MAKING SENSE OF THE GITA

NATIVE  CHARM

MAKING SENSE OF THE GITA

Bhagavad Gita is traditionally considered one of the three authorities for the Hindu faith and philosophy: prastanatraya. However, it is the greatest and most unique, because it is the direct voice of Bhagavan. The other two cannot stand before it. The others are tentative, the Gita is the final authority, the last word, the supreme court.

Because it is the greatest, it has been subject to the most abuse, by advocates and interpreters- ancient and modern. They have invented the oddest of theories and the most absurd philosophies to explain what is plain! (We don't have to look at the critics- who can prevent a dog from barking at the moon?) The position of the modern academics is the most atrocious and absurd: if one wants a Ph.D, one has to show that he knows more than the older authorities and so invent yet one more theory ie absurdity! This process is endless. Let them play their games with the sands of imagination, as children do with the sands on the shore.

Before we take up the Gita, a few things must be remembered. The Gita is the word of Bhagavan. If we do not have this faith, we need not touch it. Bhagavan is not a pundit, to expound a theory or philosophy. Krishna did not give us a philosophy to dream or dispute about. He gave a command for us to do.

The Gita was disclosed on the battlefield. Arjuna faced the greatest practical crisis of his life, and his traditional upbringing and knowledge did not help him.He was confused as to dharma-what to do. He turned to his friend and Charioteer Krishna and in a magical moment understood his Divinity. Surrendering to him as his disciple, he asks for a practical rule of conduct-DHARMA- which would conduce to his  welfare, not victory in the war! We have to note this: somehow he understood Krishna to be more than his friend and comrade- Sakha- and he sought his welfare- SHREYAS- more than his victory in the war!

Sri Krishna began by asserting the immortality of the Atma and the need to perform one's duty in the light of this knowledge. Then as Arjuna raised doubts and questions, Krishna went on talking on many points. He said he had laid down two paths in the ancient past (pura prokta)- the path of Sankhya (Jnana) and Yoga (Karma).He stated that this knowledge was passed down from Vivaswan to Manu to Ikshvaku (evam prampara praptam) and was lost in the sands of time. He gave the example of Janaka and other Raja Rishis who followed the path of karma. He said he would disclose the teaching again.

It is very important to understand this point. He called the ways of Jnana and Karma as ancient (pura). This means he was going to reveal something new. An Avatara does not come to teach old things. 'Dharma samstaapanam' is not to be understood as merely restoring or repeating the past. It is in the nature of things to evolve, and the Avatara aids such evolution.

The real teaching of Bhagavan is this new revelation. What is this ?

1. Bhagavan takes Avatara  from time to time to save dharma and punish the wicked.
2. Bhagavan is Brahman.
3. One can worship the Formless or Form. But for a human being endowed with body, to worship the form is easy.
4.Devotees of Bhagavan are not born again.
5. One should surrender to Bhagavan by any means, by all means (sarva bhavena). One should always think of Him, dedicate all actions to Him, surrender fruits of all actions to Him and take Bhagavan Alone as the refuge, without thinking of any other thing. Then Bhagavan will protect him and grant him supreme peace and Liberation.
6. Those who have faith in Bhagavan's words will be saved. Doubters will go to dogs.

All the other things spoken in the Gita only provide the background or explain these core teachings. Bhagavan has spoken of Yoga, Yajna, Karma, Jnana, etc.  But he has himself explained everything. There is no need to take anybody else's explanations.

There are authorities who extol Jnana ( eg. Sankaracharya) There are those who extol karma ( Tilak, Gandhi, etc).But don't take anybody's word. My request to friends who want to understand the Gita as a guide to life ( not as armchair philosophy) is this:

Take a notebook as you read the Gita. Note down all the passages where a particular word occurs eg.Yoga. You will see it runs like a thread through the Gita. And it is explained in every context where it occurs. Bhagavan is explaining the idea, and not defining the word.

  eg. Take the word 'ananya'. It first occurs in passage 9.22.

Ananyaschintayanto maam 
ye janaa: paryupaasatae
Teshaam nityabhiyuktanaam 
yogakshemam vahamyaham.

Then, the word also occurs in passage 11.54.

Bhaktyaa tvananyaya shakya
 ahamaevamvidhorjuna
Jnaatum drashtum cha tatvavena
 prashtum cha parantapa.

In the first, Bhagavan tells Arjuna that He will attend to the welfare of those who keep Bhagavan constantly in mind, without any other thought(ananya chinta). In the second, He tells Arjuna, after showing the Viswaroopa, that  by single-minded devotion (ananya bhakti), Bhagavan may be known (jnatum), seen (drashtum) and entered into (praveshtum). See also slokas 12.6, 18.55 reiterating the same idea. We thus see that Bhagavan is indicating by the use of the word in different places how the idea is magnified, the effect exalted . We should thus take a word as it occurs in the different places and see how the idea is carried forward, the concept is connected. 

What is this ananyabhakti? It is devotion to Bhagavan alone. Saint Sundaramurti Nayanar expresses this beautifully:

488 மற்றுப் பற்றெனக் கின்றி நின்திருப் 7.48.1
         பாத மேமனம் பாவித்தேன் 
 பெற்ற லும்பிறந் தேன்இ னிப்பிற 
         வாத தன்மைவந் தெய்தினேன் 
 கற்ற வர்தொழு தேத்துஞ் சீர்க்கறை 
         யூரிற் பாண்டிக் கொடுமுடி 
 நற்ற வாஉனை நான்ம றக்கினும் 
         சொல்லும் நாநமச்சி வாயவே. 
  

                   

 O Lord residing at Paandik Kodumudi, worshipped by all the learned masters!
I have caught hold of your Sacred Feet , giving up all other supports.
Though taking birth now, I have attained the state of freedom from birth.
O Lord! Even if I forget you, my tongue will never cease uttering your sacred Name.

(There is a tremendous point here. Lord Krishna says in the Gita, 18.62 that one should take refuge in the Lord with all being, all heart, by all means- SARVA BHAAVAENA. Here, Sundaramurti Swami is using the same word "bhaavittaen" in the first line. Both words are from the same root. What an extraordinary situation!)

Second, note down all the passages where He talks of Jnani, Stitaprajna, Bhakta, Yogi, etc. You will find the same characteristics are explained from different levels, stand points, angles.

Third, note down all passages where he talks of Jnana, Karma, Dhyana etc and all the passages where he talks of Bhakti and Bhagavan. You will find the Gita contains far greater verses on Bhakti than anything else.

Fourth: note down all the supreme adjectives Bhagavan uses - guhyam, guhya taram, guhya tamam, paramam vacha,etc. You will find all these are related to Bhakti and nothing else. It is only in respect of the Bhakta that Bhagavan has given the assurance: NA MAE BHAKTA PRANASYATI= My devotee is never destroyed. (9.31)

Fifth, note down passages where Bhagavan makes references to Himself. He makes it clear that He is supreme. (eg Yukta aasita Mad para).

Do not take the word of any authority- however mighty, old or new. Study the Gita- not chapter by chapter as it is now, but idea by idea, concept by concept. There are lots of cross references. You will get the light yourself. This is what Lord Krishna promises- he will provide us the light. (jnana deepena bhasvata, dadhaami buddhi yogam). Krishna is the Guru- this is what Arjuna realised. Is it not said: "Krishnam  Vande Jagatgurum"?

The Gita is not tentative. The Gita is not speculative. It is definitive. It is authoritative. It is final.

The Gita is made complicated because the authorities who explain it do not approach it "with clean hands". Each one comes from a tradition, a parampara, which they have to uphold. They have read the Gita, along with so many other scriptures. They want to maintain a parity or equation among them. But if we  want guide for conduct and light for life, Gita alone is enough. What the Gita teaches, no other scripture teaches. With what the Gita teaches, we need no others.

In our entire religious literature, only Tirujnanasambandha has spoken with the kind of authority that Krishna has- for Tirujnanasambanda is the incarnation of Lord Subrahmanya, so he speaks with authority.

 The Gita is not one among many- it is the Supreme Scripture.

If we need only one scripture, it is the Gita. If we need only one chapter in it, it is the 18th. If we need only one sloka, it is 18.65./18.66 If we need only one word, it is Krishna- just Krishna. As Purandaradasa says:

Kṛṣṇa ena barade kṛṣṇa ena barade

narajanma bandaga nalige iruvaga
kṛṣṇa ena barade

(2)
kṛṣṇa endare sakala kaśṭamu parihara
kṛṣṇa ena barade
kṛṣṇa ena barade

(3)

snāna pāna jāpa tapāgalu maduta
kṛṣṇa ena barade

(4)
chayanna śadrasa tikku triptāvanagi
kṛṣṇa ena barade

(5)
durita rasigalanu darithu bisāduta
kṛṣṇa ena barade

(6)
garuḍa gamana nammā purandara viṭhalana

kṛṣṇa ena barade

Chant Krishna, Krishna!

Having attained human birth, while we still have a tongue, should we not chant Krishna?

If we chant Krishna, all troubles will go away.

Should we not chant Krishna?

While bathing, drinking, doing japa, meditating, should you not chant Krishna?

Having enjoyed food with the six rasas and resting content, should you not chant Krishna?

To ward off the effect of the bad stars, should you not chant Krishna?

O Purandara Vittala, should you not chant the name of Krishna?

I am indebted to many sources (ISKCON, Shaivam.org etc) for the pictures taken from the Web. My thanks to all of them.

NOTE:

Every point made here can be supported by passages from the Gita direct. I am not doing it because it will make the piece very long.

There is a story relating to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. During his travels in the South, he came to a village where he found a gathering listening to a discourse on the Gita. He noticed a simple-looking fellow, standing in a corner, shedding profuse tears.He did not appear to be a learned man who could follow  the Sanskrit discourse. So, Chaitanya enquired of him whether he followed the discourse. The man said he did not know Sanskrit, and could not follow the discourse. But he could see the battlefield, the chariot in the middle, Lord Krishna and Arjuna seated on it and talking! That made him shed the tears! To follow the Gita, this is the spirit we need. Punditry should be given up, and piety and purity of heart should take over!