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Chapter 12: Loving God

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July 3, 2020, The Gita, A New Translation of Hindu Scripture by Irina N. Gajjar

Commentary and Chapter 12, Loving God

Arjun opens Chapter 12 of the Gita with a question. He says some people love God in His unmanifest form, as a nameless, formless, endless divinity and others love Him in His manifest form, with a picture of Him in mind and he asks Lord Krishna which is best. Lord Krishna’s answers suggest that both are equally best, though loving God without imagining what He looks like is difficult.

The Lord explains that those who love, trust and think of Him are best but that those who are calm, good, and who have self-control also come to Him. He says that He rescues from birth and death everyone who loves Him alone and who worships Him and who acts for Him.

God tells Arjun and us all that if we think of Him, we will love Him. If we cannot think of Him steadily as in meditation, we should practice, and if we cannot do that, we should perfect ourselves by doing everything for His sake. If we cannot act for Him, we should simply remember to detach from the results of our actions which means we should not worry about them and not plan beyond them. This advice puts the Gita’s message in a nutshell.

As to the specifics of the best way to worship and understand God, the general principle stated is clear yet open ended. It is ambiguous unless we see that all the ways merge into one. Lord Krishna says that knowledge is better than practice and that thinking steadily of God is better than knowledge. The best however is doing your duty for God’s sake by renouncing the fruit of your actions. Again, while this seems different from the earlier verse which says those who love and trust Him are best, we need to remember that the ways of worship are interwoven and that they all lead to peace.

In the rest of Chapter 12, Lord Krishna speaks of the persons who are dear to Him. He speaks of an array of traits that such persons possess. This array is comforting because most of us see many of these qualities present in ourselves as well as in others. Many are consistent with our notions of human goodness. Others require effort or understanding. Particularly renunciation of outcomes and detachment from comfort or pain is not easy to appreciate or achieve. However, understanding that detachment and not caring are active and not passive attitudes help. Actively doing the right dutiful thing regardless of results to the best of our wisdom and ability is liberating and brings us calmness and happiness.

God says the persons who are dear to Him include those who are friendly, kind, and unselfish and who hate no one, those who do not mind suffering or pain and those who are happy and forgiving without hoping for pleasures. Also, those whose minds belong to God and whose bodies obey their minds are dear to Him. Those who do no harm, who love the world, who are calm and do not waiver from excitement one moment to anger the next are dear to Him and the unafraid are dear to Him too.

People who want nothing and who are pure and faithful and those who understand that their actions are really God’s actions are dear to Him as are those who do not jump with joy and those who do not hate or suffer or want things. Those who are disinterested in good or bad outcomes and love only God are dear to Him. Those who treat friends and enemies in the same way and who do not care if they are praised or criticized or if they are hot or cold or pleased or displeased are dear to Him.

It is interesting to note that the very attitudes which make us happy in turn make us godly or good and that our happiness and serenity endear us to God. Most if not all these attitudes have been introduced in previous contexts in the Gita, but now they are presented together as qualities we should strive to develop within ourselves. They endow our journey through life with goodness, purposefulness, and stability.

Lord Krishna sums up His devotion to humankind saying that whoever understands and follows His teachings and whoever loves God alone is dear to Him.

Please enjoy Chapter 12 below.

Chapter 12: Loving God

 

Arjun said: Some people who love You, have a picture of You in their mind. Other people love You just as a formless, nameless, endless God. Which people are the best?

Bhagvan answered: I think those who love me and trust Me most always think of Me are the best. But those who have self control and are calm and do good to all also come to me. Those who never stop loving God, even without imagining what God is like, they too come to Me.

Of course, it is harder to love God without imagining what He is like.

But I quickly rescue from birth and death whoever loves only Me and does everything for Me only and worships Me all the time.

So think of Me and you will surely love Me. If you cannot think of Me steadily, without stopping, then you must practice. If you cannot even practice, then do all you can for My sake. You will become perfect just by doing things for My sake. If you cannot manage even this, then just remember not to worry about the results of what you do.

Do not plan for things to turn out the way you want them to, but simply do your best. Do your best and don’t think about what will happen next.

Knowledge is better than practice and thinking steadily of God is better than knowledge. But best of all is doing your duty for God’s sake.

She who hates no one, who is friendly, kind and unselfish is dear to God. She who does not worry about suffering or pain is dear to Me. She who does not hope for pleasures and is forgiving and always happy is dear to Me.

He whose mind is joined to God, whose body obeys his mind, and whose mind belongs to God, that person is very dear to God.

He who does no harm in the world and who loves the world is dear to Me. He who is always calm and who is not happy and excited one moment but angry the next, is dear to Me. He who is unafraid is dear to Me.

He who wants nothing, who is pure and faithful is dear to Me. He who understands that all he does is really done by God, that person is dear to Me.

She who does not jump with joy or hate or suffer or want things is dear to Me. She who gives up both good and bad, and loves only God is dear to Me.

She who treats friends and enemies alike is dear to me. She who doesn’t care if she is praised or criticized, or if she is hot or cold, or happy or unhappy, She is dear to Me.

They who understand and follow all these teachings of Mine are dear to Me. The person who loves nothing but God, only God, is very dear to Me.

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Chapter 11: God Shows Himself to Arjun

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June 26, The Gita, A New Translation of Hindu Sacred Scripture by Irina N. Gajjar

Commentary and Chapter 11, God Shows Himself to Arjun

Chapter 11 is the most dramatic chapter of the Gita. It begins with Arjun thanking Lord Krishna for His secret words and His goodness. Arjun says he now is free of his mistakes because he has heard the truth. He accepts all that God tells him and begs God to show Himself. God does so in a spectacular fashion.

The Lord says He appears in hundreds of thousands of forms, colors, and shapes. The thirty-three gods of the Hindu pantheon can be seen in His body as can wonderful forms that have not been seen before. Hinduism believes in one God – ever present as an unmanifest power who manifests at His will or when needed. However, it also acknowledges a pantheon of gods, the superior beings with many powers who populate myths and legends. The Lord tells Arjun that the whole universe can be seen in His body. Furthermore, He says that Arjun can see in Him anything he wishes to see.

The notion that humanity can see anything at all in God is remarkable. It suggests that our perception of God is limited only by our imagination. But the Lord says that because human eyes cannot see Him, He will give Arjun a divine heavenly eye. We can make of this what we will, but Gita’s clear message is that it takes transcendental vision to grasp the reality of God.

What Arjun sees next is an awesome sight. The Lord appears before him transformed, with multiple mouths and eyes and faces on all sides. He wears heavenly jewels, garlands, and garments. He carries divine weapons. He is covered with perfumed pastes. He glows with a light that exceeds the glow of a thousand suns all shining together in the sky.

Full of wonder, Arjun indeed envisions the entire universe in God. He bows down and tells the Lord that he sees thousands of beings in Him as well as the Lord Himself but that he cannot find His beginning, middle, or end. Arjun describes and comments on all that he sees. He says that God is the protector of goodness, that God fills the space between heaven and earth, that the worlds are frightened of God’s wonderful and terrible form and that crowds are entering into God and calling out praises to Him. Arjun himself admits that he fears God’s large shining eyes and His faces with terrible teeth that are like a fire burning the world.

Arjun sees the warriors on both sides of the Mahabharata war rushing into God like rivers rushing into the sea, like moths rushing into a fire toward destruction and he sees the world burning with God’s terrible brightness. He says he cannot understand the reason for this frightening form.

God answers that He is revealing Himself as burning Time, The Destroyer of the World. His purpose is to destroy Arjun’s enemies who will not live even if Arjun does not kill them. God explains that Arjun is merely His instrument and urges Arjun to fight and conquer his foe.

Shaken, Arjun says that he now understands that God is everything real and unreal and beyond both. He sees that all beings are in God and acknowledges God as the Creator, indeed as the father of the Creator. He begs forgiveness for his earlier failure to recognize God’s perfect greatness and asks to again see God in the gentle four-armed form of Vishnu (of whom Krishna is an incarnation).

God agrees and shows Himself garlanded and crowned, holding His disc, club, and conch. He praises Arjun and once again reminds us all of the Gita’s essential message: Whoever works for the Lord alone, whoever loves and trusts Him alone and is filled with kindness toward all beings reaches the Lord.

 

Chapter 11: God Shows Himself to Arjun

 

Arjun said: Thank you God for your secret words. Thank you for your goodness to me. Now all my mistakes have disappeared because I have heard the truth from you.

Oh Lord, You are all that You tell me. But I am longing to see You. Oh God, Oh Krishna, if you think I am good enough to see how You look, Oh God, show Yourself to me.

Bhagvan said: Look! I am in hundreds of thousands of different forms, and colors, and shapes.

See in Me all twelve sons of Aditi, the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras who are gods of destruction, the twins who are the gods’ doctors, the forty-nine wind gods, and many many other wonderful forms never seen before.

Arjun, see in my body, the whole world and anything else you want to see.

You cannot see Me with your human eyes so I will give you a devine heavenly eye. With it you will see My power and My greatness.

Sanjay said: After saying this, Krishna showed Arjun His divine universal form.

Arjun saw God with many mouths and eyes, a wonderful sight, with divine jewels and weapons, and heavenly garlands and clothes, and covered with fragrant paste, full of wonder, endless, and having faces on all sides

The glow of a thousand suns all shining together in the sky would hardly be as bright as the shine of God.

The Arjun saw in God the whole universe. Then Arjun, full of wonder, with his hairs standing on end, bowed down to the Lord and pressing his hands in prayer said:

Oh Lord, I see all the gods and thousands of beings in You: Brahma sitting on his lotus; Siva, and the wise men; and heavenly serpents.

Oh God of the Universe, I see You with many arms, many bellies, many faces and many eyes. Oh Lord, I cannot see Your beginning or Your middle or Your end.

I see You with a crown, a club, a chakra, all round and bright like the fire and sun, shining on all sides.

You are the protector of goodness. You never end.

I see You with no beginning, no middle and no end, with unending power and countless hands, with the moon and sun for eyes, and fire for Your mouth burning the world with Your brightness.

The space between heaven and earth is filled by only You. Oh Lord, seeing this wonderful and terrible form of You, God, all these worlds are frightened.

Crowds of divine forms are entering You; some with joined hands are calling out Your names and glories. Some are saying “let there be Peace” and praising You. All are looking at You and are amazed.

Lord, the worlds are afraid, seeing all Your faces and eyes and arms and legs and bellies and teeth, so am I.

Arjun went on: Your many colored forms and wide open mouth and large shining eyes frighten me. Your faces with terrible teeth like fire burning the world frighten me.

Bhishma, Drona, and Karna with some of our warriors are entering You. All the sons of Dritarashtra with kings and warriors are entering You. They are rushing into Your fearful mouth with terrible teeth. Some are stuck between Your teeth with their heads smashed. Like the rivers rushed in the seas, so these warriors are rushing into Your burning mouths. They are going to be destroyed like moths rushing into a fire. Oh God, You are swallowing through Your burning mouths. You are licking all those people. Your terrible brightness is burning the whole world, filling it with light.

Lord, tell me who You are, looking so terrible! I bow down to You. Be kind. Oh God! I wish to know You because I do not understand the reason for Your frightening form.

Bhagvan said: I am burning Time, the destroyer of the world. My reason now is to destroy these armies. All your enemies will not live, Arjun, even though you yourself do not kill them.

So arise, fight, and win glory! Enjoy victory. These warriors, your enemies, will be killed by Me, God, not by you. I am just using you, Arjun, to destroy them.

Kill Drona and Karna and others who are already killed by Me. You will be sure to conquer your enemies and win, so fight!

Sanjay said: Hearing these words of Bhagvan, Arjun trembled and bowed down and spoke in a very frightened and shaky voice.

Arjun said: It is right, Oh God, that the world rejoices and is filled with love by singing Your names and glory. Frightened demons are running away and the saints are bowing to You.

Oh God they bow to You because You are the greatest of the great. You are the Lord of Heaven. You are Sat, what is real. You are Asat, what is not real. And you are beyond both.

You are the main God, the oldest God; You know; You are the knowable. You fill the whole world in different shapes.

You are the wind god, Vayu; the god of death, Yama; and the fire god, Agni. You are the moon god. You are Brahma, the Creator. Indeed, You are the father of Brahma, the Creator.

I bow to You. I bow to You a thousand times. I salute You and I salute You again and again.

Oh Lord of endless strength, I salute You from all sides. I salute You who have endless power, who fill everything. You are all.

Oh God, I did not realize Your greatness. I thought of You only as a friend. I treated You as a friend. Oh God, I beg You to forgive me. Please God, You are perfect. Forgive me!

You are the father and also the greatest teacher. No one can be as great as you. How can anyone be greater?

So, Oh Lord, I bow at your feet and bow low. I want to please You, the ruler of all. Please forgive my mistake. Forgive me like a father forgives his son, like a friend forgives his friend, and like a lover forgives his beloved.

After seeing what was unseen before, I feel happy. At the same time, my mind is afraid. Please show me again Your divine for of Vishnu with four arms, Oh Lord.

I wish to see You again with a crown, and a club, and a chakra, wheel in Your hands. Oh God with a thousand arms, appear again in Your calm four armed form.

Bhagvan said: Arjun, I am happy with you so I have shown you my Universal form which no one before has ever seen. Arjun, in this world no one except you can see Me like this.

Oh Arjun, do not worry or feel afraid from seeing this terrible form of Mine. Feel calm and unafraid. Look, see Me again in my same four armed form, with the conch, the chakra, the club, and the lotus.

Sanjay said: After saying this, Bhagvan appeared again in his gentle four armed form and comforted Arjun.

Arjun said: Oh Krishna, seeing Your gentle form again, I am calm.

Bhagvan replied: This form of Mine is very hard to see. Even the gods are always anxious to see it.

I cannot be seen in this form through studying the Vedas or through suffering. I cannot be seen through charity or in ceremonies.

But by endless love I can be seen in this four armed form. By endless Love I can be known. By endless love I can be entered into.

Oh Arjun, whoever works for My sake alone, reaches Me. Whoever trusts Me, loves Me, loves nothing else, and is full of kindness toward all living beings, reaches Me.

To purchase The Gita, by Irina Gajjar, visit our link on Amazon.

 

 

 

Chapter 10: God’s Glories

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June 19, The Gita, A New Translation of Hindu Scripture by Irina N. Gajjar

Commentary and Chapter 10, God’s Glories  

In Chapter 10 of The Gita, God describes Himself as the best essence of His creation and the cause of all that exists in the universe, leaving Arjun in awe.

Lord Krishna explains that not even the wisest people really understand the extent of His greatness and His power. They do not understand that He is the source of everything. Truth, wisdom, forgiveness, self control, happiness, unhappiness, bravery, fear, peacefulness, fame, and shame all emanate from Him. Yet the good know that the Lord has no birth and no beginning.

God continues saying that the great sages of the world were born because He willed them to be. The world moves because of Him and the wise and good worship Him and are happy because they know this to be true. In return, God gives them wisdom and pushes away darkness by shedding the light of truth upon them.

Arjun asks to know more about God’s glories and God says they are endless. He says He is in the heart of all living things and that he is their beginning, their middle and their end. He is the elite of beings and qualities.

The Lord tells us He is Vishnu (The Preserver), He is the sun and the wind, and He is the moon. He is Indra (the King of the gods). He is mind and energy. He is the destroyer and He is richness and fire. He is the tallest mountain, the chief priest, the strongest general, and the ocean. He is Om, the infinite, absolute spirit of God. Om is the most powerful word in Hindu philosophy. The phrase “Om Tat Sat” encapsulates the totality of Hindu belief. Om represents the highest energy that transcends existence and non-existence. Tat, literally meaning that in this context means God is reality. Sat means truth. Thus “Om Tat Sat” can be translated as God is the Truth, provided we appreciate the expansiveness of this concept.

The Lord further says He is the holiest of trees, the musician of heaven, and the wisest of men. He is the wonderful snow-white horse (named Ucchaisravas) born when the ocean was mixed with honey, the white elephant, the heavenly cow, and the cause of love and procreation. He is the snake god, the water god, and Yama, the god of death.  He is time.

He is the lion of beasts, the Garuda of birds on whom Lord Vishnu rides, the alligator and the holy Ganges of rivers. He is the letter A. He keeps the world alive and He is death and the future. He is the feminine qualities of fame, richness, speech, memory, smartness, consistency and forgiveness. He is music, spring, victory, Arjun, and all of us. He is everything and He is endless. Nothing can exist without God.  Just a fraction, a spark, of His splendor sustains the world.

See the beautiful descriptions of God’s glories in Chapter 10 below.

Chapter 10: God’s Glories

Bhagvan said: Arjun, listen to Me again. I talk to you because you love Me. I talk to you for your own good.

No one knows the secret of My power. Not even the wisest people know the secret of My origin. I, God, am the cause of everything in the universe.

I am God, the Lord of the world. I have no birth and no beginning. People who know this are good.

Everything comes from Me, only from Me, truth, wisdom, forgiveness, self control, happiness, unhappiness, bravery, fear, peacefulness, fame and shame all come from God.

All the great makers of the world were born because I wanted them to be. I started the world. The world moves because of Me. Wise, good people worship Me because of Me.

The wise think Me; give up their lives Me; each other about God and are happy because of Me.

I love those who worship Me and I give them wisdom. I live in their heart and push away darkness and shine the light of truth on them.

Arjun said to God: You are the great everlasting God. Saints say You are God and You are blessing me by telling me all about Yourself.

Krishna, I believe everything You tell me.

Oh Lord, how can I know You? How can I pray to You? How can I imagine You?

Please Krishna, tell me again exactly about Your strength and about Your glory because I can never stop wishing to hear more about You, Oh God.

Bhagvan said: Arjun, I will tell you more about my glories. They are endless.

Oh Arjun, I am in the heart of all living things. I am their beginning, their middle, and their end.

I am Vishnu. I am the sun and the wind. I am the moon.

I am Indra. I am the mind. I am energy.

I am what destroys things. I am richness. I am fire. I am the tallest of mountains.

I am the chief priest and the strongest general. I am the ocean. I am a mind reader. I am Om.

I am the holiest of trees, the musician of heaven, the wisest of men.

I am the horse that was born when the ocean was mixed with honey. I am the white elephant. I am the King.

Of weapons, I am the most powerful thunderbolt. I am the heavenly cow. I make men and women love each other and have children.

I am the snake god and the water god. I am Yama, the god of death. I am Time.

Of beasts, I am the lion and of birds, I am Garuda on whom Lord Vishnu rides.

I am the wind that purifies the air. I am Rama.

I am the alligator. Of rivers, I am the holy Ganges. I am the letter A. I keep the world alive. My face is on all sides. And I am death. And I am the future.

I am the feminine qualities of fame, richness, speech, memory, smartness, steadiness, and forgiveness.

I am divine songs and verses. I am spring. I am victory and I am the goodness in all that is goof. I am you, Arjun, of the Pandavas.

I am the secret keeper. I am truth in those who know. I am the seed of everything. Nothing alive or lifeless exists without Me.

Oh Arjun, there is no end to all that I am. There is no end to My divine forms.

Everything that is glorious or brilliant or strong is a spark of My brightness.

I stand and hold the whole world by just a spark of My magic.

 

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Chapter 9: The Holy Secret

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June 12, The Gita, A New Translation of Hindu Sacred Scripture by Irina N. Gajjar

Commentary and Chapter 9, The Holy Secret

In Chapter 9, The Holy Secret, Lord Krishna says that He will share a beautiful, eternal, sacred secret that will protect Arjun from all evil. God (Bhagvan) explains the importance of this knowledge and the merits of accepting it. He discusses the relationship of His divinity to the world and He contrasts the goodness and wisdom of the persons who recognize Him with the foolish ignorance of those who do not.

This chapter continues the discussion of Chapter 8 which talks of God as a fundamental principle or force. It clarifies the way in which God exists and interacts with His creation, thus giving us a way to perceive Him in human terms.

The world, Bhagvan says, is filled with Him. He is not really a part of people but He is everywhere and people are in Him. He speaks of Himself in His unmanifest form, acknowledging the Hindu view that God can assume a physical form as well as an ideological one. In other words, He may come to earth as a living being or remain unseen. Either way, He is the powerful, omnipresent, and eternal reality.

Scholars and thinkers have considered how to understand the notion of God being everywhere without being a part of people while people are in Him. I think the best understanding of this concept is intuitive, though it can be illustrated using analogies. For example, our elders influence us. Their influence is ever-present in our minds and hearts, regulating our actions even when they are no more of this world. Similarly, a scent, a memory, or an image can remain real and vividly color our perspective, long after we experienced it. Lord Krishna gives the example of the air which fills space everywhere and in which we reside and upon which we depend to show how we are in Him and how He envelopes us without being a part of us.

God tells us that the world was born of Him and that at its end it reverts back into Him. Though the world is controlled by matter or nature during its existence, God is the cause and the essence of His creation. He is the heat in the sun and the water in the rain. He is the world’s Mother, Father, and Grandfather. He is the world’s maker and its dismantler. He is the beginning and the end. He is birth, death, and immortality.

With reminders of His powerful attributes, the Lord admonishes those who do not believe in His greatness and praises those who do. He says that disbelievers who consider Him nothing more than a man are deluded, while those who worship Him are wise and virtuous. Even sinners who love God quickly become good.

The wise and good love and worship God by praying to Him, by studying about Him, and by thinking about His many names and forms. Even those who pray to him with ulterior motives are destined to go to heaven, though they are also destined to return to the cycle of birth and death. But the best prayers, offerings, and actions are pure and made simply out of love for God. God says he accepts everything given to Him, a leaf, a flower, or even water. He says that those who do everything like eating or punishing themselves with Him in mind, reach Him.

Thus, the secret knowledge given in Chapter 9 is simple. It is secret because it involves spiritual experience as well as philosophical knowledge. It incorporates everything stated in the Gita. It puts us in touch with our spirit which is a spark of the great divine force that moves the world. It does not fail in leading us to God. The holy secret is that loving God, thinking of Him, revering Him, and trusting Him brings us to Him.

Chapter 9: The Holy Secret

Bhagvan said: To you, I will give the holy secret which will keep everything bad away from you.

This secret is the best, the loveliest, the holiest. It is a wonderful, everlasting secret.

The world is filled with Me, God, like a room is filled with air. This is how I am not really a part of people, but I am everywhere and they are in Me.

The whole world was My idea and was born from Me.

Arjun, at the end of the world, all living things get lost in Me and then at the beginning of the world everything is born again. Nature begins again and the world becomes alive.

A great wheel makes the world turn round and round and it makes the world get lost in God and get born again.

The world disappears and reappears like this many times because I want it to.

Fools don’t recognize God. They are silly and unhappy. They think I am just a man. But good and wise people know Me. They know I make the world and they worship Me. Good people call out My name and bow to Me, and pray to Me and think of Me all the time.

Good people love Me in different ways. These ways are studying about God and thinking about God and My many names and My many forms. I am prayers, and pujas, and ghee, and sweets, and the holy fire.

I am the King of the Universe. I am its Father and Mother and Grandfather. I am making things and I am taking things apart. I am the beginning and the end. I am being born and dying and I am living forever.

I am the heat in the sun and the water in the rain. I cause and I hold back showers.

People who pray to Me because they want something, go to heaven and rejoice there. But then they are born and they die again.

But people who pray just because they love Me, not because they want something, are the best and I take care of them forever.

If a person gives Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even just water, the person sees Me in his mind. I come and happily take whatever he gives Me with love.

Arjun, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you give me as a gift, do it, and eat it and give it for Me. If you are sorry, punish yourself for Me too. If you do everything for My sake, instead of for yourself, You will do everything good and come right to Me.

I am everywhere. I do not hate or love. But the persons who worship Me live in God and can recognize God in themselves.

Even the worst people, even sinners, are good if they love Me with all their heart. The become good very quickly and become happy forever. Oh Arjun, you can be sure that this is true. Everyone who loves Me becomes happy.

The holy secret is this: By loving God, Me, you can come right up to God. Thinking of God, bowing to God, joining God, and trusting God is the way to God.

Come back next week for Chapter 10: God’s Glories. If you would like to purchase The Gita, by Irina Gajjar, please use this link to Amazon.

 

 

 

The Gita, Chapter 7: Knowing God

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May 29, The Gita, A New Translation of Hindu Sacred Scripture by Irina N. Gajjar

Commentary and Chapter 7, Knowing God

Chapter 7 of The Gita expands Lord Krishna’s message to Arjun and to the world. Further to speaking of how we should behave to attain oneness with Him, He reveals Himself and tells us how we can know Him. The Sanskrit words for know and knowledge have a deeper meaning than their English translations. Knowing refers to spiritual knowledge rather than to informational knowledge and incorporates the notion of wisdom.

God says that by thinking of Him and loving Him Arjun can get to know Him and that He will help Arjun understand Him. The Lord acknowledges that very few people try to know Him and that of those, very few fully succeed. Nevertheless, He offers us insights into the divine nature. He says that while His lower nature consists of earth, water, fire, air, ether, reason and the self (or soul or spirit), His higher nature, called the “life principle,” is the cause of existence. Everything comes from God and turns back into Him.

Lord Krishna further describes Himself as the wetness in water, the light in the moon and sun, and Om in the Vedas. “Om” is the sacred syllable that represents God, divinity and permanence. God is the essence of all things and is the only reality. He is manliness in men, fragrance in the earth, the brightness in fire, life, the seed, wisdom, strength and He is the wish in our heart.

In Hinduism, permanence is the primary criterion for separating illusion or “Maya” from truth. That which is unchangeable and timeless is real, even though it is beyond our grasp. God tells us that He uses Maya, or make believe, to cause the unreal to seem real but things that perpetually change and do not last forever are mere illusions. Thus God is the only reality.

Lord Krishna tells us that deluded fools and evil people do not understand or worship God. Those who do worship Him fall into four categories: those who are distressed, seekers of truth, those who want material things like wealth, and the wise. While all these people are good, the best, of course, are the wise. The wise are those who love God the most. So, we see again that love for Lord merges with wisdom. They are one and the same and attaining understanding and wisdom comes through love and takes many life times.

The ultimate reward comes from shedding the confusion caused by foolishness. This process takes persistence and results in wisdom. It yields to liberation since only the wise understand that God alone is real.

An aside note: In addressing Arjun Lord Krishna uses many epithets that come from mythology and are known to Hindus. In this chapter alone Arjun is called Partha, Bull of the Bharatas, Dhananjaya, and more. A discussion of these terms is beyond the scope of this commentary.)

Below find Chapter 7. Please enjoy its colorful beauty and consider how you distinguish illusion from reality.

Chapter 7: Knowing God

Bhagvan said: Arjun, listen now to how by thinking of Me and loving Me you will know Me and be sure about Me. I will help you to understand and after you know Gid, nothing in the world will be a secret.

Of thousands of people, a few try to know Me. And of the few who try, just a handful of special ones really understand God completely.

I am made of earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, reason, and the self. These eight things are one side of Me. The other, higher, side of Me is what makes the whole world exist and is called the “life principle.”

Arjun, now you know that everything comes from Me and it all will turn back into Me. And there is nothing in the world but Me. And I am God.

I am the wetness in the water, the light in the moon and the sun; I am Om in the Vedas. “Om” is God’s magic word.

I am the manliness in men and the smell of the earth and the brightness in fire. I am life in living things.

I am the seed in all beings. I am the wisdom in men’s minds. I am the strength of the strong and the wish in your heart.

Everyone thinks that the things in the world are real, but only I, God, am real and unchanging. Everything else is make believe. Only people who understand God can understand  this. Only the wise can understand that God alone is real.

The world seems real because I use My divine Maya to make it appear. “Maya” is make-believe. It is magic. It causes the world and everything in it to seem solid and permanent.

But the things in the world are always moving and always changing. That is why they are not real and they do not last forever. Only God is forever real.

The wise who understand God pass beyond the world. They cross over Maya and reach Me.

Fools and evil people do not understand Me. They do not worship Me.

Four kinds of people do worship Me: Those who want something, those who are unhappy, those who want to know the truth, and those who are wise. Of these four kinds of people, the best are the wise because they love Me most. Wise people love God with all their heart and I love them back very much. But only a very wise person after many many lives realizes the truth: God is everything.

I let you worship and love Me in any way you like, any way at all, because loving God is always god. Loving God in every way, in every shape, and with every name is good.

I know all beings, past, present and future, But they do not know Me.

Not all can see Me because their minds are covered by foolishness and desire. They are confused by opposites, like wanting and hating, and their confusion covers up the truth which is God.

Oh Arjun, people in the world do not understand Me. But wise people, the best people, keep trying to understand God. And those who do not stop trying—ever—finally know Me and My secret.

To buy The Gita, visit Amazon.com

 

The Gita, Chapter 6: Self Control

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May 22, The Gita, A New Translation of Hindu Sacred Scripture by Irina N. Gajjar

Commentary and Chapter 6, Self Control

In Chapter 6 of the Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjun that a person uplifts himself or lowers himself through himself and that he is his own best friend and his own worst enemy. He is his own friend if his spirit rules his own body and his own enemy if his body rules his spirit. To appreciate what this means requires an understanding of the Sanskrit word Atman. This word has no English equivalent. It is frequently translated as Self or as spirit or soul. Actually, Atman means the part of our consciousness that is a spark of the divine spirit or of God. Hence the term Self with a capital letter. The point made is that since the divine spirit resides within us, we can, through our actions, either befriend it and elevate ourselves or rebuff it and pull ourselves down

Hinduism considers that our spirit or soul or Self is a consciousness separate from our mind or our body. Our mental and physical activities affect the quality of that consciousness. It is interesting to note that though Western thought distinguishes the mind from the body, in Hindu thought the mind is considered a part of the body.

The nature of the body and the spirit is discussed in a later chapter of the Gita, but understanding the difference between Hindu and Western perspective bears upon the guidance Lord Krishna gives here.

The Lord goes on in Chapter 6 to say that the person who is ruled by her spirit is ruled by God. Such a person has self control, achieved through moderation, and through meditation. Moderation entails measured eating, sleeping, working, and resting. It is a way of life. Meditation is a practice that is part of yoga. To meditate a person should find a quiet spot, sit up straight, look at the tip of his nose and think peacefully only of God.

Yoga is a discipline that involves physical and mental exercises but also a balanced attitude and balanced behavior. While the practice of yoga leads to equilibrium, persons who behave in a balanced manner are more apt to practice yoga. Interestingly, tablets found in ancient India dating several millennia B.C. depict individuals seated cross-legged in yogic stances. From these, we gather that yoga in some form pre-dates the arrival of the Aryans and the Vedic culture they brought with them to the Indian subcontinent.

A yogi is a person who has mastered yoga. A yogi is calm, composed, and happy under all circumstances. She is untouched by anger or desire. She is unaffected by discomfort, criticism, or fear and equally unmoved by luxury, praise, or success.  Lord Krishna tells Arjun that yogis realize God is everywhere and they never lose God and that God never loses them.

Listening to this, Arjun notes that the mind is strong, jumpy, and as hard to control as the wind. He also wonders what happens to those who love God but cannot manage to control their minds. God replies that through practice, little by little, we can learn to control the mind. He adds that even the attempt to do so leads to good things and that no effort is lost. Though it may take years in heaven and multiple lifetimes, people who seek God will be pulled to Him.

Lord Krishna concludes Chapter 6 urging Arjun to exercise self control and to become a yogi.

Please enjoy Chapter 6 below:

Chapter 6: Self Control

 

Bhagvan said: Doing things for no reward, doing them for God’s sake is like climbing a ladder to God.

You should lift yourself to God by your own work. You should not lower yourself. You are your own friend and your own enemy.

You are your own friend if your spirit rules your body. You are your own enemy if your body rules your spirit.  Your spirit is part of God.

Because of this, the person whose spirit rules her completely is ruled by God. This person has self control. She is calm, no matter what happens. She is calm if she is comfortable or uncomfortable. She is calm if she is praised or criticized. The person who has self control never changes.

A piece of stone and gold are the same to her.

A wise person like this is called a Yogi.

The Yogi likes friends as much as enemies; he likes his family as well as strangers.

A Yogi who is alone should find a clean place on the grass and spread a cloth to sit upon. Here he should sit and control his mind. He should sit up straight and look steadily at the tip of his nose, not moving at all. In this position, a Yogi must think only of God until he finds everlasting happiness. Thinking peacefully of God is called meditation.

Oh Arjun, a Yogi cannot eat too much or too little. She cannot sleep too much or too little. She must measure everything: eating, sleeping, working, and relaxing. Everything she does should be just right and even.

A Yogi is never afraid.

The Yogi whose mind is concentrating on God does not shake. He is steady like a candle in a room where there is no wind. The Yogi’s mind does not move away from the truth.

To become a Yogi you have to practice being calm. You have to practice not fidgeting and concentrating on God.

And the Yogi who is perfectly calm is pure and free of sin. He is one with God and perfectly happy.

He understands that everything in the world is One. He sees everything in Me, God and God in everything.

The Yogi who realizes God is everywhere never loses Me and I never lose him.

Arjun said: But it is hard to control the mind. The mind is strong and jumpy and as hard to control as the wind.

Bhagvan answered: I know it is hard to control the mind. But you can control your mind little by little if you practice steadily.

Arjun asked again: What happens to people who love God but have not learned to control their mind even though they tried?

And Bhagvan answered: Nothing bad happens to such people if they have tried. Only good can happen to people who have really tried to reach God. They will go to heaven and after spending countless years there, they will be born again in a good family. Then they will try again to reach God. They will start where they stopped in their earlier life. They will not have to being all over because their spirit will remember what they learned before. They will feel pulled to God.

But the Yogi who controls his mind is perfect. He is forever happy.

For this reason, Oh Arjun, be a Yogi. Learn self control and love Me with all your heart.

 

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Becoming a Yogi

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A person’s karma—or self-created destiny—determines whether the new body that his or her soul acquires will be born in the world of the wise and pure or in the lower world in the body of a senseless deluded being. The Gita is a guideline for uplifting the soul so that it ascends to the world of higher beings.

The passages in the Bhagavad Gita that pertain to “science of yoga” instruct humankind on how to better its karma and ultimately attain enlightenment. They intermingle with the “scripture of knowledge” passages which are philosophical in nature and pertain to the unmanifest world of spirit. Yoga in its broadest sense means the path to union with God which can be described as the joining of individual consciousness to the universal consciousness. A yogi is a person who has attained a consciousness that approaches the universal consciousness. Such a person, ruled more by spirit than by body, is wise.

Many passages in the Gita describe yogis and instruct us on how to become yogis:

The person whose spirit rules her completely is ruled by God.

The person has self-control.

She is calm no matter what happens.

She is calm if she is cold or hot.

She is calm if she comfortable or uncomfortable.

She is calm if she praised or criticized.

The person who has self-control never changes.

A piece of stone and gold are the same to her.

A wise person like this is called a yogi.

(Gita 6:6, 7, 8)

 

This excerpt is from On Hinduism by Irina Gajjar. Learn more about the book at http://irinaspage.com/philosophy/on-hinduism/

Behavior Influencing Karma

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Different Hindus perceive the relationship between God and karma in different ways. Some go as far as to say that karma determines the future and God does not exist or matter at all. Some equate the divine force with karma or believe that God creates karma and hence see no issue regarding interaction between the two.

Yet other individuals and Hindu schools of thought, more conventionally, see God as the dispense of karma, which He possibly tempers with divine mercy. Whatever their particular viewpoint, Hindu philosophers and laymen agree with the viewpoint that good behavior earns merit and improves their karma and that misfortune is the product of prior bad behavior. Even those who do not fully believe in karmic power generally consider the idea of karma a plausible guideline for ethical living.

What are your views on karma? Do you feel your good behavior earns merit and that your misfortune is a product of your prior poor behavior? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Read more from Irina Gajjar at www.irinaspage.com.

Unity with God

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Though Hindus know deeply that the ultimate aim of their faith is to achieve unity with God, daily life and worship generally focus on more immediate results. Karma may take ages to play out, but the laws of cause and effect that are its foundation may also operate more quickly. Divine intervention works hand in hand with karma that is created by human behavior. Thus, worship is a path to enlightenment and simply setting forth on this path has its own validity. Progressing on the path to God is not only about reaching a destination. Making the journey earns merit in itself.

Hindu scriptures and customs consider a wide range of activities as worship: fulfillment of duty, prayer, pursuit of knowledge, honoring elders and teachers, tending to shrines in the home, visiting temples, going on pilgrimages, bathing in holy waters, practicing moderation, fasting, performing rituals, chanting, engaging in meditation and yoga, attending and participating in ceremonies, listening to preachers, performing classical dance, and so on. These activities are incorporated into secular life. Though none of them are singly defining, it is virtually certain that routine customs and occurrences will engage just about every Hindu in some overt forms of worship. Mindsets may differ regarding the value or effect of these variegated activities, but participating in some of them unavoidable.

The vast array of practices that make up worship in Hinduism may befuddle strangers to such rituals. Although most ritualistic acts and sacrifices have specific and generally known purposes, collectively their aim is to enhance the mind’s focus and thereby to extend consciousness. These ceremonies as well as actions undertaken in the name of God or goodness acknowledge and revere a power higher and greater than the power of the human mind or the human heart. Whatever form worship takes, be it worship of God or of another deity, worship in any form acknowledges the existence of something greater than humankind. Chapter four of the Gita, “The Sword of Knowledge,” explains:

 

A puja is a ceremony for God.

It is a sacrifice.

The puja is Brahma [God].

The fire which is part of the puja is Brahma.

The person who performs the puja is Brahma.

Brahma is God’s everlasting power.

We cannot see or hear or feel Brahma.

This excerpt is from On Hinduism by Irina Gajjar. Learn more about the book at www.irinaspage.com

God: Beyond the Grasp of Human Thought

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While Hinduism understands that God is beyond the grasp of human thought, it also acknowledges God’s tremendous power over our human minds and lives. As the quest for the enlightenment is the quest to become one with God, Hinduism strives to bring humankind to oneness with divinity.

Hindu philosophy gives great importance to the soul or spirit which it distinguishes from the mind as well as from the body. Hinduism equates the spirit with God. Chapter thirteen of the Bhagavad Gita explains that the spirit cannot be described, that it cannot act, that it is always pure and endless as the sun and the sky. God is considered the greatest spirit Thus, to Hindus, finding our soul is akin to finding infinity within us. It equates to achieving perfection which can only be attained by a highly evolved soul, a soul that over many lifetimes has superseded the limitations of humanness.

This excerpt is from Irina Gajjar’s book, On Hinduism. To learn more about this book or other books by Irina, visit the website at www.irinaspage.com.