Dear Readers
Bhagavad Gita is the conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna in the Battlefield of Kurushetra. In a way we are also like Arjuna waging war against the materialistic forces. After hearing the Bhagavad Gita Kirshna enquired Arjuna whether all his illusions are removed? And Arujna replied that all his illusions have been removed and told “Karishye Vachanam Tava” [18.73] I will follow whatever you have said. At the conclusion Krishna also says “Those who study or listen this sacred conversation shall attain the blessed worlds of those who perform virtuous deeds”. [18.71] That is the greatness of reading the Gita.
The Gita is like an ocean that many philosophers and erudite scholars have written commentary on it. Adi Sankaracharaya says in his Bhaja Govindam “Bhagavad Gita Kinchida Deeta, Ganga Jalalava Kanika Peeta” i.e. “please read atleast few verses from Bhagavad Gita or take a sip of Ganga”. Reading Bhagavad Gita is such a sacred act. There is no doubt any who reads with faith and sincerity will attain the Supreme Bliss.
My association with Bhagavad Gita started when I used to attend Bhagavad Gita classes in ISKCON, Coimbatore. I also used to attend the Bhagavad Gita class at Kovaipudur by a Swamiji, who is a disciple of Swami Dayananda. In that class we used to chant the Gita Dhyana. Since this being the first article, I have given as an invocation for this series of article..
Am planning to send few Bhagavad Gita Slokas. I have referred some few commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita and here I have tried to give whatever I have understood in my own language. Hence if there is any mistake in the interpretation here please forgive me.
Am planning to send few Bhagavad Gita Slokas. I have referred some few commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita and here I have tried to give whatever I have understood in my own language. Hence if there is any mistake in the interpretation here please forgive me.
Any comments or feedback is most welcome.
Happy reading!
Warm Regards
A.V. Devan
Chennai – 6th August 2010
Sri Gita Dhyana (Meditation on the Gita)
Om parthaya pratibodhitam
bhagavata narayanena swayam
vyasena grathitam purana munina
madhye maha bharatam
advaita amrita varshineem bhagvateem
ashtadasa adhyayineem
amba twam anu sandadhami
bhagavad geete bhava dweshineem
Om, O Bhagavadgita, with which Partha (Arjuna) was illuminated by Lord Narayana Himself and which was composed in the middle of the Mahabharata by the ancient sage Vyasa, O Divine Mother, the destroyer of rebirth, the showerer of the nectar of Advaita (teaching of Oneness in all things) and consisting of eighteen chapters – upon Thee, O Bhagavad Gita! O affectionate Mother! I meditate.
namostu the Vyasa visala buddhe
phullaravinda aya tapatranetra
yena tvaya bharata tailapoornah
prajvalito jnana mayah pradeepah
Salutations unto thee, O Vyasa of broad intellect and with eyes like petals of full-blown lotus, by whom the lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahabharata, has been lighted.
parapanna parijataya
totra vetraika panaye
jnana mudraya krishnaya
geetamrita duhe namah
Salutations to Krishna, the Parijata tree or the Kalpataru or the bestower of all desires for those who take refuge in Him, the holder of the whip in one hand, the wielder of he symbol of knowledge, and the Milker of the nectar of the Bhagavadgita.
sarvo panishado gavo
dogdha gopala nandanah
partho vatsah sudheer bhokta
dugsham geeta amritam mahat
All the Upanishads are cows; the Milker is Krishna, the cowherd boy; Partha (Arjuna) is the calf; men of purified intellect are the drinkers, the milk is the great nectar of the Gita.
vasudeva sutam devam
kamsa chanoora mardanam
devakee paramanandam
krishna vande jagad gurum
I salute Lord Krishna, the world teacher, son of Vasudeva, the destroyer of Kamsa and Chanura, the supreme bliss of Devaki.
bheeshma drona tata jayadratha jala
gandhara neelotpala
shlya graha vatee kripena vahni
karena velakula
ashwathama vikarna-ghora-makara
duryodhana avartini
sotteerna khalu pandavai rana nadee
kaivartakah keshavah
With Keshava as the helmsman, verily was crossed by the Pandavas, the battle river whose banks were Bhishma and Drona, whose water was Jayadratha, whose blue lotus was the king of Gandhara, whose crocodile was Salya, whose current was Kripa, whose billow was Karna, whose terrible alligators were Ashvattama and Vikarna, whose whirlpool was Duryodhana.
parasharya vachah sarojam amalam
geetartha gandhotkatam
nana akhyanaka kesaram harikatha
sambodhana bodhitam
loke sajjana shatpadair ahar ahah
pepeeya manam muda
bhooyad bharata pankajam kalimala
prashwamsi nah shreyase
May this lotus of the Mahabharata, born in the lake of the words of Vyasa, sweet with fragrance of the meaning of the Gita, with many stories as its stamens, fully opened by the discourses on Hari, the destroyer of the sons of the Kali age, and drunk joyously by the bees of good men in the world, day by day become the bestower of good to us.
mookam karoti vachalam
pangum langhayate girim
yatkripa tamaham vande
para manada madhavam
I salute that Madhava, the source of supreme bliss, whose grace makes the dumb man eloquent and the cripple cross mountains.
yam brahma varunendra rudramarutah
stunwanti divyaih stavaih
vedaih snaga padakarmo panishadir
gayanti yam samagah
dhyana avasthita tadgatena manasaa
pashyanti yam yogino
yasyantam na viduh sura asuragana
devaya tasmai namah
Salutations to that God, Whom Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise with divine hymns, of Whom the Sama-chanters sing by the Vedas and their Angas, in the Pada and the Krama methods, and by the Upanishads, Whom the Yogins see with their minds absorbed in Him through meditation, and whose end the hosts of Devas and Asuras know not.
Srimad Bhagavat Gita
Chapter – 7
Verse – 19
Bahunam janmanam ante
Jnanavan mam prapadyate
Vasudevah sarvam iti
Sa mahatma su-durlabhah
Bahunam – many ; janmanam – births ; ante – at the end
Jnanavan – the man of knowledge ; mam – me ; prapadyate – take refuge in
Vasudevah - God who dwells within ; sarvam – all ; iti – that
Sa – such ; mahatma – great soul ; su-durlabhah – is very rare
Meaning
“At the end of many births the man of knowledge take refuge in me realizing that [Vasudevah] i.e. the God dwells everywhere and such a person is very rare to find.”
Explanation
From the above verse it is clear that realization of the truth is not that easy. Why it is said after many birth? The reason is for the atma there is no death. It transmigrates from one body to the another for many many years. Here the word Jnanavan is used which means the person who possess the knowledge. But how an ordinary person can become knowledgeable? Only by the Grace of Guru who is God himself will a person becomes knowledgeable. However the question arises as to how in the modern world one will get a Guru. Guru can be in any form. One can get the wisdom through going to a Guru or by reading the teachings of the Guru. In the modern world we are blessed with knowledge available through books, cassets, CDs, and other multi media through which one can get the knowledge. If one associate with ‘satsang’ like going to religious discourses etc., one will be in contact with knowledgable persons who can also impart the knowledge. Thus by the above one becomes knowledgeable and realizes that every thing is Vasudeva the all pervading God and he surrends himself to that all pervading God. Such a person is very very rare to find.
Chapter – 8
Verse – 6
yam yam vapi smaran bhavam
tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti Kaunteya
sada tad bhava bhavitah
yam yam va api – whichever may be smaran – remembering ; bhavam – nature
tyajati – gives up ; ante – at the end ; kalevaram – this body ;
tam tam eva - that very state eti – attains ; kaunteya – son of kunti
sada – always ; tad – that ; bhava – state of being ; bhavitah – engrossed
Meaning
“Oh Son of Kunti, whatever the state of being which a person engrossed with while quitting one’s body, that state he will attain without fail”
Explanation
In this verse it is said whatever the sate one got engrossed at the time of death he attains the same state. The thoughts and actions of one’s life influences a person to think in his last moment. So in order to remember the God at the time of death one has to constantly remember God throughout one’s life. It is said that Maharaja Bharata who had renounced from worldly life however got attached to a deer and thought about the deer at the time of death. In his next life he was born again as a deer. However due to his perseverance he was born again as Jada Bharatha and attained Mukti. The river while going throught its course if the land is black will get the colour of black like river Krishna, if it is red the river will be red in colour like the river Soan, if it is pure it will without colour like the Ganges. In a similar way our vasanas will determine our next birth. Hence every one should make effort to purify our soul through Gnana, Karma and Bhakthi margas by offering everything unto him.
Bibliography
Bhagavad Gita As It is – Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad Gita – Sri Shanakara Acharya Commentary by Swami Ghambirananda
Bhagavad Gita – Swami Dayanada Saraswati
Bhagavad Gita – Swami Sivananda
Chennai – 6th August 2010
Sri Gita Dhyana (Meditation on the Gita)
Om parthaya pratibodhitam
bhagavata narayanena swayam
vyasena grathitam purana munina
madhye maha bharatam
advaita amrita varshineem bhagvateem
ashtadasa adhyayineem
amba twam anu sandadhami
bhagavad geete bhava dweshineem
Om, O Bhagavadgita, with which Partha (Arjuna) was illuminated by Lord Narayana Himself and which was composed in the middle of the Mahabharata by the ancient sage Vyasa, O Divine Mother, the destroyer of rebirth, the showerer of the nectar of Advaita (teaching of Oneness in all things) and consisting of eighteen chapters – upon Thee, O Bhagavad Gita! O affectionate Mother! I meditate.
namostu the Vyasa visala buddhe
phullaravinda aya tapatranetra
yena tvaya bharata tailapoornah
prajvalito jnana mayah pradeepah
Salutations unto thee, O Vyasa of broad intellect and with eyes like petals of full-blown lotus, by whom the lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahabharata, has been lighted.
parapanna parijataya
totra vetraika panaye
jnana mudraya krishnaya
geetamrita duhe namah
Salutations to Krishna, the Parijata tree or the Kalpataru or the bestower of all desires for those who take refuge in Him, the holder of the whip in one hand, the wielder of he symbol of knowledge, and the Milker of the nectar of the Bhagavadgita.
sarvo panishado gavo
dogdha gopala nandanah
partho vatsah sudheer bhokta
dugsham geeta amritam mahat
All the Upanishads are cows; the Milker is Krishna, the cowherd boy; Partha (Arjuna) is the calf; men of purified intellect are the drinkers, the milk is the great nectar of the Gita.
vasudeva sutam devam
kamsa chanoora mardanam
devakee paramanandam
krishna vande jagad gurum
I salute Lord Krishna, the world teacher, son of Vasudeva, the destroyer of Kamsa and Chanura, the supreme bliss of Devaki.
bheeshma drona tata jayadratha jala
gandhara neelotpala
shlya graha vatee kripena vahni
karena velakula
ashwathama vikarna-ghora-makara
duryodhana avartini
sotteerna khalu pandavai rana nadee
kaivartakah keshavah
With Keshava as the helmsman, verily was crossed by the Pandavas, the battle river whose banks were Bhishma and Drona, whose water was Jayadratha, whose blue lotus was the king of Gandhara, whose crocodile was Salya, whose current was Kripa, whose billow was Karna, whose terrible alligators were Ashvattama and Vikarna, whose whirlpool was Duryodhana.
parasharya vachah sarojam amalam
geetartha gandhotkatam
nana akhyanaka kesaram harikatha
sambodhana bodhitam
loke sajjana shatpadair ahar ahah
pepeeya manam muda
bhooyad bharata pankajam kalimala
prashwamsi nah shreyase
May this lotus of the Mahabharata, born in the lake of the words of Vyasa, sweet with fragrance of the meaning of the Gita, with many stories as its stamens, fully opened by the discourses on Hari, the destroyer of the sons of the Kali age, and drunk joyously by the bees of good men in the world, day by day become the bestower of good to us.
mookam karoti vachalam
pangum langhayate girim
yatkripa tamaham vande
para manada madhavam
I salute that Madhava, the source of supreme bliss, whose grace makes the dumb man eloquent and the cripple cross mountains.
yam brahma varunendra rudramarutah
stunwanti divyaih stavaih
vedaih snaga padakarmo panishadir
gayanti yam samagah
dhyana avasthita tadgatena manasaa
pashyanti yam yogino
yasyantam na viduh sura asuragana
devaya tasmai namah
Salutations to that God, Whom Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise with divine hymns, of Whom the Sama-chanters sing by the Vedas and their Angas, in the Pada and the Krama methods, and by the Upanishads, Whom the Yogins see with their minds absorbed in Him through meditation, and whose end the hosts of Devas and Asuras know not.
Srimad Bhagavat Gita
Chapter – 7
Verse – 19
Bahunam janmanam ante
Jnanavan mam prapadyate
Vasudevah sarvam iti
Sa mahatma su-durlabhah
Bahunam – many ; janmanam – births ; ante – at the end
Jnanavan – the man of knowledge ; mam – me ; prapadyate – take refuge in
Vasudevah - God who dwells within ; sarvam – all ; iti – that
Sa – such ; mahatma – great soul ; su-durlabhah – is very rare
Meaning
“At the end of many births the man of knowledge take refuge in me realizing that [Vasudevah] i.e. the God dwells everywhere and such a person is very rare to find.”
Explanation
From the above verse it is clear that realization of the truth is not that easy. Why it is said after many birth? The reason is for the atma there is no death. It transmigrates from one body to the another for many many years. Here the word Jnanavan is used which means the person who possess the knowledge. But how an ordinary person can become knowledgeable? Only by the Grace of Guru who is God himself will a person becomes knowledgeable. However the question arises as to how in the modern world one will get a Guru. Guru can be in any form. One can get the wisdom through going to a Guru or by reading the teachings of the Guru. In the modern world we are blessed with knowledge available through books, cassets, CDs, and other multi media through which one can get the knowledge. If one associate with ‘satsang’ like going to religious discourses etc., one will be in contact with knowledgable persons who can also impart the knowledge. Thus by the above one becomes knowledgeable and realizes that every thing is Vasudeva the all pervading God and he surrends himself to that all pervading God. Such a person is very very rare to find.
Chapter – 8
Verse – 6
yam yam vapi smaran bhavam
tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti Kaunteya
sada tad bhava bhavitah
yam yam va api – whichever may be smaran – remembering ; bhavam – nature
tyajati – gives up ; ante – at the end ; kalevaram – this body ;
tam tam eva - that very state eti – attains ; kaunteya – son of kunti
sada – always ; tad – that ; bhava – state of being ; bhavitah – engrossed
Meaning
“Oh Son of Kunti, whatever the state of being which a person engrossed with while quitting one’s body, that state he will attain without fail”
Explanation
In this verse it is said whatever the sate one got engrossed at the time of death he attains the same state. The thoughts and actions of one’s life influences a person to think in his last moment. So in order to remember the God at the time of death one has to constantly remember God throughout one’s life. It is said that Maharaja Bharata who had renounced from worldly life however got attached to a deer and thought about the deer at the time of death. In his next life he was born again as a deer. However due to his perseverance he was born again as Jada Bharatha and attained Mukti. The river while going throught its course if the land is black will get the colour of black like river Krishna, if it is red the river will be red in colour like the river Soan, if it is pure it will without colour like the Ganges. In a similar way our vasanas will determine our next birth. Hence every one should make effort to purify our soul through Gnana, Karma and Bhakthi margas by offering everything unto him.
Bibliography
Bhagavad Gita As It is – Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad Gita – Sri Shanakara Acharya Commentary by Swami Ghambirananda
Bhagavad Gita – Swami Dayanada Saraswati
Bhagavad Gita – Swami Sivananda
Comments