Translations from Shri Prabhupada's "Bhagavad Gita As it is"
Weblink: http://www.asitis.com/3/31.htmlye me matam idam nityam anutisthanti manavah
sraddhavanto 'nasuyanto mucyante te 'pi karmabhih
SYNONYMS
ye--those; me--My; matam--injunctions; idam--this; nityam--eternal function; anutisthanti--execute regularly; manavah--humankind; sraddha-vantah--with faith and devotion; anasuyantah--without envy; mucyante--become free; te--all of them; api--even; karmabhih--from the bondage of the law of fruitive action.TRANSLATION
One who executes his duties according to My injunctions and who follows this teaching faithfully, without envy, becomes free from the bondage of fruitive actions.Chap 3, Shloka 32.
Translations from Shri Prabhupada's "Bhagavad Gita As it is"
Weblink: http://www.asitis.com/3/32.htmlye tv etad abhyasuyanto nanutisthanti me matam
sarva-jnana-vimudhams tan viddhi nastan acetasah
SYNONYMS
ye--those; tu--however; etat--this; abhyasuyantah--out of envy; na--do not; anutisthanti--regularly perform; me--My; matam--injunction; sarva-jnana--all sorts of knowledge; vimudhan--perfectly befooled; tan--they are; viddhi--know it well; nastan--all ruined; acetasah--without Krsna consciousness.TRANSLATION
But those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not practice them regularly, are to be considered bereft of all knowledge, befooled, and doomed to ignorance and bondage.Chap 3, Shloka 33.
Translations from Shri Prabhupada's "Bhagavad Gita As it is"
Weblink: http://www.asitis.com/3/33.htmlsadrsam cestate svasyah prakrter jnanavan api
prakrtim yanti bhutani nigrahah kim karisyati
SYNONYMS
sadrsam--accordingly; cestate--tries; svasyah--in one's own nature; prakrteh--modes; jnana-van--learned; api--although; prakrtim--nature; yanti--undergo; bhutani--all living entities; nigrahah--suppression; kim--what; karisyati--can do.TRANSLATION
Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone follows his nature. What can repression accomplish?Chap 3, Shloka 34.
Translations from Shri Prabhupada's "Bhagavad Gita As it is"
Weblink: http://www.asitis.com/3/34.htmlindriyasyendriyasyarthe raga-dvesau vyavasthitau
tayor na vasam agacchet tau hy asya paripanthinau
SYNONYMS
indriyasya--of the senses; indriyasya arthe--in the sense objects; raga--attachment; dvesau--also detachment; vyavasthitau--put under regulations; tayoh--of them; na--never; vasam--control; agacchet--one should come; tau--those; hi--certainly; asya--his; paripanthinau--stumbling blocks.TRANSLATION
Attraction and repulsion for sense objects are felt by embodied beings, but one should not fall under the control of senses and sense objects because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization.Chap 3, Shloka 35.
Translations from Shri Prabhupada's "Bhagavad Gita As it is"
Weblink: http://www.asitis.com/3/35.htmlsreyan sva-dharmo vigunah para-dharmat svanusthitat
sva-dharme nidhanam sreyah para-dharmo bhayavahah
SYNONYMS
sreyan--far better; sva-dharmah--one's prescribed duties; vigunah--even faulty; para-dharmat--from duties mentioned for others; svanusthitat--than perfectly done; sva-dharme--in one's prescribed duties; nidhanam--destruction; sreyah--better; para-dharmah--duties prescribed for others; bhaya-avahah--dangerous.TRANSLATION
It is far better to discharge one's prescribed duties, even though they may be faultily, than another's duties. Destruction in the course of performing one's own duty is better than engaging in another's duties, for to follow another's path is dangerous.
20 comments:
I had a question that has been gnawing at me for some time now. When Krishna reveals his terrific wondrous form to Arjuna, how come Sanjaya is also able to see that? As it has been mentioned in the Gita itself Krishna tells Arjuna that he is able to see this form only because he has given Arjuna the divine eye. How is it then that Sanjaya is able to describe this form of Vishnu in his narration? I would really appreciate it if someone could clear my doubts.
Thanks,
Sharmila Krishnamurty
As per the Mahabharata, Sanjaya was given the gift of divine sight by Maharishi Veda Vyasa.
Just prior to the war, Maharishi Vyasa visits Dhritaraashtra and offers him vision to see the great battle about to take place. Dhritaraastra, knowing the outcome of the war, refuses and in turn requests the Maharish to allow Sanjaya, his trusted charioteer, to have that blessing instead. Thus, Sanjaya has the gift.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Gopal
Does that mean Sanjaya was as blessed or fortunate as Arjuna? Why does Krishna then say that it only you, Arjuna, who can see this form of mine? Also I was aware that Maharishi Veda Vyasa had given Sanjaya the boon to look into the war without actually being present there. But only Arjuna was given the divine vision to see the universal form of Vishnu by Krishna as has been written in the Gita. I still don't understand how Sanjaya sees that form, he has not been granted the divine vision to see Vishnu's wondrous form, nobody else on the battle field can see this form. Also why is he not afraid like Arjuna when Vishnu reveals himself? Please help me clear these doubts..
Sharmila.
These are good questions. I went back to read Chap 11. The shloka in question is:
na tu mam sakyase drastum
anenaiva sva-caksusa
divyam dadami te caksuh
pasya me yogam aisvaram
TRANSLATION
You cannot see Me with your (body-based) eyes. (Therefore) I give to you divine eyes (vision), (thus you can) see My yogic splendor.
So, first, Krishna doesn't say that ONLY you (Arjuna) will be able to see. Which clears one confusion that only Arjuna would be able to see the divine form. Others around them missed the vision for obvious reasons.
Next, it is an error to consider Sanjaya as an ordinary person. Clearly, Sanjaya, as a charioteer had subjugated his ego (albeit, in Dhrutaraashtra's service) and hence earned the 'right' for that vision. It may well be argued, convincingly, that Maharishi's unusual visit to Hasthinapura and his offering of divine vision to Dhrutaraastra was actually an excuse for conferring this special blessing to Sanjaya while maintaining social protocols, thus, fulfilling of Sanjaya's tapas. After the war, Sanjaya takes sanyaas. So, yes, in yogic measure, Sanjaya was Arjuna's equal.
Mahabharata is full of such personalities who kept a very low profile in worldly matters but were epitomes of yogic practice. Vidura was one more.
Lastly, why Sanjaya was not afraid? Actually, we do not know how Sanjaya felt. Sanjaya's directive was to relay what was happening and not express his opinion. As Charioteer, he is trained to obey instructions keeping his own personality suppressed. Further, he had his ego, thus fear, under control. So, he just relays what Arjuna saw and said and nothing more. Remember, he was to act as "eyes" for Dhritaraashtra, not as his interpreter.
In whole of BG, only once does Sanjaya express his opinion - in Chap 18, Shlk 78. Apparently Dritaraastra scolds Sanjaya for that transgression!
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Gopal
It helped answer a lot of questions and I really appreciate it, thank you. But I still haven't received a clear answer on why Sanjaya who has been given the boon to look only into the war is able to see Krishna's wondrous form, for which one requires the divine vision (given only to Arjuna by Krishna). Does that mean the boon of looking into the war was as powerful as the boon given to Arjuna? It seems implausible that Maharishi Veda Vyasa is able to give a boon as powerful as that given by Krishna. Sorry to be such a bother, but I just can't rest till I have this cleared and you are the only person who is taking an interest in clearing my doubt which is sitting on my head like a big boulder (I don't know what to trust in anymore...)
OK, this time I need your help. Could you please find me couple of references. These references will help me answer your questions to the best of my ability.
1. Kindly refer to me the shloka from Mahabharata that says "Sanjaya has been given the boon to look only into the war". The operating word here is _only_.
2. Also, from BG kindly point me to the shloka that says "divine vision was given only to Arjuna by Krishna." Again the operating word is _only_.
While there, please elaborate on what you imply by "divine vision".
From my experience and understanding: the confusion arises because we believe there is a difference between one "divine vision" and another. Perhaps there may not be such a difference and that all "divine vision" refer to the same? I do not know for sure because I do not have the experience of "divine vision", nor do I have with me any reliable text that delineates categories of divine vision. Hence to me, all "divine vision" are the same. So, to me, yes, Sanjaya and Arjuna had the same divine vision - and so did several thousands of sages and saints, whose accounts we do not have with us.
In Vishnusahasranamam, it is unambiguously declared, Maharishi Vedavyasa is divinity incarnate. We somehow believe that one physical form of divinity is somehow different from another. In our case Krishna is somehow different from Vyasa. Perhaps they are not? If I assume they are different, then, am I not placing limitations on how and what divinity can or cannot do, thus proving that divinity itself is subject to limitation - an oxymoron concept?
All said, I will wait for the references I seek. It might change my view altogether.
Regards,
Gopal
I hope you have received the references I sent...
Unfortunately, no I did not receive the references. May I know to which e-mail ID you sent it to?
Also, may I request you to post them here? Posting them here will benefit others who might be following the conversation or would read them later.
Thank you,
Gopal
I posted it right here. Anyways, let me repeat what I had written earlier. After having read your reply about why we should even compare divine visions, I felt relieved as that was probably the answer I was looking out for. I then decided to read the 11th chapter again and I this is what the 47th verse had to say:
"Sri Bhagavan said: Arjuna, pleased with you I have shown you through my own power of yoga, this supreme, efflugent, primal and infinite cosmic body, which was never seen before by anyone else than you."
It continues and the 48th verse says: " Arjuna, in this mortal world I cannot be seen in this form by anyone else than you, either through study of the vedas or of rituals, or again through gifts, actions or austere penances"
I had thought the Gita to be one logically accurate book when compared to all the other foolish books that other religions have which are so blatantly logically inaccurate, but realizing this logical flaw in the Gita has disappointed me, very very much.
I would understand if you don't want to post this on your blog. You can reply to my email Id if you still think you can explain this to me. I would be the happiest person to be proved wrong.
Are you aware of Sri Shankaracharya's commentary on the Gita? I know it exists but I do not know what it states. I hope this issue has been addressed in it.
Firstly it takes great courage to do what you have done, so kudos to that. But I await an answer form you. If I don't receive one within a week then I would wish to delete this post. I feel disappointed and cheated right now and I don't wish for any other person to feel that way by reading this post. Each person believes in something as it gives them peace and a feeling of security and I don't want to take that away from them. I will continue to search for my source of peace and security. I have taken up the humongous task of reading the Vedas (though I still have to master Sanskrit!). I have blind faith in the infalliability of the Vedas (It has already been logically explored by Sri Shankaracharya and the great Kumarila Bhatta) and I want to reaffirm that. Hopefully I will find answers to the many questions of life that boggle me. It would also be great to see a "The Vedas - study circle" some day. You do not have to post this on your blog, its only for your reference. Thank you once again for your time and patience.
Let me assure you, from my end, I do not see a logical fallacy. However, the reply needs to be logically formulated and I need to organize my thoughts before presenting them to you/others. I will certainly post my reply in a day or two. Kindly bear with me till then. Thank you for your patience.
Please accept my apologies for posting your comment to the blog without reading it completely. Its an error I regret. If you so wish, I will delete it immediately.
Well I guess its ok for now, but if there is no accurate answer to my question then I would wish for the entire post to be deleted, the reason for which I have explained in my previous comment.
First, apologies for the delay in reply.
In my opinion, everyone 'sees' the 'world' differently. The differences depend upon what constitutes our individual minds. Mind carries vasanas from hundreds of previous births. The sadhana we do is an attempt to wash them away and produce a transparent and virtually non-existent entity that no longer forms an obstruction for the Self-vision.
In my opinion, the key shloka is #7. Here the Lord says: "Whatever you wish to see can be seen all at once in this body. This universal form can show you all that you now desire, as well as whatever you may desire in the future. Everything is here completely."
Here the Lord is specifically telling Arjuna that he can 'see' whatever he wishes to see, past-present-future.
Compare shlokas 9-13 (which in essence describes what Sanjaya saw) with shlokas 15-30 (which is what Arjuna sees). You will notice a marked difference between the two descriptions. Whereas Sanjaya essentially sees an impersonal effulgent Lord, Arjuna sees a personified multi-aspected Lord. Arjuna, a warrior, see things that cause fear and terror, while Sanjaya, a yogi, saw brilliance and illumination.
Arjuna's mind 'creates' increasingly fearsome personalities in the Lord, and finally, Arjuna breaks down. Following which, in Shlk 46, he asks specifically for the (famous) 4-armed form and that's how Krishna transforms Himself into - for Arjuna.
The point being, GOD is formless. He IS all forms. Our mind is like a bracketed window, allowing only peeks into the divine. The scene we observe is colored by the dust and dirt that has accumulated through ages.
So, IMHO, what Arjuna saw was different from what Sanjaya saw, yet both had the divine vision. The specifics of what Arjuna saw was for Arjuna ONLY. In my opinion, it will never be duplicated because we all are different from Arjuna and from each other.
If we were to extend it further, each of us, will 'see' the Lord differently and to each of us, shloka 48 applies - individually.
IMO, this approach also explains the caution (during yogic practice) against 'sharing' of divine individual experiences with others, because what is applicable to one may not be valid for another.
What you are saying makes a lot of sense. It also gave me insight into stuff that I had not noticed before. All that you said would make absolute sense if the 48th verse had stopped at: "Arjuna, in this mortal world I cannot be seen in this form by anyone else than you". Stop. But the fact that he continues to say: "either through study of the vedas or of rituals, or again through gifts, actions or austere penances". Does this not give an indication that he is speaking of one particular form? Even the chapter is named after this one "VishwaRoopa" or the Universal form of Krishna?
It is the nature of mind to 'objectify', and thus to limit, categorize and causalize things that comes within its 'view'. However, divinity is the absolute 'Subject' and cannot be 'objectified'.
If we understand that it is the mind's innate desire to 'see' the very same 'vishwaroopa' that Arjuna saw (because then the mind can 'objectify' 'vishwaroopa'), then we can approach the source of this this confusion.
IMO, by emphasizing that none of the following: "either through study of the vedas or of rituals, or again through gifts, actions or austere penances" gives a mortal the 'right' (not the most appropriate choice of word, paatratwam is better) to see vishwaroopa, IMO, the Lord is indicating:
1. The power of divine grace.
2. Arjuna's sakhya-bhakti.
3. The limits of human-mind.
Is He indicating at a particular form of divinity, IMHO not, because that would go against the very nature of divinity itself - as formless, limitless and beyond the grasp of mind.
Vishwaroopa, as per one account that I heard, is indicative of the singularity when a mortal is able to permeate the three aakashas (bhuta, chitta and chida) and subjectively and simultaneously perceives the three. I do not understand this fully, because, I think as soon as this happens, a mortal would (should?) cease to exist.
A rejoinder on some of your earlier comments:
1. 'Veda study circle' : Excellent idea!
Here at Lubbock, we meet every Thursday for the BG study circle. If your in Lubbock, your are invited to attend the sessions. Your insightful comments would add great value to the discussions. Currently we are on Chap 6, and eventually when we complete it, taking up Vedas might be a definite possibility - if we have someone to propose and support it.
2. Studying Veda in Sanskrit: I admire your undertaking to study Veda in Sanskrit. I too am on a similar path. I am still a long way off from reading the Veda without help, but BG is beginning to make sense. So, I still hold some hope. One of my aims is to put into words my understanding of Naasadiiya sukta.
3. Shankara's bhashya on BG. Yes, I am aware of it. TTU library has a copy of its translation. I will visit the library sometime next week to see what he has to say on these shlokas (Chap 11, shkl 47-48). It might provide an interesting insights.
Regards,
Gopal
OK, finally I have Shri Shankaracharya's commentary on BG with me. I have perused them carefully. However, I could not see anything that might indicate Shankaracharya's opinion on the Divine vision of Sanjaya vis-a-vis Arjuna's.
To be honest, I haven't see any commentator deal with this situation. So, in some aspects, your question is very unique.
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