Gita study Mumbai 2012- 03.1-8 The principles and purposes underlying renunciation

Transcript

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This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors. So, let’s start with the first verse. So, here Arjuna is asking a question. Arjuna watches. … … … … … … If you think that better than karma is buddhi, better than karma is buddhi, then why are you engaging me in karma? I have got to go to karma. So, essentially, we look at what the meaning is. Arjuna is thinking that the karma which I am going to fight the war has to go to karma. … … So, let’s recite the next verse. … … … … … … … … So, naam ishvya. Mishra means mixed. Naam ishvya means that it is mixed in such a way that it creates a duality. Vaak ke naam. You know all this. But this buddhi-mohya-sindhu. But it is as a duality. Therefore, vada. Speak ekam nishchitya. Speak only one benedictory by which I will get shreya. I will get true benedict. So what is Krishna referring to when he is saying the previous words? Basically he is saying I am confused. He has spoken equally vocal. Mishra vaak ke nishchitya. And what is the mishra vaak here? For example somebody says, see, ayurvedic treatment is better than allopathic treatment. Therefore take allopathic treatment. If ayurvedic treatment is better than allopathic treatment, what should we take it? Ayurvedic naturally. So, Krishna here says that buddhi is better than karma and we are going to practise karma. So it makes sense to me. So what is Arjuna meaning by this? So actually, from Arjuna’s point of view, he sees only two options for himself. Either I act or I don’t act. And he is thinking that acting means I will be fighting and that is bad luck. That will cause karmic bondage. And not acting is renouncing the way. And then I will be acting with buddhi. So Arjuna is seeing only two options over here. And he is thinking that if buddhi is better than karma, so he is equating buddhi with inaction and karma with warfare. So why is Krishna telling that I should fight? Because obviously doing something which is involved in bad karma should not be done. Why? Although Arjuna is seeing only two options, Krishna has actually talked about four levels. So Arjuna is seeing only these two options. He is equating buddhi with inactivity and activity or karma with vikarma, fighting. So Arjuna and Krishna has talked about four levels. What are those four levels? Vikarma is the lowest. That is fighting a war for simple activity. Simple activity. So self-centred warfare. Let us see whether that is simple. Basically what Krishna has talked about is vikarma. He says if you give up fighting, that means vikarma is the lowest level. What is simple? You give up fighting. Then the one level above that is karma or su-karma. That is doing karma by which you get elevated to heaven. Then above that is karma by which one will get liberation. And above that is jnana, which is renouncing the world and becoming inactive. So Krishna has not explicitly talked about jnana, yoga and karmic action. But that is the option that is in the background of Arjuna’s mind. He follows them. He is like that. Bhoktum bhiksha api halopi. It is better that I take bhiksha in hand. That is basically living like a renunciate. So Krishna has talked about four levels where Arjuna had only two levels. And now Krishna when talking about these four levels, what the level of jnana, yoga which is renouncing action, all three are having action. All other three are having action. And nishkama karma yoga has action which will lead to mukti. Karma kanda has action which will lead to swarga. And vikarma has action which will lead to naraka. So now what has happened? So here Arjuna has only two options and Krishna has three and four options. So namini, if you go back to 2.49, in 2.49 Krishna said, so you have said, give up the bottom level, keep it far enough. 1.53, right? So this 2.49 in the verse, actually Krishna is condemning karma kanda as compared to nishkama kanda. He is saying that karma kanda will continue on the cycle of birth and death and therefore give up karma kanda. That means among these four levels Krishna is condemning the third so that Arjuna will take up the second. But for Arjuna there are no four levels, there is just jnana and remaining three are one level. So what he is thinking is that Krishna has condemned the lower level. So he is saying that means I should practise jnana and renounce level. And therefore he is thinking, why Krishna wants me to fight? Now on top of that, if you look at the way Krishna has instructed while talking about Sita Prajna, when he is talking about Sita Prajna, he has used the word shanti several times. When all he has used the word shanti, he has used it in 70, 71 and before that in 66. 70 was sa shanti maakumoti na kaamakaam, and then sa shanti madhirakshiti, 71. In 66, ashantasya patasu. So he has used the word shanti several times. He has used it in 66. So because of this use of the word shanti, Arjuna is thinking that Krishna is setting an ultimately high position. Krishna is talking about internal shanti, Arjuna is talking about external shanti. That’s the difference. So Arjuna gets further confused because Arjuna is confused by use of the word shanti in 66, 70. For Arjuna, shanti is equal to external peace. That means no war. For Krishna, shanti is equal to internal peace, which results from Vishnankarmika. That involves fighting. The internal peace that Krishna has talked about is, when actually one practises Vishnankarmika, it is free from karma and one becomes peaceful. So now, if we see, Krishna has told Arjuna that he should fight. When was the last time that Krishna told Arjuna to fight? That year. That was in 2.37. He says, First time he said, you should fight. He was smart. And again in 2.38 he said, So in 2.38, Krishna told Arjuna that he should fight. Now after that, explicitly Krishna has not given the instruction to fight. But in 2.43 he said, we have a right to do karma. And for Arjuna, the karma is fighting. So Krishna has not withdrawn the instruction to fight. So as far as Krishna has said, you should fight. But then afterwards Krishna has said several things. You are talking about killing my own guru. And then further Krishna has used very lofty levels of consciousness. He has talked about, in my life I have used my property, I have used words like shanti. This is confused Arjuna. So essentially, Arjuna has said things because he is not able to reconcile the idea of action as it leads to enactment. He is thinking if I have to become enacted, if I have to become renounced, I have to become enacted. So he is thinking that, if I have to learn the buddhi, I have to learn the dhyana, I have to learn the shanti, I have to become a siddha pratyaya. In the siddha pratyaya section, he decided to write all the verses he wanted, based on which there is no mention of fighting. So in Arjuna’s mind, the background was, in the siddha pratyaya, there was no fight at all. So Arjuna does not have an explicit answer to that question. But Arjuna gets the idea that, suppose there is a Vishnavanam. So that means this, so you don’t need to fight. But then you are describing a person who gives up bad work and who is very mischievous. So then Krishna will answer Arjuna’s question. Here we see something interesting, before we go to the next verses. Vishwakar Gopal, in the Bhagavad Gita 2.72, explains that, Bhagavad Gita 2.72 calls this as the contents of the Gita summarised. Then he says, in the Bhagavad Gita, the main matters are karma yoga, jnana yoga and bhakti yoga in parts of the Gita. You know that the first six chapters talk about karma yoga. Last six chapters talk about bhakti yoga. All chapters talk about bhakti yoga. First six chapters are about how karma yoga leads to bhakti. The last six chapters are about how jnana leads to bhakti. Krishna says about time. At the end of the Bhagavad Gita, you look at all the verses that are talking about bhakti throughout the whole chapters. I will mention them in the next couple of verses also. But all the chapters are talking about bhakti. But bhakti is emphasised in the first six chapters. Whereas bhakti is described as the goal of the other parts of the Gita. So, Srila Prabhupada is telling a very interesting theory. In the second chapter, karma yoga and jnana yoga have been discussed. And a glimpse of bhakti yoga has also been given. Now, if you look at Srila Prabhupada’s proposal, Prabhupada has not given a glimpse. Prabhupada has given a complete preserve of bhakti. This is the way when Krishnabadhaaravindayor, talking about Ambarish Maharaj, concentrates on Krishna Vachamsi, in which I am speaking about Krishna. And this is Padam Harekshetu, Padanusarpani. So, Srila Prabhupada is aware of what is happening in the Bhagavad Gita. He is still choosing to actually do the Durga Durgi. So, Srila Prabhupada says, because Prabhupada is a bhakta, so he is just giving another bhakta. He doesn’t understand the subject of the Gita. Prabhupada understands the subject of the Gita, but he also understands the necessity of the audience. Necessity of the audience is that you can hear the message. You see, most of the time, the Gita is in the 7th, 8th verse. Now, slowly, you start understanding the subtlety of the flow of the Gita’s message. And then you start listening to the message. And then you do this. So, Srila Prabhupada is very clear about what you can do and what you can’t do. What you can’t do. You are supposed to understand, I am not the body, I am the soul, that takes a long time to say. You are supposed to talk to the servant, you are supposed to do this, you are supposed to do that. Or something like that. So, Srila Prabhupada, he blocks hints of the 7th, 8th verses also. But he focusses on the message. What is the meaning of this? But Srila Prabhupada is not naive in the sense that Prabhupada doesn’t know about the flow of the Gita. Prabhupada doesn’t care about the flow of the Gita. He just keeps going on. Srila Prabhupada is not that way. If you look at the purpose and the place, if you find it, Prabhupada’s job is his. His job is only as a messenger. So, what is the meaning of it? Now, where is the hint being given? Here, 2.16. What is the place where? The 1st is the Mukunda. So, now moving forward to our 3rd chapter. Arjuna’s question is, should I fight or should I not fight? So, now Krishna is looking at these 4 alternatives, which Krishna has given him. So, again repeating the flow of the 3rd chapter. So, now these 4 levels. What Krishna wants Arjuna to do is to practise Nishantana. So, the flow of the Gita is spiral. Spiral means, we will start meddling. For you, we will give you time to practise Nishantana. But it is not enough. Actually, I am not going to do Nishantana in the first. In Karmakand? Okay, but still from the Karmakand, you will come to Nishantana. You will say, I am qualified to give Nishantana. It’s fine. But if you qualify to give Nishantana, then from the Karmakand, for the sake of Loka Samyama, I will give you an example of Nishantana. So, that’s it. It’s a spiral which we will have to understand. So, let’s start with the answer of Arjuna. So, the answer to Arjuna’s question by Krishna. 3 questions. Do you know? 1, 2, 3. Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Loka Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Purva Prabhupada Vyanada, Jnana Yogena Samkhyana, Karma Yogena Yogina, So, we will have to do Nishtha. Nishtha is, normally it means faith. So, here, the word faith means actually, here this word means level. Because according to our faith, our level of practise will be. You will say, actually Arjuna has talked about something else. And it’s not that I have talked about it. Purva Prabhupada, actually this level has been talked about for a long time, and I have also talked about it. Vyana. What are these two levels? Vyana Yogena Samkhyana, Karma Yogena Yogina. So, I have talked about these two paths. Path of Vyana, the middle one, and then path of Karma. Now, Yogina, what Yoga indicates that it is not Karma Kanda, it is Karma Yoga. So, now, Krishna has talked about this in 2.39. 2.39 is a very important transliterate of this. This Arjuna has spoken, So, the same words are there. You see, in this verse. So, in this verse also, the word Samkhya are there, and Yoga is there. As it is there over here. And now look at these two verses. So, this is the earlier verse, in which Krishna has spoken about it. So, Yoga is in Vyavidhana Mishra. I have talked about two levels. What are those two levels? Vyana Yogena Samkhyana, and Karma Yogena Yogina. So, here Krishna has said Arjuna, Samkhya. I have spoken about Samkhya till now. Now, Buddhi Yogena Vyavidhana Mishra. I will speak about Buddhi. So, I have talked about these two levels. So, I will explain these two levels. So, now Krishna has talked about Samkhya in terms of 2.39. As you are not the body, you are the soul. And interestingly, when Krishna has talked about you are not the body, you are the soul, not once has he implied that you realise that you are the soul, you have to pronounce the word Yoga. So, Arjuna has this conception, Samkhya or Vyana means I have to pronounce the word. Krishna has not talked about it. Krishna has only talked about Vyana or Samkhya in terms of understanding which one is on the body. And then Krishna has said, how should one act at the level of Samkhya? That is by Yoga. And that is by the Vishwamitra. So, these three levels which Krishna has talked about, he will elaborate on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .