of scriptures and moral and ethical literature.

3.     Uparama or Uparati – Withdrawl.  It is achieved  through reduction of extrovert activities and turning the mind away from sensual objects and from worldly longings. This comes naturally when one practices Sama and Dama with Viveka and Vairagya and attains inner tranquillity. This is described in Sthitha prajna lakshana in Gita thus:

यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः। Yadha samharate chayam kurmanganeeva  sarvasaha I
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।2.58।।Indriyani Indriyrbhyah tasya prajna prathisgtatha II

When, like the tortoise which withdraws on all sides its limbs, he withdraws his senses from the sense-objects, then his wisdom becomes steady.

4..     Tithiksha – forbearance. The ability to bear without reacting, complaining, or blaming oneself or others for contrary experiences at the physical level like heat and cold, at the emotional level like joy and  sorrow , and at the intellectual level like praise and censure, whether conducive or non-conducive. Tithiksha is tolerance of conditions outside one’s control, natural social or physical without losing one’s cool. This gives one a tension-free calm mind that is suitable for reflection on scriptural teachings regarding Self, Athma.

5..     Sraddha – Faith or conviction. Non-critical acceptance of the words of Guru and scriptures.  Sraddha enables one to listen to the words of Guru and scriptures with an open, alert mind and work with determination towards the chosen goal to realize it.   The importance of Sraddha can be seen from these words of Lord Krishna in Gita:

श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः। Sraddhavan labhate Jnanam tatparah sayatendriyaha I
ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति।।4.39।।Jnanam labdhva param santhim achirenadhigacchathi II

The man with shraddha and devotion, who has subdued the senses, attains Jnanam; and having got this Jnanam he attains at once the Supreme peace.

6..     Samadhana – Chitha Ekagratha, single-pointedness of mind. This is the ability to have the goal in one’s sights always and be constantly focussed in one’s efforts to reach it.  As a bowman has an eye only for the target so must be the concentration of efforts to attain the goal.

Controlling the mind and senses through Sama and Dama, withdrawing from worldly pursuits through Uparama, meeting internal and external challenges through Titiksha and pursuing the goal with Sraddha and Samadhana, a sadhaka attains with Vairagya the goal of Self-knowledge chosen through Viveka and strengthened by Mumukshutvam.  Thus the four fold qualification of Viveka, Vairagya, Mumukshutvam and Shad Sampath leads a sadhaka to Self- knowledge

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