Bhagavadgita Pages, Chapters 1 to 18
Bhagavad-Gita:Chapters
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Veeraswamy Krishnaraj: Tolerance with love is to speak in tongues of all faiths, hold in the heart the Truth of all faiths and see
all faiths in the face of humanity.
Veeraswamy Krishnaraj. Contact: myumbra-bgusa@yahoo.com
About the author:
Veeraswamy Krishnaraj, M.D; F.R.C.P (Canada) is a board certified pediatrician in active practice until the end of 1998. He immersed himself in study of Hinduism in depth. He has sufficient knowledge and understanding of Hindu religion that he is confident to publish this book. He kept the words simple, supple, illuminating and to the point, while retaining the original flavor, beauty and grace. Compound words in Sanskrit are a nightmare for the beginner, as they are spliced together compactly in one continuous stretch of characters. He parsed the compound words into digestible syllables or words with superscripts and sequential numbers and rearranged the words in the verse in a readable form in English. In this book, he claims ownership of shortcomings and cedes the rest to Bhagavan.
This book is good for students, and devotees reading the Bhagavad-Gita in Satsang (true company). Two verses nestle in two boxes in one page with no break or carry-over to the next page. Diacritics help the reader enunciate the words like a Sanskritist. The English words are reader-friendly. Wherever there is a need for elaboration, an addendum supports it.
Simplicity, authority, universality, and profundity are the hallmark of the Bhagavadgita, the Bible of the Hindus. The Bhagavadgita is the Song of the Lord. It provides guidelines for daily living with no dogmas and ritual overtones. It encourages and supports your individuality. It also explains the consequence of errant ways. Total surrender to Bhagavan releases the devotee from the ills of life on earth. Hinduism as a term is an external appellation from non-Hindus. Its true name is Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Law or Eternal Order) commensurate with Rta (Cosmic Order). The beauty about the Bhagavadgita is its appeal is universal.
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The above file has all 18 chapters in Sanskrit, Transliteration, colorized words for easy identification, word 4 word translation, superscription of words, rearrangement of words in a readable form in English. This is the best you can get on the internet in one file. This file will be uploaded and sent to you as an attachment to your email upon payment of fees. The above file (18 Chapters and 700 verses) costs USD 18.00 for email upload in PDF format and $22.00 for DVD within US and $25.00 for shipment outside US. Method of payment is through Paypal, the beneficiary being Veeraswamy Krishnaraj. There is a delay between payment and upload because of verification by paypal. You can see the sample verse below.
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Sample Verse अर्जुन उवाच किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम । अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥८- १॥
arjuna uvāca: kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣottama
arjuna uvāca:
kim1 tad2 brahma3 kim4
adhyātmam5 kim6 karma8 puruṣottama9 arjuna uvāca = Arjuna said: kim1 = What; [is] tad2 = that; brahma3 = Brahman? kim4 = What; [is] adhyātmam5 = the Self [indwelling Self]? kim6 = What; [is] karma8 = Karma? puruṣottama9 = O Supreme Soul; kim12 = what; [are] adhibhūtam10 = beings on the physical plane of existence; ca11 = and; kim15 = what; proktam13 = spoken of; [as] adhidaivam14 = presiding deity; ucyate16 = is called. 8.1 8.1: Arjuna said: What is Brahman? What is adhyātma or Self ? What is karma? O Purusottama, What is adhibhūta? What is adhidaivam (presiding deity)? |
02/12/2010
Chapter Eight: Brahman The Imperishable
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Swami Vivekananda:
The truly spiritual see spirit as spirit, not as matter. Spirit as such can never become matter, though matter is spirit at a low rate of vibration. It is spirit that makes nature move; it is the Reality in nature, so action is in nature but not in the spirit. Spirit is always the same, changeless, eternal. Spirit and matter are in reality the same, but spirit, as such, never becomes matter, and matter, as such, never becomes spirit. Matter, as such, never becomes spirit as such, for it is simply a mode of spirit, or spirit at a low rate of vibration. You take food and it becomes mind, and mind in turn becomes the body. Thus mind and body, spirit and matter are distinct though either may give place to the other; but they are not to be identified. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 9 [ Page : 280 ] THE GITA-III* |
Brahman, derived from the root brh, to grow, become great, means the Being of unlimited greatness, supreme perfection. Sankara derives Brahman from the root brhati, to exceed atisayana. It means eternity, purity, intelligence. Its main features are being, consciousness, infinity and freedom. While these are the primary qualities, svarupa-laksana, there are the qualities of omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. These have a meaning when Brahman is looked at from cosmic point of view. They are the tatastha-laksana. (As you see, Sankara does not specify Siva as Brahman; Brahman is impersonal.)
For Ramanuja, Brahman is Narayana. He is free from imperfections, comprises within Himself all auspicious qualities and enjoys originating, preserving, reabsorbing, providing and ruling the universe. The Highest Reality is determinate and the world which is the manifestation of his power is real. (For Ramanuja and the Vaishnavas, Brahman-Narayana is a personal God.) Dr. Radhakrishnan, The Brahma Sutra. page 233-234.
Brahman from the standpoint of the individual soul is presented as follows. Nyaya Book one, Chapter 1, Verse 22: "Release is the absolute deliverance from pain." Explanation: Absolute deliverance is non-recurrence of rebirth and that is final release. This condition of immortality, free from fear, imperishable (unchanging), consisting in the attainment of Bliss, is called Brahman. Radhakrishnan page 361, Indian Philosophy.
Tatastha-laksana
Tatastha = is derived from Tatas meaning a slope, a bank, margin. The bank of a river is land and river; It is covered with water when the river rises, it is dry when the river recedes; thus the bank is both land and water; it belongs to both. Isvara's Tatastha or marginal transitional Sakti, maintains a relationship with both the spiritual word and material world. Likewise, Jiva has one foot in water (spirit) and one foot on land (matter). Brahman's svarupa Lakshana is transcendental and eternal, while Isvara's tatastha Lakshana is accidental. No one really knows the (svarupa Lakshana) qualities of Parabrahman. Let me give you an example. Water in liquid state is its intrinsic natural own state in ambient room temperature; that is Svarupa Lakshana (primary essential physical quality of water). When you submit water to cold stress, it becomes ice and stays as ice as long as the cold stress is maintained; that is Tatastha Lakshana (accidental or marginal quality). Accidental quality is transient; once the cold stress is removed the ice cube comes back to its original liquid state of water. Likewise Mayabrahman or Isvara reverts back to Parabrahman, when He is not creating, maintaining or destroying the universe. Jiva also has Tatastha Lakshana because he is part spiritual and part matter.
Let us take another example.
Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus trains people to be clowns. When Mr. XYZ is home with his family, he is his own man and nobody's clown; that is Svarupa Lakshana (own essential quality). When he is all padded, painted, powdered, dressed and fitted with clownish nose, ears, oversize shoes, he becomes a clown for the duration of his act; that is Tatastha Lakshana.
8.1:
Arjuna said:
What is
Brahman? What is adhyātma or Self
? What is karma? O Purusottama, What
is adhibhūta? What is adhidaivam?
Adhyātma is “Self
”. Karma is action. Adhibhūta is the material world. Adhidaivam is god.
Purushottama is the Supreme Being. First, there is the Absolute Self
(Brahman); second, there is the controller Isvara; third, there is the
Blueprint, Hiranyagarbha; and last, there is the Prakara (Cit and Acit or the
sentient and the insentient). This is the scheme of creation, according to
Brahman. Isvara is the manifest form of the unmanifest Brahman; Hiranyagarbha
is the blueprint of Cit and Acit; it is also a name for Brahma.
When you subtract the body from an object, sentient or insentient, you arrive at Brahman, which is Pure Consciousness and awareness, according to Panchadasi (3.21). When you strip away all the sheaths, Matter (Anna), Life (Prāna), Mind (Manas), Intelligence (Jnāna) and Bliss (Ānanda), what is left is the Witness or the Self (Pure Consciousness)-- IBID, 3.22.
I am sure you have a question like this: Do you mean to say that if your subtract the body from a stone, there is Brahman or Pure Consciousness? Yes. Isvara (Brahman) has as His body, the Cit and Acit (stone in this instance...). Consciousness sleeps in stone, feels in flora, senses in fauna and thinks in man. Sentience runs parallel with consciousness. If you take a man in deep sleep, he is a stone because his mind does not exist; he is not aware of his surroundings; his body senses are on a low or absent alert, or rendered hypoactive to perceive only a high-grade stimuli; his muscles are toneless; he has no speech, no hearing, no sight; and all his biological functions are under autonomic control.
The Uddhava Gita, a discourse by Krishna, elaborates further what Self is.
Dialogue 5, Verses 5.7 to 5.13.
The self-luminous Self is Consciousness akin to fire. The fire is different from the burning log. While the log by itself cannot dispel darkness, flame can do it. Though flame and log are two entities, the flame takes the form of the log. Similarly, Self assumes the form of the body and takes on its attributes; thus ignorant people think that the Self and the body are the same. This identification of the Self and the body is the work of mysterious power of Maya with its co-conspirators Gunas, which are the cause of human bondage and Samsara (birth and rebirth). Knowledge of the Self breaks the bonds. Krishna suggests that one should stop identifying with the body and start identifying with the Self. Here Krishna gives an analogy within an analogy. Guru is the kindler of fire; the aspirant is the log; Guru's Bodhana (teaching) connects the two and induces the fire of knowledge; the interaction produces the spark, the flame, and the fire of knowledge which brings Bliss. When all this is taking place, there is an automatic attenuation or removal of Maya caused by the Bodhana of the Guru. Eventually the fire itself dies for lack of fuel; similarly the knowledge itself dies; only the eternal Self remains.
8.2:
Who is the Adhiyajna in this body? O Madhusudhana, at the time of
departure (Prayāna-kale) from life, how can the self-controlled know You?
8.3:
Sri Bhagavan said:
Brahman is
supreme and imperishable; Its nature is (declared as that) of the Self; and
Karma is the name for the creative force that makes visible all living
material beings.
Bhūta-bhāva-udbhavakarah: creating - living beings - production/
becoming visible
Bhūta-bhāva: creating living being. Udbhava-karah: productive, birth,
becoming visible.
Without karma, there is no material body, because zero-sum karma leads
to liberation of the soul and the complete divestiture of the physical body
T
Notes: In Post Vedic mythology Yama is the Restrainer, Punisher, the Appointed Judge. His abode is Yama Pura in the nether world. Chitragupta reads an account of the departed soul from a book called Agra SamdhAnA (A Register of Human Actions) to mete out a meet punishment. Yama wears blood-red garments and sports a glittering sable hue and appearance. He rides a buffalo and holds a club and noose.
Chitra Purnima
By
Sri Swami Sivananda
THE TWELVE months of the Hindu year, based on the lunar calendar, are named after that star during whose ascendency the full moon of that month occurs. The full moon day of Chaitra month, that is, the Purnima during the ascendency of the Chitra star is particularly sacred to the Chitra Guptas, the recording angels of the Hindu pantheon.
A special worship is offered to these celestial representatives of the god of death (Yama), and an offering of spiced rice is prepared and later distributed as prasad or holy sacrament. A fire worship is done at the close of the ritualistic worship. By the performance of this religious observance annually, these angels of the other world are greatly pleased and judge man’s actions with more sympathy.
The psychological effect of this worship, done on the very first full moon day of every year (Chaitra is the first of the twelve months), is to vividly remind us of the higher power that maintains a constant watch over every act of ours on this earth-plane. This memory serves as an invisible check on one’s conduct. The conception of the Chitra Guptas as located within each shoulder is a powerful inducement to keep oneself engaged in constantly doing good actions only.
The term Chitra Gupta means “hidden picture”. A true picture of all our good and evil actions is preserved in the ethereal records. The Hindu personifies it for the sake of worship. The real significance of the worship of the Chitra Guptas is beautifully brought out in the following story connected with it.
Brihaspati is the Guru or preceptor of Indra, the king of the gods. Indra disobeyed Brihaspati on one occasion and the Guru relinquished his task of instructing Indra in what he should and should not do. During the period of the Guru’s absence, Indra did many evil deeds. When the compassionate Guru resumed his duty again, Indra wanted to know what he should do to expiate the wrongs he had done in his Guru’s absence. Brihaspati asked Indra to undertake a pilgrimage.
While Indra was on pilgrimage, he suddenly felt the load of sins taken off his shoulders at a certain place (near Madurai in South India), and he discovered a Shiva Lingam there. He attributed the miracle to this Lingam and wanted to build a temple for it. He had this constructed immediately. Now he wished to perform the worship of the Lingam; the Lord Himself caused golden lotuses to appear in a nearby pond. Indra was greatly pleased and blessed. The day on which he thus worshipped the Lord was Chitra Purnima.
When you perform worship on the Chitra Purnima day, remember this story. If you have intense faith, if you feel with a contrite heart that you have committed sins on account of ignorance, if you pray with faith and devotion to the Lord to forgive your sins, if you resolve never to commit them in the future, and if you resolve to be obedient to your Guru and never to flout his counsel, then your sins will be forgiven. There is no doubt about this. This is the significance of the above story of Indra. Meditate on this story on Chitra Purnima day.
The Hindu scriptures prescribe elaborate worship of the Chitra Guptas on this day. The Deity is invoked in an image or a kalasa (vessel filled with water) and then worshipped with all the rituals and formalities of the worship offered to God’s image. Meditate on Chitra Gupta, reciting the following verse:
Chitra guptam mahaa praajnam lekhaneepatra dhaarinam;
Chitra-ratnaambara-dhaararn madhyastham sarvadehinaam.
Then offer ritualistic worship with incense, camphor, flowers, etc. Feed some Brahmins, the poor and the needy. Give bountifully in charity and receive the Lord’s blessings.
8.4:
Adhibhūtam is perishable, Purusa is Adhidaiva, and I am Adhiyajna in
the body, O the Best of embodied beings (Arjuna).
Adhibūtam, being matter, is a product of prakriti; therefore, it is
liable to change and destruction. As opposed to Adhibhūtam, Purusa or
Adhidaivam is noumenal, immutable, constant, cosmic, all controlling and Self
itself. It is Sat (Being or Real beyond change). Krishna declares that He is
Adhiyajna (sacrifice in the form of body on this earth); and this Self,
seated in the heart within the individual self, is its controller, chronicler,
and modes of consciousness. (See supplement section on the modes of Self and
levels of consciousness.) Adhiyajna means that all the sacrifices made to the
gods reach Lord Krishna. The Lord is an embodiment of all the Yajnas performed
by four kinds of devotees: Relief
seeker, Atman Seeker, Wealth Seeker and Knowledge Seeker.
Garuda Purana (11.12.11-12) states that among all living beings
Brahmavadin (the propounder of Vedas) is the best followed by, in descending
order, Brahmana scholars, men, intelligent animals and animals. Arjuna is the
best of the embodied beings because he is a Vedic scholar.
8.5: At the time of death, he, who remembers Me when leaving the body, goes to My being. Of this, there is no doubt.
Here is a real-life incident that tells that one can go to Krishna's Being through a life time of remembering Him; it is not compulsory to remember Him at the time of death. This revelation came from Lord Varada as revealed to Kanchipurna. --Excerpt from the book, 'Ramanuja's Teachings in His Own Words' by Yanunacharya - Page 12.
Mahapurna was a real-life Sudra saint, a contemporary of Brahmana Ramanuja (1017–1137 CE). One day Ramanuja wanted Mahapurna to teach him a few great truths after obtaining them from Lord Varada Himself by putting himself in communion with Him. Lord Varada revealed these truths to Kanchipurna for the benefit of Ramanuja.
(1) I am the Superme Truth (ahameva param tatvam).
(2) My view is distinction (darśanam bhepamevaca),
(3} By faith shall men reach Me, their salvation . (Upāyeṣu prapattissyāt).
(4) Thought of me at time of death is not compulsory (antima smriti varjanam),
(5) Release from Bondage follows immediately on death of the body (dehāsvasāne mokṣañca).
(6) Choose Mahāpūrna for your Ācārya (Mahāpūrnam samāśraya).
Ramanuja requested Kanchipurna to teach him Bharadvaja Samhita which stated, "Yogis are born among all castes and so caste odium shall not hold in their cases, for they have seen their souls Lord."
There is story in the Puranas and Narayaneeyam about a Brahmana Ajamila
with evil ways. He left his legally married wife and associated with another
women and had ten children by her. He named one of his sons, Narayana, after
the Lord. As Death’s (Yama) ruthless messengers came to grab him, Ajamila
yelled out unknowingly (of its effect) for his son, Narayana, which prompted
the arrival of the messengers of Narayana at his deathbed. Yama’s servants
tied him up and were about to haul him to hell. But the emissaries of Lord
Narayana stopped them (Minions of Yama), who read out loud a rap sheet of evil
deeds perpetrated by Ajamila. The Lord’s emissaries pointedly told the Yamas’s
messengers of the utterance of the Lord’s name Narayana by Ajamila at the time
of death. That utterance has the expiatory power, destroys all sins, and makes
the utterer eligible for residence in Vaikuntha, Lord’s abode and heaven.
Yama’s servants went back to their master and told him about the incident;
subsequently, Yama ordered his servants to leave the devotees of Narayana
alone and never to approach them.
நாராயணா. Alvars recommend chanting his name, Narayana, while going to and getting up from the bed. Call him by his name until you sleep. Benefits from chanting though unuttered in sleep are obtainable to the devotee.
Gandhi, when he was shot by a lunatic Hindu fanatic, knew he was
mortally injured and uttered ‘Hey Ram.’
When Draupadi underwent the humiliation of being stripped naked by the Kauravas, she uttered the name of Govinda. Govinda did not appear in person to protect her but the utterance of His Naamam (name of Govinda) offered the instantaneous effect of endless sari. Krishna Himself says, "It is not Me but the Govinda Naamam which helped Draupadi from the humiliation of stripped naked."
Hindus utter the names of Ishta-devata, when they trip, sneeze, fall down, and yawn and this is recommended in Bhagavatam 5.3.12. It is like saying 'God Bless,' when someone sneezes.
Achoo, achoo.---gezhunteit!
Mat Bhāvam: My being
The body of the Lord is made of the universe and beings. Puranas
consider the human body as the microcosm of the body of the Lord. Human body
parts and the cosmos in its parts (Garuda Purana, 11.32.105-119).
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Soul of
the foot = Atala
|
Dorsum
of the foot = Vitala |
Knee =
Satala |
Calf =
Talatala |
|
Thigh =
Rasatala |
Genitalia = Mahatala |
Hips =
Patala
|
Navel =Bhur |
|
Pit of
the stomach = Bhuvar |
Heart =
Svar |
Throat
= Mahar
|
Mouth
= Janas
|
|
Forehead
= Tapas |
Anterior
fontanel = Satya
|
Shoulder
Blade = The Mount Meru |
Lower
angle of hips = Mount Mandara |
|
Right
angle of hips = Mount Kailasa |
Left
angle of hips = Himalaya |
Upper
surface of hips = Mount Nisada |
Right
side of hips = Ghanda-madana |
|
Left
side of the hips = Ramana |
Bones =
Jambu Dvipa |
Marrow =
Saka dvipa |
Flesh =
Kusa dvipa |
|
Head =
Kusa dvipa |
Skin =
Salmali dvipa |
Hair =
Gomeda |
Nail =
Puskar dvipa |
|
Urine =
Salt ocean |
Milky
exudates/ secretions = Milky ocean |
Phlegm =
Wine ocean |
Marrow =
Butter ocean |
|
Lymphatic fluid = Rasa ocean |
Blood =
Curd ocean |
Excreta
= Water ocean |
Vital
fluid = Sugar cane juice ocean |
|
Sound
area = sun |
Spot
= Moon |
Eyes = Mars |
Heart =
Mercury |
|
Navel =
Jupiter |
Vital
fluid = Venus |
Navel
area = Saturn |
Mouth =
Rahu |
|
Feet –
Ketu |
|
|
|
8.6:
Whatever one remembers of being at the time of giving up the body,
similar being he becomes O Kauteya, having always remembered that being.
8.7:
Therefore, always remember Me and fight (yudhya). You will reach Me
without doubt, if your mind and intellect intent on (arpita) Me.
Krishna says that everyone should
always think of Him, as one performs his duty. This thought will come to the
fore at the time of death and help the individual soul attain the feet of
Krishna. Here “yudhya” means that Arjuna should fight the enemy according to
his dharma.
8.8:
He, who is steady in constant practice of meditation on the Supreme
Person with the mind not distracted otherwise and always thinking of Me,
reaches the Divine Me.
8.9: He, who meditates on the Kavi ( the Omniscient: sage, seer, or poet), the ancient, the (inner) controller, the one smaller than the smallest, and the supporter of everything, and whose form is inconceivable (acintya rūpam), is sun-colored (Āditya-varnam) beyond darkness [attains the Supreme].
One should meditate on the Lord. He is
the sage, the most ancient and the timeless, the ultimate inner controller of
the soul, the one smaller than the smallest, the supporter, and the sustainer
of this universe. He is of an inconceivable form, sun-colored and beyond
darkness of this material world.
Brahma Sutra: Section 1 (1-8) reflects what Bhagavan says here in this verse.
1.2.1
sarvatra prasiddhopadeśāt
Sarvatra = everywhere; Prasiddha = well known; upadesat = because of teaching.
According to sacred texts, I am well known and all-pervasive.
This Sutra refers to ChAndogya Upanishad III.14. The text is as follows:
All this is Brahman, who is the beginning, the middle and the end. One should worship Him with tranquillity. Purpose makes a man. Worshipful Purpose stays with him on his departure from this world. (Man is thought, word and deed, which determine his after-life and next life.) Brahman is mind; His body is life-breath; He is Light-form; He is Truth; His Atma is space; He contains all desires, all odors, and all tastes; He is all this--the world; He is without speech, concern, torment or pain.
This is Brahman talking: I remain in the heart, smaller than a grain of rice, a barley corn, a mustard seed, a grain of millet, and a kernel of the grain of millet. This is Myself in the heart, greater than (jyAyAs) than the earth, the atmosphere, the sky and all these worlds.
The individual soul says: I encompass all acts, all desires, all odors, all tastes, and all worlds without speech, care or concern; my self abides in the heart. That is Brahman, with whom I merge on leaving hence.
Thus said Sandilya, who pronounces that the individual soul and Brahman are one. SAndilya says beings and matter come from Brahman, by whom the beings live and into whom they repose. What happens in our next life depends on karma of this life. The Great Soul (Atman) is immanent and transcendent. The end of man's journey is merger with the Self.
There is no person who can describe
the Lord better than the Lord Himself. He is as luminous and self-effulgent as
the sun itself and transcends the darkness of this material world. Vishnu is
sun-colored according to this verse. The sun, the moon, and the fire receive
light from the Lord. The sun-color (Āditya varnam) connotes three aspects of
the Lord: the physical light of the sun, the light of the individual soul (or
jiva or monad or ātman), and the Light (Jyoti) of the Self or the Lord.
8.10:
At the time of departure, with the mind fixed (on the Lord) in
devotion, by the strength of yoga, with his prāna fixed between the eyebrows,
he attains to Purusam and Divyam.
Prāna is life and breath; Purusum is
the Supreme Person; Divyam is divine. This particular moment in the life and
times of a yogi is penultimate. He is in full control of himself and
concentrates his attention and life-breath on the
glabellar locus. According to the Kundalini yoga,
the glabellar plane is the Ajna Chakra, which is the seat of the mind. The
yogi who rises to this level of attainment resolves (burns) all previous
prārabda karmas, receives Vijnāna or the intuitional wisdom and knowledge, and
earns liberation in this life: This is jivan mukti (liberation while alive);
and he becomes one with the divine. Such a person is Ramana Maharishi.
Go to Kundalini Power for details. Glabella = spot in the forehead between the eyebrows.
8.11:
I shall briefly explain to you the path, which the Veda Vidahs call
Imperishable (Aksaram), desiring which the ascetics practice bramacharya. They
enter Aksaram by freeing themselves from passion.
Veda Vidhas are those proficient in
Vedas. Aksara is the imperishable word AUM.
Brahmacharya or celibacy is one of the angas, limbs, or steps that an
ascetic has to climb, before he can be called an ascetic.
The angas are eight in all:
(1) Yama, Abstinence
(2) Niyama, Restraint (Dos)
(3) Asana, Body Postures
(4) Prānayama, Breath Control
(5) Pratyahara, Abrogation of contact
with sense objects
(6) Dharana, Concentration
(7) Dyana, meditation
(8) Samādhi, Union or Absorption
8.12:
Controlling all the gates of the body, holding the mind in the heart,
fixing the his own life-breath in the head, and
established in yogic concentration, (continued)
The body, a nine-gated city, has two
ears, two eyes, two nostrils, one mouth and one excretory or evacuative and
one generative organ.
Prana or life-breath as the basis for the proper functioning of the senses is a manifestation of Brahman. Prana by itself is not a whole, as Brahman is a whole (PUrna) and as such is the Life of life (Pranasya Prana). The bodily organs interact because Prana is the common denominator. The medium of interaction is the guna, which has three components: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva (quality of purity or goodness) has a steadying influence; Rajas is motion and passion; Tamas is darkness. Rajas and Tamas have to be suppressed for Sattva to take the upper hand and control the senses so that Prana and senses act in a medium of Sattva. Holding the mind in the heart is cognizing the Supreme Witness (the World Soul) in the heart or Anahata Chakra; fixing the life-breath in the head is channeling the Prana up the Susumna Nadi to the head above the Ajna Chakra; this is the migration of consciousness from wakeful state (jagrat) to Turiya Consciousness, which is the sine qua non of Yogic concentration.
8.13: Anyone, who utters the monosyllable OM of (Sabda-) Brahman and leaves the body, remembering Me, attains the Supreme goal.
Sabda-Brahman is OM. Param Brahman is Supreme Brahman. AUM also represents the Hindu Holy Trinity, A: Brahma, U: Vishnu, and M: Siva. AUM knows neither fear nor death because of which men, gods, and asuras take refuge in it; they sing it sotto voce and have no fear of anything. In Sanskrit A and U combine to form O sound and M gives that resonance. OM is the syllable, the utterance of which helps a soul to penetrate Brahman proportionate to the degree of belief in it, detachment, abrogation of desires and contact with sense objects, and awareness. Its power diminishes with exegesis (critical evaluations). Upanishads (Mundaka 2.2.4) mention that OM is the bow, the jivātman is the arrow, and the Brahman is the target. (A bow must be strong and tensile in that the faith is strong, one has depth, and breadth in Vedic wisdom and life is lived by Sattva. One should sharpen the arrow with devotion; the mind is the tip of the arrow; the goal (target) is silence and stillness.) When the arrow hits the target, it becomes one with the target; the atman becomes one with Brahman when it merges with It.
8.14:
He, who remembers Me constantly lacking extraneous thoughts and is
absorbed in Me constantly, O Partha, is a Yogin to whom I am easily
accessible.
His qualities are Jnana (Knowledge), Bala (strength, Tejas (splendor), Virya
(Energy), Aisvarya (sovereignty, opulence), Saulabhya (Easy Accessibility),
Sausilya (Gracious Condescension), Vatsalya (parental love), Krpa
(Compassion), Audarya (Generosity), and Bandhuttva (Friendship).
There is no God like Lord Krishna or Narāyana according to Alvars, for
the above reasons:
Note: Vatsalya is a two-way relationship between man and God. God can
act like the tender loving cow (parent) towards its newborn by licking the
calf clean (forgiveness of sins). Alternatively, the devotee can be the tender
loving mother: Yasoda’s love for Baby Krishna.
8.15:
The highly perfected great souls, after coming to Me, do not go back to
rebirth, which is impermanent and an abode of miseries.
|
From Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna
46. When an unbaked pot is broken, the
potter can use the mud to make a new one; but when a baked one is
broken, he cannot do the same any longer. So when a person dies in a
state of ignorance, he is born again; but when he becomes well baked
in the fire of true knowledge and dies a perfect man, he is not born
again.
|
8.16:
O Arjuna, from the abode of Brahma down, all worlds (beings) are
subject to return (to rebirth), but for the one who comes to Me, rebirth does
not exist, O Kaunteya.
8.17:
They, who know that a Brahma’s day is one thousand Yugas
and a Brahma’s night is one thousand Yugas, understand
(the meaning of) day and night.
One Brahma's day is one Kalpa made up of one thousand Yugas or periods. There are many Yugas. The period preceding a Yuga is called Sandhya and the period that follows it is Sandhyansa. Sandhya and Sandhynsa are of equal duration for a particular Yuga though they vary according to a particular Yuga. See Table.
One night of Brahma is one Kalpa made up of one thousand Yugas or
periods. Therefore, there are two thousand Yugas in one Brahma's day and
night. In earthly terms, these two thousand Yugas are 8,640,000,000 years long
(8.64 billion earth-years). There are four Yugas:
Krta or Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvāpara Yuga and Kali Yuga. According
to Srimad Bhagavatam Book three, Krita Yuga had the highest Dharma, which
diminished progressively by a quarter in the following Yugas with proportional
increase in Adharma. Dharma, compared to a cow, has four legs: Severe penance,
Internal and external purity, Compassion and Truthfulness. As opposed to
Dharma the four legs of Adharma are falsehood, violence, discontent, and
discord
Table: The
Four Yugas
|
Krita Rg Veda was one. |
Dharma
was dominant. No Varna system. Long life span, 100,000 yrs. Golden age-
Krishna (Narayana) of white color. Narayana was the refuge of all and all
sought refuge in Him. No sexual reproduction. A mere mental wish is the
begetter. One Veda. |
|
Treta |
Life span, 10K yrs. Silver age– Krishna of red color. Knowledge more than Dharma is the working principle. Reproduction by palpation or touch. |
|
Dvāpara |
Life
span 1K yrs. World Soul, Krishna of yellow color. Human miseries abound.
Varna system active. Sexual reproduction is the norm. Puranas are popular. |
|
Kali |
Life
span 100 yrs, Krishna of black color 25% Dharma and 75% Adharma.
Perversion in all fields common. |
It appears as if the skin color of Krishna was symptomatic of the deterioration of Dharma from Kreta to Treta to Dvapara to Kali Yuga.
In Kali
age, the Dharma-cow has short stubby legs, only one-fourth its original length
in Krita Yuga.
Table: The
Yugas
|
All in Divine years. for Conversion to years of Mortals, multply by 360. |
||||
| Yuga | Sandhya (Pre) | Yuga | Sandhyansa (post) | Total: Divine/Mortal |
| Krita | 400 | 4000 | 400 | 4800 X360 = 1.728M |
| Treta | 300 | 3000 | 300 | 3600 X 360 = 1.296M |
| Dwapara | 200 | 2000 | 200 | 2400 X 360 = 864,000 |
| Kali | 100 | 1000 | 100 | 1200 X 360 = 432,000 |
| All these Yugas as depicted below are in years of the Mortals | ||||
|
Yugas |
Duration |
Standards |
Color |
Disposition |
|
Krita |
1,728,000 Years |
Age of Perfection |
White |
Over |
|
Treta |
1,296,000 Years |
Age of Triad |
Red |
Over |
|
Dvāpara |
864,000 Years |
Age of Doubt |
Yellow |
Over |
|
Kali |
432,000 years |
Age of Vice |
Black |
Present |
|
Maha Yuga (total) |
4,320,000 years |
AUM |
AUM |
AUM |
Note:
AUM is space filler of empty boxes.
Kali Yuga lasts for 432,000 years; this is a magical number in many cultures. Early settlers in Iceland in 8th and 9th centuries established settlements 432,000 Roman feet apart in terms of cosmic relationship.--Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth, Page 94.
Kali Yuga started at midnight of 02/18/3102 BC. These Yugas are cyclical
in nature starting from Krita Yuga. Lord Krishna was on earth by the end of
Dvāpara Yuga. As you notice in the table, Krita Yuga is the longest, four
times longer than Kali Yuga, the Treta Yuga three times longer and the Dvāpara
Yuga is only twice longer.
Brahma's Life and Times
Brahma’s Life Span: 100 Brahma years
(311.04 Trillion earth-years.)
Table: The Kalpas
|
Brahma Units |
Kalpa Units |
Man-years |
|
One Day |
1 |
4,320,000,000 (4.32 Billion) |
|
Day and Night |
2 |
8,640,000,000 (8.64 Billion) |
|
1 Month |
60 |
259,200,000,000 (259.2 Billion) |
|
1 Year |
720 |
3,110,400,000,000 (3.1104 Trillion) |
|
100 Years |
72,000 |
311,040,000,000,000 (311.04 Trillion) |
Brahma's day precedes a night of equal
duration. There are two thousand Yugas or periods in Brahma's one day and one
night, which last (4.32 billion years X 2) 8.64 billion earth-years. His
Kalpal one-day (4.32 billion years) consists of
one thousand cycles of all four yugas and there
are fourteen Manvantaras in one Brahma's day. Each Manvantara has its own
Manu, Indra, and Rishis. Manvantara means period of Manu and there are 14
Manus in a Brahma’s day, 5040 Manus in one year and 504,000 Manus in one
Brahma's lifetime of 100 Brahma years. Brahma and the attending Manus and
Rishis come and go, but Maha Vishnu remains forever. To restate these figures
in another way, each Manu has his term and power lasting for 71.42857 cycles
through a set of four yugas (one Maha Yuga or Chatur Yuga) and in human terms
for 306,720,000 years. 306.72 Million or 71.42857 cycles = 4.2941 Million
(4.32 Million years a cycle of one Maha Yuga.) Each Manvantara has his own
retinue of descendants, seven Rishis (Sapta Rishis), gods, Indra, and
Ghandharvas. It is like change of administration in Washington, when a new
president is sworn in. When the day's work comes to fruition, Brahma retires
for the night with an infinitesimal amount of soporific called Tamas (One of
the Gunas or modes). When he retires, the whole universe (the three worlds,
Bhu, Bhuvah, and Swah) is absorbed into him. These worlds are consumed by fire
emitted by the serpent God, Lord Sankarsana and the heat is intense and felt
in the world above. It gets so hot in the upper Maharloka, the abode of Bhrgu
Muni, that he moves to a higher and safer location namely Janaloka. The oceans
swell and swallow all three worlds. In the midst of all this devastation, Lord
Hari, surrounded and praised by Sri, Bhu, Rudra, Sanatkumara and others, the
usual residents of Janaloka, reclines on His Snake-bed in the ocean with His
eyes closed as if sleeping and unconcerned, but in reality in meditation and
full awareness (Yoga-Nidra =
sleep meditation with full awareness, one of the Vishnu's Yoga māyās.)
Brahma is past
middle age now. That means Brahma had been around at least 155 trillion years.
In Brahma's life, there are two halves. In the beginning of the first half,
the Lord and the Vedas appeared in the first millennium of the Kalpa called
Brahma Kalpa.
The name of next kalpa was
Padma Kalpa because the lotus flower grew out of
the navel reservoir of water of Bhagavan Vishnu. The first millennium of the
second half goes by the name Sveta Varaha Kalpa,
because the Lord incarnated as a White Hog or Boar, lifting the earth from the
Rasatala, one of the netherworlds; Hiranyaksa hid the earth in the
netherworld. He is now in the second half of his life and the duration of the
two halves of life of Brahma (311.04 trillion years) is less than one nimesa
(less than one second) for the beginningless Lord, the Soul of the Universe
(Vishnu).
When Brahma goes to sleep in the
(Brahma's) night, all planetary systems below his abode, Brahmaloka, are
inundated with water. He dreams about Maha Vishnu who directs Brahma to
rejuvenate the universe again.
8.18:
From Avyaktat, all living entities become manifest at the beginning of
the day. At the arrival of night, they dissolve into the unmanifest.
Avyakta is totipotent, unmanifested
and undifferentiated stem substance. Avyakta (of Brahma) is another name for
Sūkshma sarīra of Brahma, which is the subtle body. Purusa is above it and the
intermediate substances between avyakta and the manifested world are linear,
cascading, branching and reproducible both forwards and backwards. The
process, named Māyā, is enzymatic and transformational. Avyakta is Prakrti or
matter. The primal matter or stem substance is Ākāsa or Ether. Prāna is the
primal force or the all-purpose energy or enzyme in evolution of material (Ākāsa)
from one substance to another substance or according to Sankya from the fine
to the gross material and conversely. The following elements explain what is
fine and what is gross: Oxygen and hydrogen, two invisible (fine elements)
substances, combine to form invisible substance water vapor, which in turn
condenses into water (gross substance), which in turn freezes into ice. In
projection or evolution, the Ākāsa, the primal substance of the universe,
becomes Prakāra in all its forms (Cit and Acit, both sentient and insentient
forms). The universe of the insentient and the sentient is made of nine
substances, such as earth, water, light, air, ether (Ākāsa), time, space, soul
and mind. This Ākāsa is (sometimes called) undeveloped, imperishable (aksara)
and māyā. Prāna energizes Akāsa for its evolution. Prāna is more than mere
breath, it is life-breath, it is a force, and it is a phenomenon.
The days and nights of Brahma: Two
kalpas, one in the beginning and one at the end of the first half of life of
Brahma (Brahma and Padma kalpas), marked the first half of Brahma’s life. In
Brahma kalpa, Lord Vishnu taught Brahma the Vedas, at which he became
proficient; in the Padma kalpa, there sprang a lotus bearing all the worlds
from the water-laden navel of Sri Hari (Vishnu). The beginning of Vārāha kalpa
marked the latter half of Brahma’s life, when the Lord incarnated in the form
of a boar. All these kalpas in the time frame of the Lord is a mere fraction
of an eye blink, described here as Nimesah, a second. The Time resides in the
Lord and has no control over Him. Brahma meets his maker at the end his life
at the age of one hundred Brahma years. Each celestial being except for Lord
Narāyana has a life span of 100 god-years, which in human terms is of a
variable time for each being. For example, one god-year is equal to 360
earth-years. Please do not confuse god with Lord Vishnu, who is the God of
gods and all living creatures. Therefore, a god lives for 36,000 earth-years
or 100 god-years. Brahma is above the gods and the longest living being except
for Lord Narāyana (Vishnu), and lives for 100 Brahma years equal to 311.04
Trillion earth-years. These 311.04 Trillion earth-years is a Nimesah or a
second for Lord Narāyana, who is eternal and beyond Time. The second half of
Brahma's life began on 02/18/3102 B.C at midnight.
8.18: From Avyaktat, all living entities become manifest at the beginning of the day. At the arrival of night, they dissolve into the unmanifest.
8.19:
The host of beings, taking birth again and again dissolves against
their will on the arrival of night O Partha and comes into being on arrival of
day.
The day and night referred to here are
those of Brahma; Brahma lives for one hundred Brahma years, after which Brahma
dies and a new Brahma is born. The new Brahma creates Manu, gods, Sapta Rishis,
asuras, human beings, animals, and the universe. At death, the soul going up
the artery from the heart leaves the body from the top of the head, anterior
fontanel area, or brahma-randhra, which is the point of first entry for the
soul. (Anterior fontanel is the soft spot on the head of an infant.)
It is common knowledge the Greater and
the lesser souls live in the spiritual heart, which is on the right chest,
though the soul's point of entry and exit are on the crown. The soul climbs up
the shaft of sun's rays and reaches the sun, when the rising soul is in the
“know” and the one not in the “know” takes other paths and reenters another
body by the anterior fontanel. Katha Upanishad 2.3.16 (That is the unfortunate
soul with a load of karma and without a road map.)
The days and nights of Brahma: Read
the commentary appended to Verse 18, Chapter 8
8.20:
But higher than this unmanifested nature, there is another unmanifested
eternal being, which is beyond dissolution, when all beings perish.
Here Krishna refers to Avyakta as the
one higher than the unmanifest namely purusa and Prakriti. Avyakta is
unmanifest and imperishable. There is no day or night in Avyakta; it is
eternal (sānātana).
8.21:
This Avyakta is Aksara. That is the highest and supreme state. Those
who reach My Supreme abode never return to the life of birth and rebirth.
Krishna declares that His abode is
beyond and higher than that of Brahmaloka and that of Purusa and prakriti.
Krishna's abode is higher than Avyakta and Aksara, meaning the Unmanifested
and the Imperishable. Once a devotee reaches Krishna's abode, there is no
return to samsāra. By Bhakti, Prapatti, Saranāgati, and or yogas, a devotee,
or a yogi can attain the abode of Krishna or Isvara or Narāyana.
Spirit was the first entity; It is
called a person. The unmanifest and the imperishable Avyakta come next. The
atma Mahan, the Great Soul of the universe and the firstborn according to
Sankara, comes next. Rg Veda equates Hiranyagarbha with the firstborn and the
soul of the universe. Ramanuja considers Atma Mahan is the individual
self and performer, which is pervaded by the Great Self.
The Light (Purusa) acts on Prakriti,
which comes out of Avyakta, and the universe unfolds. Ramanuja considers that
Avyakta is inanimate Prakriti; superior to Avyakta there is an object of human
interest. This Supreme (the most Superior object) is the Unmanifest and the
Pure Knowledge called Pramanas. It means that nobody else knows this subject
or knowledge, which is eternal, enduring, not subject to origination or
annihilation. It is understood only vaguely.
8.22:
This Supreme, O Partha, can be gained by exclusive devotion to Me, in
whom all beings exist, and by whom all this is pervaded.
Brahad-āranyakaUpanishad 2.5.15: This Self is the Lord of all beings,
the king of all beings. The hub holds the spokes of the wheel; the hub of the
Self likewise holds together all beings, all gods, all worlds, all breathing
creatures, all these selves (jivatmas).
8.23:
O Best of Bharatas, I will disclose to you the time when the departing
yogis do not return and the time when they do return.
Return
means rebirth.
8.24:
The paths of the departing souls, who attain the Brahman because of
Brahman knowledge, are the fire, the day, the bright half of the month and the
six months of sun’s northern passage.
Fire and smoke are the paths taken by the departing souls. A VairAgin, indifferent to worldly desires and objects, takes the path of Light in the fire, while others take the path of smoke in the fire.
Chāndyogya Upanishad 4.15.5 and 5.10.1-2
The knower of Brahman, at the time of departure, reaches the Brahman by
following the paths of the deities presiding over the fire, the day, the
bright fortnight of the waxing moon and the six months of sun’s northern
passage. These deities take the soul in the fashion of a relay race handing
over the soul to the deity in the next relay station. The light and time are
the common factors; the deities of fire, day, bright fortnight, and six months
of sun’s northern passage travel progressively longer distances, carrying the
soul. Thus, the soul lands in the abode of Brahma for eventual attainment of
the Supreme or returns to the earth in the embodied form. This is the “Path of
Light” for the passage of souls which are endowed with Brahma knowledge
(Brahma-Vido Jnāna), but not realized knowledge (Vijnāna), possessing which
would have liberated them right here on earth. He, who practices austerities
and goes on the path of deva-yāna, never takes a birth again in this world.
He, who practices actions and ceremonies with expectation of a reward, goes on
the path of pitr-yāna to the land of the ancestors and returns to the earth.
8.25:
Smoke, night, also the dark (half of the month), the six months of
sun's southern passage are the paths the departing yogi takes, attains the
lunar light, and returns (to earth after a sojourn).
The paths of the departing souls, attached to desires are the smoke, the
night, the dark fortnight, and the six months of sun’s southern passage, reach
the light of the moon and return to earth after a sojourn.
Chāndyogya Upanishad 5.10.3
Again, the deities presiding over the smoke, the night, the dark
fortnight, and the six months of sun’s southern passage take the departed soul
who wallows in desires, in a relay fashion to the light of the moon, where he
resides for a while, but returns to the earth. Once the positive karma from
meritorious deeds is spent, he comes back to the earth in a mutable form that
transforms from one substance to the next substance: space, air, smoke,
moisture, cloud, rain, rice, barley, trees, and plants. The fate of soul
trapped in the plant kingdom depends on the merit of the animal or person who
eats or sows the vegetable matter. From this stage onwards, the soul takes
residence in an animal or a person depending on the deeds.
Chādyogya
Upanishad 5.10.8 says: He, who is wise (Vijnānam) takes the path of the gods
and goes to the gods; he, who works with expectation of a reward, takes the
path of the manes and returns to the earth as a person; he who does neither
continues to ride the wheel of life as animals.
8.26:
Light and darkness are the two eternal paths of this world. By (the
former) one, he goes, not to return; by (the latter) the other, he returns
(again).
8.27:
A yogi, knowing these two paths, O Partha, is not deluded. Therefore, O
Arjuna, at all times be steady in yoga.
8.28:
Knowing all this and going beyond the studies of Vedas, performance of
sacrifices, tapas (austerities), and charities, which (collectively) result in
fruits of merit, the yogi attains the Supreme eternal abode.
End BG Chapter Eight: Brahman the Imperishable