Quotations from Shri Gita-II

 

For the last a few years we have been Having regular meetings of about ten people every Sunday afternoon by rotation at the homes of the participants. We talk about and discuss various chapters of Shri Gita and then try to see how best the lessons given therein can be implemented in our day- to-day life. Since the spiritual message contained therein may not interest one and all, there is a lot more on the mundane platform for us to leam, imbibe and then derive benefits there from Sometimes we supplement these lessons by taking up other scriptures like Upanishad and all this has been found very useful by all those who have been attending these sessions. We have been taking a very serious note of some stipulations as we have found these very practical and useful for achieving success in whatever we do.

In an earlier article I elaborated on those quotations which in my opinion are applicable in our day-to-day life Here I would quote and explain those which are purely philosophical and spiritual and deal with the essence of the universe as a creation and its creator The Bhagavad Gita deals with Jnana, kriya, bhakti dhyana Knowledge, action, devotion and meditation, all the four aspects of human life. Naturally, therefore, it had to deal with and elaborate on the basic principles of philosophical stipulations. As is well known, there are three prominent schools of thought on this matter. The one, espoused by Adi Shankara, is known as Advaita or non-dualism The main theory of this school is that the creation is the manifestation of the creator himself, the two are one and the same The second thought, explained by Madhvaacharya, is called Dvaita, it says that the two- creator and the creation -are different. The third principle is of Ramanujacharya, who propounded Vishishtadvaita It says that the creator and the creation are one and the same, but each is distinct in its place.

If we study Shri Gita in depth, we will find that it has maintained non-dualism throughout. Let us try to find out what it says at different  places and in different  context Talking about spiritual practitioners, it says, 'Vasudevah sarvamit sa mahatma sudurlabhah-Rare is the great soul, who perceives Vasudeva in everything' At one place it has been very lucidly stated that the Divine pervades everything. Mayl sarvamidam protam sutre maniganaa iva- Everything is strung on Me as gems on a string In other words, the creator himself. takes different forms that appear to us as creation, separate from the creator. In fact, we should see the creator as a Nataraja or the dancer and the dance as His creation. The Ishavasya Upanishad also supports the same view when it says, 'ishavasyam-idam sarvam yal kinchit jagatyam jagat-whatever is happening and whatever has happened, all is pervaded by the Divine'.

The Lord has stated, Mama yoni brihad, tasmin garbam dadamyaham - My womb is enormous and huge, in which conception of the entire creation takes place He is the doer, the possessor and the enjoyer and, therefore, enjoins upon us to be only the means and instrument. Nimittamaatram bhava-just be only the outward cause' He has described His abode as self- illuminated 'Na tadbhasayate suryah, na shashaanko na paavakah-My abode does not need Sun, Moon or fire to illumine it. He also says that the very purpose of reading scriptures is to know Me. Vedaishcha sarvair aham-eva vedyah - Through all the Vedas I alone am to be known Of course he admits that very few make. an attempt to know Him and out of those who do make an attempt only a few are able to know His reality, Manushyaanam sahasreshu kashchid yalati siddhaye Yatatam api siddhaanam kaschit maam vetti tattvatah-out of the multitude of people only some make an endeavour to achieve perfection. Even out of those few, only a handful are able to know Me This is further elaborated by saying that this achievement is possible after making efforts in successive births, Aneka janma sansiddhah tato yaanti paraam gatim-Perfected through many births one is able to attain supreme goal.

Here we must take note of another important observation made in Shri Gita. It says that four different types of people worship the Divine, 'Chaturvidha bhajante maam, aarto, jinasu-r-artharthi jnani cha First category is of those who are in distress and seek the divine grace to get out of this difficulty. Obviously, their worshipping is selfish and if they did not face this trouble, they might not have sought refuge in the Divine Second group is of those who have curiosity to know. Certainly, they are superior to the first category persons but still it is out of curiosity and wonder that they worship. So there is an element of motive involved. The third category is of those who are after wealth and riches. They worship in order to fill their coffers. Their worship is a means to an end of getting rich and enjoying a comfortable affluent life. The fourth group is of the knowledgeable. They know that the Divine is the ultimate of this entire panorama called universe They know He pervades everything They know He is 'Upadrashta, anumanta cha, bharta. bhokta, maheshwara, the observer, giver of permission for every act, supplier of all that is needed, the enjoyer and the master of the entire creation. Knowing fully well His essence, they worship Him out of love, faith and devotion, without any selfish aggrandisement or narrow motive. Therefore, they are considered the superior most of all those who worship the Divine in any form.

in this shloka, Ahamaatma Gudakesha sarvabhutashayasthitah Ahamaadishcha madhyam cha bhutaanaamanta eve cha-I am the soul of all seated within them. I am the beginning, the middle and also the end of all beings. It is because of this fact that self- realisation and God realisation coincide. The seeker, till the end of the spiritual exercise, feels, 'So-aham-1 am He' or 'Aham brahmasmi-1 am Brahman, and sees himself and the Divine as two entities. When he realises self only He remains or I remain. There is no duality.

The Divine is the entirety, the complete whole Whether anything is taken away or anything is added the whole remains whole. We see an ocean. We see waves in it. These water currents rise and move, and we name them as waves. In a moment they get merged in the vast span of water and we call it an ocean. Similarly, the Divine is the subject and object both. He as creator creates, pervades it and then observes it. This again has been described in a graphic manner in the Bhagavad Gita, in this shloka Brahmaarpanam brahma havih, brahmaagnau brahmana hutam. Brahmaiva tena gantavyam, brahma karma samadhina - the oblation, the clarified butter and the fire, all are Brahman. The person who makes the offering and the one to whom the offerings are made, both are Brahman. The action of making these offerings is Brahman and the purpose The Vedas say that the Divine pervades the entire of this whole exercise itself is to attain Brahman. When creation, yet He remains above in a transcendental this situation is achieved one sees the Divine in position, Ati tishthat dashaangulam-remains ten everything as also in one's own self. This is the Everest measures above Shri Gita further elaborates this fact of the mountain range of spirituality.

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Courtesy:-  T.N. Dhar 'Kundan and  Koshur Samachar 2019, May