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श्री भगवानुवाच -
कालोsस्मि लोकक्षयकृत् प्रवृद्धो लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्तः ।
ऋतेsपि त्वां न भविष्यन्ति सर्वे येsवस्थिताः प्रत्यनीकेषु योधाः ॥ ३२ ॥
तस्मात्त्वं उत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व जित्वा शत्रून् भुङ्क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम् ।
मयैवेते निहताः पूर्वमेव निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन् ॥ ३३ ॥
द्रोणञ्च भीष्मञ्च जयद्रथञ्च कर्णं तथान्यानपि योधवीरान् ।
मया हतांस्त्वं जहि मा व्यथिष्ठा युध्यस्व जेतासि रणे सपत्रान् ॥ ३४ ॥
The Blessed Lord said:
I am the mighty world-destroying Time, here made manifest for the
purpose of infolding the world. Even
without thee, none of the warriors arrayed in the hostile armies shall live. Therefore do thou arise and acquire
fame. Conquer the enemies, and enjoy the
unrivalled dominion. Verily by Myself
have they been already slain; be thou
merely an apparent cause, Oh Savyasachin (Arjuna)! Drona, Bheeshma, Jayadratha, Karna, as well
as other brave warriors, - these already killed by Me, do thou kill. Be not distressed with fear; fight, and thou
shall conquer thy enemies in battle.
(XI – 32, 33, 34)
‘Who are You?’ Arjuna
wanted to know. “I am Mahaakaala”
replies the Form. ‘I do not know what
You do’, said Arjuna. “I gobble up the
warriors on both sides” He replies. He
says His only work is to ‘cause death and destruction of all’. ‘I will not fight’ argued Arjuna. “Their end is definite, even if you refuse to
fight. In fact, they are already dead,
finished by Me.”
The words ‘Definite’
‘Destined’ may cause squirms in those who trust human effort, human potential,
self-confidence, achievement in life, etc.
If everything is pre-destined, is there no scope, then, for these? Is there nothing in human hands? There are a few modern thinkers, who look at
the ‘amazing’ development in western countries and lament that lack of progress
in Bharat is mainly due to this philosophy.
“The west does not talk about God, Fate, etc. See the progress they have achieved. These talks on Dharma, God, destiny, etc.
have made the Hindu lazy and inactive.
He has been rendered useless to himself as well to the society”, they
complain.
It is true tht there are
two opinions. We are mere
instruments. Death is definite. Malaria, Jaundice, bullet, etc. are mere
excuses. This is one idea. Man can achieve anything. Nothing is beyond his reach. If only he is firm, if only he is determined,
he can reach the sky. This is the other
idea. The first idea is dominantly
prevalent in eastern countries, especially Bharat and the second in western
countries.
Do not know about other
benefits, but the first outlook definitely ensures peace of mind. Future is destined and hence there is no
worry or anxiety. The present moment is
not lost in the anxiety about future.
Man has plenty of time to involve in art, music and other nicer things
of the world. Contentment level is high
and crime level is low. The innumerable
Sadhus appearing in every generation here in Bharat, is chiefly due to the
prevalence of this attitude. At the
visible level, there is poverty and disparity.
The poor also leads a contented and peaceful life. The words aften heard here is, “why do you
worry? That which has to happen will happen”.
The first casualty of
the other attitude is calm and peace of mind.
The future is not destined. So, I
have to create my future. My future
should be safe, protected, comfortable and happy. Naturally,
anxiety, worry, disappointment and frustration are part of the package
this outlook offers. Activity level is
high. Exploitation also is high. But, this attitude seems to have raised the
level of comfortable living, at this moment.
What have the next fifty years to offer is uncertain. Especially, the speed at which Nature is
being exploited, squandered is a matter of concern. “Why are you idle? You must achieve. Do not waste time. Manage time to reach your goal of
success”. This is the oft repeated words
in the society adopting this attitude.
A person was lying and
resting under a tree in day time.
Another person saw him and said, “You seem to be lazy! Don’t you have to work hard?” “Why should I?” asked the former. “To earn a lot of money” replied the
later. “Then what?” “You can invest and start your own
industry”. “Then?” “You can earn more money”. “Then?”
“You can build you own house and be happy for the rest of your
life”. “That I am already now” said the
person resting under the tree.
I saw a cartoon in a
newmagazine. It depicted our people
hurrying in a direction. There is
another crowd of whites coming in the opposite direction. The whites warn our people, “Please do not
proceed further in this direction. There
are dangers ahead” One of our men
replies, “You have enjoyed everything.
Why do you stop us? Are you
jealous?” This run towards ‘bright’
future has started in our country too.
We must become
instrumental. Decisions are His and may
we be effective instruments for execution of His decisions. We have two hands. Are these two equal in potential? Usually, one is more potent than the
other. Here, Shri Krishna calls Arjuna
‘Savyasachi’, the one who is equally adept with both his hands. Like Arjuna’s, our hands too should be
trained to be our efficient instruments.
Similarly, we must train ourselves to be His efficient instruments.
‘Victory in war is
assured for you. Hence, you must fight’
says Shri Krishna. One who has firmly
resolved and let things happen as per His wish, carries no worry or complaint
about self, or people aroud or the world.
In such a state, he will never be involved in any wrong or vicious
act. He can never ever become an instrument
in the hands of adharma. (Only
Complaining and discontented mind stimulates us to adopt shortcuts and vicious
acts.) He always is an instrument in the
designs of Dharma. Hence, his success is
ensured. “They are soaked in wickedness. They have filled up their inner self with
adharma. They have to lose. You are on the side of dharma, on the side of
Paramaatman. The Paramaatman is also on
your sidde. Hence, your victory is
assured”. ‘Yatho Dharma, tatho Jayam’. Where there is Dharma, there is bound to be
Victory.
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सञ्जय उवाच -
एतच्छृत्वा वचनं केशवस्य कृताञ्जलिर्वेपमानः किरीटि ।
नमस्कृत्वा भूय एवाह कृष्णं सगद्गदं भीतभीतः प्रणम्य ॥ ३५ ॥
Sanjaya said: Having
heard speech of Keshava, the diademed one (Arjuna or Kireeti), with joined
palms, trembling, prostrated himself, and agai addressed Krishna in a choked
voice, bowing down, overwhelmed with fear.
(XI - 35)
Kireeti is one of the
names of Arjuna. Indra pleased at
Arjuna’s valour in the battle against demons Kaala and Kunja, gifts him a
dazzling crown. Sanjaya is using that
name to remind Dhritarashtra of Arjuna’s valour. He wants the blind king to realize the
strength of Shri Krishna by saying that Arjuna, so valourous, is terrorized by
the Viraata Form of Shri Krishna.
Arjuna, already
frightened by the vision of terrible Form, was all the more frightened when he
heard It say, ‘I am Mahaakaal. I am here
to gobble up everyone’. His body starts
trembling. ‘I can be saved from
destruction only by Him’. So thinking,
Arjuna joins palms and bows down again and again to the Viraata Form. He is struggling for words. His voice is choked by excessive fear. He overcomes fear to some extent and starts
talking, nay starts praising Shri Krishna again.
Arjuna sees a future
scene. That is the scene of his
achieving victory in the war. The scene
of death also appears along. He is
frightened and loses control over his tongue and voice. In a way, we re fortunate that we are unaware
of the future. If only we could know our
future, most of our actions and words would make us laugh at ourselves. I had a friend, who was working whole time in
a noble mission. His father died. ‘I wish to leave this work and help my
distressed and lonely mother’ he said.
‘Do not take a decision in haste or under the impact of mere emotion. We do not know what is in store in
future. If you feel you have done enough
of this work and want to go, it is OK.
Please do not fool yourself by thinking you are quitting this noble work
for protecting your mother.’ He was
adament and returned to his home. Within
one year, he fell in love with a girl and married. There arose difference of opinion with his
mother and he went away with his wife, took a house on rent and strted staying
away from mother. I met him after a gap
of three years and asked if he was taking care of the mother. He was embarrassed and remained silent.
Similarly, if the lovers
could recall their passionate words exchanged ten years ago? ‘Oh! I
can not remain alive a minute without you’.
If he foresee the incidents destined to happen a few years hence!
Come on! Let us listen to what Arjuna says...
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अर्जुन उवाच -
स्थाने हृषीकेश तव प्रकीर्त्या जगत् प्रहृष्यत्यनुरज्यते च ।
रक्षांसि भीतानि दिशो द्रवन्ति सर्वे नमस्यन्ति च सिद्धसङ्घाः ॥ ३६ ॥
Arjuna said: It is
meet, Oh Hrisheekesha, that the world is delighted and rejoices in Thy praise,
that Rakshasas fly in fear to all quarters and all the hosts of Siddhas bow
down to Thee in adoration.
(XI - 36)
The next eleven shlokams
can be called ‘Prayer songs’. These
depict the sight as seen by Arjuna in the Vishwa Roopa Darshan. Arjuna mentions three persons, the Rakshasa,
Ordinary man and Siddha Purusha. The
Rakshasa considers Paramaatman as an enemy.
Hence, he trembles with anger, fear and hatred on hearing the Names,
Actions and Qualities of the Paramaatman.
He can not tolerate the Sacred, Holy Names as he himself is impure,
wicked and full of sin. He runs wildly
in all direction uon hearing the Names.
Ordinary man enjoys listening to His Names, Attributes and Actions. He also joins in singing. He begets Love. The Siddha Purusha knows Him. He bows down upon hearing about the
Paramaatman. Arjuna is an ordinary human
like us. He never tires in singing
attributes of the Lord.
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कस्माच्च ते न नमेरन्महात्मन् गरीयसे ब्राह्मणोsप्यादिकर्त्रे ।
अनन्त देवेश जगन्निवास त्वमक्षरं सदसत्तत्परं यत् ॥ ३७ ॥
Oh Infinite Being! Oh
Lord of the Devas, Oh Abode of the universe!
And why should they not, Oh Great-souled One, bow to Thee, greater than,
and the Primal Cause of even Brahma?
Thou are the Imperishable, the Being and the non-Being, (as well as)
That which is Beyond (them).
(XI - 37)
Who is eligible to
recieve ‘namaskara’? Guru, our parents
responsible for our birth, persons higher in age and education, etc should be
bowed. ‘You are Guru of all the Gurus’,
says Arjuna. Guru brightens our inner
self. He causes elimination of the
darkness called ignorance. The Paramaatman
is Light. He resides in us and is the
cause for us to know everything. He was
the Guru to Brahma, when Brahma appeared at the origin of creation. Patanjali Yoga Sutra says, ‘Poorveshaamapi
Guruh’ (Yoga Darshan I-26). Paramaatman
is the cause for our birth. The creator
Brahma has been created by Him. Hence,
Arjuna calls him Great Grand Father. He
is eligible for our Namaskara. In all
respects, namely time, place, thing and person, He is boundless. Hence, Arjuna calls Him Anantha. He reigns control over the Gods. He bestows them their unique powers. Hence, Arjuna calls Him Devesh, the Lord of
the Gods. ‘You are Akshara Swaroopa’
says Arjuna. Paramaatman is Sat. Sat is Imperishable. It is beyond creation, change and
destruction. Everything else is
Asat. Asat has no independant
existance. It is reliant on the
Sat. Thus, You are eligible for
Namaskara in every respect.
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त्वमादिदेवः पुरुषः पुराणस्त्वमस्य विश्वस्य परं निधानम् ।
वेत्ताsसि वेद्यं च परं च धाम त्वया ततं विश्वमनन्तरूप ॥ ३८ ॥
Thou are the Primal Deva, the Ancient Purusha; Thou are the Supreme Refuge of this universe,
Thou are the Knower and the One Thing to be known; Thou are the Supreme Goal. By Thee is the universe pervaded, Oh
Boundless Form!
(XI - 38)
He is Adideva because He
is the Origin, with none, nothing prior to Him.
He is Purana Purusha as He has always been, He is and He will always
be. He is Parama Nidhana as He is bsis
for creation, survival and dissolution of the world we know. He is Vetta, as knower of everything, all the
worlds, objects, places and lives and all the times, past, present and future. He is the One to be known in the Vedas, Puranas,
Shastras and by Gyaanis, Sadhus and Mahatmas always. He is the Ultimate Dhama, Refuge. (Dhama is Punya Kshetra. The places offering Moksha). No one returns from There and there nothing
else attainable, no Karma to be performed, nothing else to be known, once That
is attained. He, known Mukti, Parama
Pada (the Ultimate position) is Parama Dhama.
He is Ananta Roopa, because He is the multitudes of forms that appeared
in the Viraata Cosmic Vision. He is
‘Twaya Tatam Vishvam’ as the whole world is pervaded by Him alone. He is in every cell in this world.
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वायुर्यमोग्निर्वरुणः शशाङ्कः प्रजापतिस्त्वं प्रपितामहश्च ।
नमो नमस्तेस्तु सहस्रकृत्वः पुनश्च भूयोपि नमो नमस्ते ॥ ३९ ॥
नम: पुरस्तादथ पृष्ठतस्ते नमोस्तु ते सर्वत एव सर्व ।
अनन्तवीर्यामितविक्रमस्त्वं सर्वं समाप्नोषि ततोसि सर्वः ॥ ४० ॥
You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the Moon, Prajapati, and the
Great-Grandfather. Salutation,
salutationto Thee, a thousand times, and again and again salutation, salutation
to Thee!
Salutation to Thee before and behind, salutation to Thee on
every side, Oh All! Thou, Infinite in
power and Infinite in prowess, pervade all;
wherefore Thou art All.
(XI – 39, 40)
Gen. Sundarji was
commander-in-Chief of our Army. He
visited Chennai for a programme, while he was still in office. The venue was Shri Ramakrishna Mission school
in T Nagar. Whole lot of journalists and
TV cameramen had gathered. Gen Sundarji
arrived at the venue, but went walking towards a small lane behind the
school. The curious pressmen followed him. He knocked at the door of small house with
tiled roof. An old man in his eighties,
opened the door. Sundarji fell flat at
his feet, unconcerned about the live cameras of TV channels world over. The old man was his teacher when he studied
in the Mission school. The
correspondance of journals and channels in western world expressed surprised at
the act of the most powerful person in the world’s second largest army.
Scientist Dr. APJ Abdul
Kalam was the President of Bharat. A
felicitation programme was organized in his home-town Ramanathapuram. He had studied in a village school and had
grown to this stature. On the day of
felicitation, he went to his native village and brought his primary school
teacher, now an old man in his nineties.
He took him to the felicitation stage, garlanded him, bowed at his feet
and offered all success and all the applauds at his feet.
Even the debts of our
parents can be repayed. But, repayment,
compensation of Guru’s blessings is impossible.
We can only bow down before him.
Humility assures his blessings.
His blessings, in return, generates humility. Arjuna is mellowed by the Grace of Shri
krishna. He bows down. He bows down again. He bows down repeatedly. He calls Shri Krishna by various Names and
bows down before Him.
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सखेति मत्वा प्रसभं यदुक्तं हे कृष्ण हे यादव हे सखेति ।
अजानता महिमानं तवेदं मया प्रमादात्प्रणयेन वापि ॥ ४१ ॥
यच्चावहासार्थमसत्कृतोsसि विहारशय्यासनभोजनेषु ।
एकोsथवाप्यच्युत तत्समक्षं तत्क्षामये त्वामहमप्रमेयम् ॥ ४२ ॥
Whatever I have presumptuously said from carelessness or
love, addressing Thee as ‘Oh Krishna, Oh Yadava, Oh Friend,’ regarding Thee
merely as a friend, unconscious of this Thy greatness – in whatever way I may
have been disrespectful to Thee in fun, while walking, reposing, sitting, or
dining, when alone (with Thee), Oh Achyuta!
or in company – I implore Thee, Immeasurable One, to forgive all this.
(XI – 41, 42)
Arjuna ws a very close
friend of Shri Krishna. He has indulged
in teasing, playing and making fun with Shri Krishna. We can not know the real strength of
Bhagawan. However, Arjuna knew, if not a
bit of Shri Krishna’s power. Otherwise,
he would not have chosen weapon-less Shri Krishna instead of one akshouhini
army offered to him. His friendship
probably prompted him to do so.
Arjuna had related with
Him as Shri Krishna, as a friend, as a milkman, as a cowherd boy. Now, he realized the Divinity in Him and
speaks these words on knowing that. Not
only Shri Krishna, all the lives in this world are forms of the Divine. We misbahave with them or disregard them out
of igborance of their Divinity. We
behave rudely with our wives, parents, servants. We disrespect them. We abuse them. We must develop clarity in our thoughts and
must be able to appreciate and respect them.
We must relate with the creation of the God with worshipful
respect. Reaching Him is definitely not
possible through mere intellectual activity.
Yet, intellectual clarity is the first step towards Him.
Kanchi Paramacharya
tells a story. A king banished his son,
the prince for being irresponsible and wayward.
The prince roamed around, begged for food and lived a nomadic life. Ten years were lost. The king repented his action and commanded
the minister to search for the prince.
The prince was in a town, with shabby clothes, without shoes in his
feet. His feet had developed boils and
cracks due to the heat. He wanted to buy
shoes and begged for paltry sums. Some
gave and some refused. Some sympathised
with him and some made fun of him. At
that very moment, the minister came by the way looking for the prince. He identified this beggar as the prince. He fell at his feet and asked for excuse on
behalf of the king. He requested the
prince to alight the chariot. Those who
refused money to the prince and made fun of him, not knowing him as prince,
were all at his feet begging to be excused for the wrong behaviour. Swami Vivekananda calls the poor ‘Daridra
Narayana’. He wants us not be rude with
servants and the poor. If we could do
so, there won’t be a necessity to ask for forgivance on realizing Divinity in
all.
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पितासि लोकस्य चराचरस्य त्वमस्य पूज्यश्च गुरूर्गरीयान् ।
न त्वत्समोsस्त्यभ्यधिकः कुतोsन्यो लोकत्रयेsप्यप्रतिमप्रभाव ॥ ४३ ॥
You are the Father of the world, moving and unmoving; the object of its worship; greater than the
great. None exists there who is equal to
Thee in the three worlds; who, then can
excel Thee, Oh You, of power incomparable?
(XI - 43)
He is the Father of all
the mobile and immobile objects and lives in the world, as He is the origin of the creation of all these. Shri Krishna says (XVII-4) ‘Aham Beejapradah
Pitaa’. I am the Seed-giver and hence
Father of all the lives. All the glories
are His and hence He is worshipful to all.
He is the Knower, knows everything.
He presides over the act of knowing.
He is the One to be known. The
Knower of everything (Omniscient) is known by His own light. Hence, He is the Guru of all the Gurus, the
Mahaguru. He is the Highest, the
greatest. When there is none and nothing
equal to Him, then how can there be anyone or anything greater than Him? He is the Only One presiding over all the
moments and activities in this universe.
If there were more than one, there would have been confusion. If one created and the other decides to
destroy? We infer that the Boss has to
be One, because there is order, coordinated and a method in the movements,
activities of infinite number of objects and lives in the Universe.
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तस्मात्प्रणम्य प्रणिधाय कायं प्रसादये त्वामहमीशमीड्यम् ।
पितेव पुत्रस्य सखेव सख्युः प्रियः प्रियायार्हसि देव सोढुम् ॥ ४४ ॥
So prostrating my body in adoration, I crave Thy
forgiveness, Lord adorable! As a father
forgives his son, friend dear friend, a beloved one his love, even so should
Thou forgive me, O Deva.
(XI - 44)
Man’s emotional status
when he is angry or when he is arrogant is exactly the reverse of the status
when he is humble, when he seeks pardon.
The emotions in mind causes certain impacts on the body. These impacts are natural, spontaneous and
involuntary. Mankind has also developed
body signs or body language to express these emotions. He rubs the palms against each other when he
is doubt. He holds his head on his palm
when worry troubles him. Similarly, when
uncontrollable anger for someone raises in mind, he wishes to crush him with
his hands or under his feet. He
expresses this anger by showing his chappal or by abusive words. Seeking forgivance and becoming humble is the
opposite emotion. This emotion is
expressed in Bharat by placing one’s own head voluntarily at the other’s
feet. This is Pranipadam.
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अदृष्टपूर्वं हृषितोsस्मि दृष्ट्वा भयेन च प्रव्यथितं मनो मे ।
तदेव मे दर्शय देव रूपं प्रसीद देवश जगन्निवास ॥ ४५ ॥
Overjoyed am I to have seen what I saw never before; yet my mind, is distracted with terror. Show me, Oh Deva! only that Form of Yours
(The four-armed one). Have mercy, Oh
Lord of Devas! Oh Abode of the universe!
(XI - 45)
The basis for the
subject in the next chapter is laid in this shlokam. Arjuna ‘saw’ the Formless. But, he could not stay fixed on the abstract,
Formless attribute of the Lord. He
demands Form. Form, obviously gives rise
to duals, beautiful Form and ugly Form, terrific Form and gentle Form, Form
liked by the mind and a Form disliked by the mind. Arjuna asks the Lord to appear in a For. How should the Form be? He describes in the next shlokam.
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किरीटिनं गदिनं चक्रहस्तमिच्छामि त्वां द्रष्टुमहं तथैव ।
तेनैव रूपेण चतुर्भुजेन सहस्रबाहो भव विश्वमूर्ते ॥ ४६ ॥
Diademed, bearing a Mace (Gada) and a Discus (Chakra), Thee
I desire to as before. Assume that same
four-armed Form, Oh Thou of a thousand arms, of universal Form!
(XI - 46)
“You must carry Your Shankh (Conch),
Gada (Mace) and Chakra (Discus). You
must wear Your dazzling Crown on Your head.
You must come in Your Four-armed Form.
Allow me to see you in this Form,” pleads Arjuna. Worship of Form is a powerful system. Inspite of severe propaganda against
Idol-worship, it is not going to fade away.
It is most suitable to man’s nature.
The preachers of Advaita and worship of the abstract were not opposed to
Idol worship. Many of them worshipped a
Form themselves. Aadi Shankara is he most
glorious advocate of Adwaita. He also
stood with folded hands in the Sannidhi of innumerable temples and sang
beautiful hymns in praise of the deity there.
He has even idolized the rivers Ganga, Narmada and Kaveri and sung hymns
on them. Shri Ramkrishna Paramahamsa
talked Vedanta, yet performed worship of Mother Kali till his last breath. Shri Mahaveer and Gautam Buddha rejected
Idols and condemned worship of forms.
Their own disciples turned them into Idols and Buddha Viharas and Jain
temples meant for meditation on the abstract have become temples with Idols of
Gautam Buddha and Mahaveer. I have
visited a few Viharas in Shri Lanka, which have Idols of Mahavishnu, Lakshmi, Ganapati
along with the Idol of Gautam Buddha. Ramaswamy
Naicker indulged lifelong in breaking Idols, slapping the Idols with
broomsticks and insulting Idols by placing garland of shoes on those. Now, his statues all over Tamil Nadu and his
samadhi have become worship sites, worship being conducted not with shoes,
chappals, brooms and hammers but with flowers and scented sticks. You do not want believe! Try to enter the samadhi with your Chappals
and you will know.
-\-
श्री भगवानुवाच -
मया प्रसन्नेन तवार्जुनेदं रूपं परं दर्शितमात्मयोगात् ।
तेजोमयं विश्वमनन्तमाद्यं यन्मे त्वदन्येन न दृष्टपूर्वम् ॥ ४७ ॥
The Blessed Lord said:
Graciously have I shown to thee, Oh Arjuna! this Form supreme, by My own Yogik power,
this resplendent, primeval, infinite, universal Form of Mine, which has not
been seen before by anyone else.
(XI - 47)
As I was pleased I
blessed you with this vision. It was due
to My Grace that you could see Me in this Form.
Without His Grace, our qualification, our devotion, our efforts, etc.
are inept in offering this great vision to us.
His Grace can not be measured. It
is boundless. We bind His Grace by attributing
petty achievements to His Grace. ‘I
enjoyed a great Satsanga due to His Grace’ we have heard some say. His Grace is not to be enjoyed. If enjoyed, anything binds. The seeker has to keep away from Sattvika
pleasures also.
-\-
न वेद यज्ञाध्ययनैर्न दानैर्न च क्रियाभिर्न तपोभिरुग्रैः ।
एवं रूपः शक्य
अहं नृलोके द्रष्टुं त्वदन्येन कुरुप्रवीर ॥ ४८ ॥
Neither by the study of the Veda and Yagnya, nor by gifts,
nor by rituals, nor by severe austerities, am I seen in such Form, in the world
of men, by any other than thee, Oh great hero of the Kurus.
(XI - 48)
Vishva Roopa Darshanam
is impossible by the study of Veda, Yagya and Daana. These are done with an alive ‘I’, with total
faith and reliance on ‘I’. Resolution
that ‘I do’ is predominant in all these.
Arjuna was blessed with Vishva Roopa Darshana by ‘Surrender’ and
devotion. Shri Ramkrishna Paramahamsa
says, “A river could be crossed in two ways.
The one is self effort. Row the
boat yourself. The other involves
waiting. Wait for the favourable
wind. Raise the mast and allow the wind
to carry the boat. The wind filling up
the mast takes the boat”. Arjuna allowed
his boat to be carried by the wind called Shri Krishna. In Yoga Sadhana, one can know self to be the
Paramaatman. One can become Shri Krishna
through the Yoga Sadhana. Gautam Buddha
became Shri Krishna. Mahaveer became
Him. They saw the real Self through
their own resolution and effort.
Becoming an Arjuna may be difficult.
He did not resolve to search for Self.
He merely surrendered at the feet of one who has searched and found out
Self.
-\-
मा ते व्यथा मा च विमूढभावो दृष्ट्वा रूपं घोरमीदृङ्ममेदम् ।
व्यपेतभीः प्रीतमनाः पुबस्त्वं तदेव मे रूपमिदं प्रपश्य ॥ ४९ ॥
Be not afraid nor bewildered, having beheld this Form of
Mine, so terrific. With thy tears
dispelled and with gladdened heart, now see again this (former) Form of Mine.
(XI - 49)
He listens to the prayer
of a devotee. The prayers are
fulfilled. Arjuna’s prayer was listened
to and the Lord changed to Chatur-Bhuja Form.
But, how are our prayers?
Inconsistent, at times, contradictory. A woman prayed for marrage. She wanted, ‘a complete Man, a man like lion,
who would always listen to her words’.
He should be a lion as well as a lamb, appearance like a lion and
behaviour like a lamb! Impossible prayers!
We might have heard the
Russian story. God sanctioned three
boons to a man. He was always
dissatisfied with his nose. He feltit
was out of shape. So he said, “I want
shapely nose on my face and nothing else”.
Instantly, he got noses all around his face. He was bewildered. “No. I
do not want nose”. All the noses
disappeared. There was no nose in his
face. He lost the second boon in
this. He was sad. “Let me have my previous face, as it was
before tou offered those boons”. He
regained his original face. He did not
gain anything, but lost all the three boons.
The Pramaatman is obliging. He
accedes to our Prarthana. Should we
waste the Prarthana, potent enough to fetch us great things by demanding petty
things? ‘No demads’ is the highest
Prarthana.
-\-
सञ्जय उवाच -
इत्यर्जुनं वासुदेवस्तथोक्त्वा स्वकं रूपं दर्शयामास भूयः ।
आश्वासयामास च भीतमेनं भूत्वा पुनः सौम्यवपुर्महात्मा ॥ ५० ॥
Sanjaya said: So
Vasudeva, having thus spoken to Arjuna, showed again His own Form; and the Great-souled One, assuming His gentle
Form, pacified him who was terrified.
(XI - 50)
Sanjaya, who had been
calling Him Paramaatman, calls Him now Mahatman. What is the difference? Paramaatman does not act to our desires. We have to the way He lays for us. The Mahatma comes on our was, to our desire,
if only to enthuse us, console us and inspire us. Mahatma is a more favourable form of the
Paramaatman. There is a sentence in an
old Hebrew book, Abraham Hailis. “God is
not your uncle. He is not nice. God is an earthquake”. One who is prepared to lose self can reach
Him. that is why, Shri Krishn is called
Poorna Avatara, the Complete Avatara. He
was not here only for favourable actions.
Actions not relished by us, not comprehended by us, are also His. Many of His actions give rise to questions,
sometimes embarrassing to us. Yes. He is complete and we are defective. That is the reason for our incomprehension or
embarrassment.
Shri Krishna showed His Chatur-Bhuja
Form, as requeted by Arjuna. Then, He
returned to normal human form. Arjuna is
blessed and fortunate, no doubt. He
enjoyed thick friendship with Shri Krishna in His human form. He saw the Cosmic Viraata Form. He also saw the Chatur-Bhuja Form, difficult
even for the gods to see. He demanded to
see these Forms and shri Krishna smilingly acceded. His simple, transparent and child-like mind
is the reason for this fortune.
The Gyaani and the Yogee
never demand. They accept everything as
it is. They change themselves according
to the need. But, the devotee is not
ready to make slightest change in self.
‘I can not. I am too incapable,
inept and weak’ he says. He demands the
Paramaatman to change. He commands Him
to appear in a desired Form. The
surprise is that the Paramaatman accedes to the devotee’s demand. That is the strength of Love and Devotion.
Shri Tulasidas wrote the
Ramayana in Hindi. He visited Brindavan,
the field of action of Shri Krishna. He
visited the Shri Krishna Temple and saw Shri krishna with His Flute. He demanded the Form of Shri Rama with His
Bow Kodanda. He refused to bow down
unless his demand was met. Shri Krishna
agreed to his demand and appeared before him as Kodanda Rama.
There is Kartha Bhava (I
am the doer) when one says I change myself.
This is subtle ego. Many Yogees
and Gyaanis retain this Sattvika Ahankara.
The devotee is surrendered. He
regards himself as a zero. He feels he
is incapable and impotent of any initiative.
‘You accept me as I am. If there
is a need, You change accordingly’. This
is not an arrogant demand. This is not
based on ego. It is on the other hand
possible due to total surrender.
There lived a Sadhu in
the outskirts of a village. If he was
invited for food, he would say, “I won’t come.
If you wish, you bring the food”.
If the food was brought to him, he would say, “Who will eat this? If you so wish, you feed in my mouth”. The people called him a lunatic and
lazy. Yet, he was forcefully fed now and
then. Once, the village faced severe
draught and scarcity of food. People did
not have enough to eat. They would
neither allow him to die of starving.
They decide to give him a religious burial alive and conveyed the
decision to him. “I will not come. Who will walk all the way to burial
ground? If you want me to be buried, you
carry me there. The people made the
carriage, carried and laid him on the carriage.
He did not say anything. They
carried him on the carriage. On the way,
a landlord of the next village came by.
‘Who is dead?’ he enquired. He
was agitated when he knew the facts. He
announced a donation of grains to feed him the whole year. The people kept the carriage on the ground
and went away. He kept lying there. The landlord came to him and requested him to
return to his place of stay. ‘Who will
walk all the way? Let those who carried
me to this place carry me back”. We also
may call him a lunatic when we read this.
You call him mad, who appears to be lunatic. If he gets angry, he should be mad. If he remains calm, he should be asiddha
purusha.
-\-
अर्जुन उवाच -
दृष्ट्वेदं मानुषं रूपं तव सौम्यं जनार्दन ।
इदानीमस्मि संवृत्तः सचेताः प्रकृतिं गतः ॥ ५१ ॥
Arjuna said: Having
seen this Thy gentle human Form, Oh Janardana, my thoughts are now composed and
I am restored to my nature.
(XI - 51)
We might have read the
life of Prahlada. The Paramaatman took
the form of Narasimha (man with face and arms of a lion) and killed
Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakshipu had a boon
protecting him from death by a man or a beast, by a hand-weapon or missile, on
the ground or in sky. Shri Vishnu took a
Form which was neither man nor beast, carried him on His lap which was neither
ground nor sky, killed him by tearing off his stomach using the sharp nails in
His lion-arms. This was a terrifying
sight. Added to this was His furious
face, furious because of the tortures His devotee Prahlada was subjected to by
Hiranyakashipu. Narasimha was seated
with blood-soaked body of Hiranyakashipu on His lap, blood-dripping from His
drawn out tongue, wearing the long intestine of Hiranyakashipu as garland
around His neck and roaring as lion.
There prevailed a frightening atmosphere there. The heat of His fury spread all around adding
to the discomfiture of Gods around. The
Gods, including Mother Lakshmi, knew Narasimha was a Form of Shri Vishnu. Yet, none of them dared to go near Him. They wanted Him to calm down. The child devotee Prahlada went near Him and
sat on His lap. Narasimha was full of
affection for this child. He calmed down
and started licking Prahlada affectionately on his face.
If such was the plight
of the Gods? Arjuna was a ordinary
human. He says, “I returned to normalcy
after You returned to Your normal human Form.
My fear is gone”.
‘I returned to
normalcy’, says Arjuna. Then, which
state had he been to? Where did he
return from? He had been to a state,
hidden deep within, hitherto unknown to him.
That was not his normal state.
That was a state which burst forth in an extra-ordinary situation. We hear people say, “Did he do this? It is unbelivable” or “Usually, he is not
like this” or “I have never seen him like this.
I do not know where was this personality hidden in him”. We all have the usual face, known to all, in
normal situations. A different face,
unknown to all, unknown even to self, shows up in extra-ordinary
situations. Anyone is put to test only
in extra-ordinary situations. He is a
unique personality who has the same face in all planes.
-\-
श्री भगवानुवाच -
सुदुर्दर्शमिदं रूपं दृष्टवानसि यन्मम ।
देवा अप्यस्य रूपस्य नित्यं दर्शनकांक्षिणः ॥ ५२ ॥
The Blessed Lord said:
Very hard indeed it is to see this Form of Mine which thou hast
seen. Even the Devas ever long to behold
this Form.
(XI - 52)
Sudurdarsham, mentioned
by Shri Krishna is not the Cosmic Form but the Chatur-bhuja Form. This Form is peaceful. It is an expression total Love. The sight of Chaturbhuja Form is rare, very
rare to get. Arjuna requested for it and
Shri Krishna acceded. The impact of a
devastating experience on the psyche is very deep. It is carried for the rest of life. The personality, a combination of thoughts,
speech and action, is affected.
Psychiatrists say chronic headache, stomachache etc. are results of a terrifying
experience. If the impact of the
experience on the psyche is to erased, he must experience a lot of love and
affection. Gujarat suffered an
earthquake on 26th January – 2001.
We, a group of friends visited the affected areas in the third week of
February. We organized games in the
evenings and story-telling and other competitions in the noons. Around thousand children participated in the
drawing competition. Almost eight
hundred drawings had the tri-colour flag, a dead body and a shattered
building. (In fact, we had not suggested
any theme for the competition. We had
merely given white sheets and a set of colour pencils). The deep scar left in the tender minds could
be gauged by us. This disappears in a
few years in course of time or in a
shorter period by showering a lot of love and concern.
Arjuna experienced
tremendous fear on seeing the Viraata Cosmic Form. There could have been many reasons for his
fear. Realization of the truth that the
Paramaatman is the cause of destruction;
Realizing that the enemies will be killed in the battle not by ‘my’
valour and brave fight, but because their death is already destined by the
Paramaatman; Sight of the tormenting
scene of death; etc. This fear has to be
erased from depth of the heart. He
needed a soothing shower of love. He
needed an affectionate hug. That is why,
he was blessed with Chatur-Bhuja darshana.
Man rests assured with a
sense of being protected by the God with the thought that God is many times
more powerful than himself. God with
four arms is born out of this thought.
The love experienced when embraced by four arms should be many times
higher than when embraced by two armed man.
A white friend of mine said, “Your God Forms in temples have beautiful
eyes. They penetrate and cause
inexplicable impact inside me”. I had
never noticed this till then. I asked a
few Sthapatis about the way these idols are cast. (Sculptors casting worldly forms are called
shilpis and those casting Idols of God are Sthapatis). They undertake severe disciplines and austerities
while making Idols. Especially, eyes are
carved with lot of devotion. Eyes are
supposed to be Prana or life of the Idols.
The opening of eyes is very special ritual in installation of Idols in
temples. We expect His eyes to shower
many times more affection and Love on us, than any human eyes can. Arjuna, trembling in fear does not ask for
Shri Krishna’s return to His normal two-armed human form. He requests to see His four-armed
affectionate Form. ‘Neither thousand
armed terrorizing Form, nor two-armed casual form, but four-armed Form with
smiling face, lovely eyes, affectionate and soothing look’. That was the antidote for the fear caused in
his mind.
-\-
नाहं वेदैर्न तपसा न दानेन न चेज्यया ।
शक्य एवंविधो द्रष्टुं दृष्टवानसि मां यथा ॥ ५३ ॥
Neither by Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gifts, nor by
sacrifice can I be seen as thou hast seen Me.
(XI - 53)
‘I can not be seen
through the Vedas’. The ones prejudiced
against the Vedas pleased on hearing Shri Krishna say this. There are two persons. One never entered the school, never learnt
anything. He is soaked in ignorance. The other finished school and college
education and went for further education.
He completed highest level of education.
He realises that he does not know anything, inspite of so much
education. On hearing this, the first
man says, “I knew this. That is why I
never studied. Education is all mere
waste”. He is ignorant. The second man also says he does not know
anything. Are these two equals? Is what the two mean same? The ignorance of the first is due to lack of
any effort, while that of the later is after great effort has been put in and
born out of experience. He realises his
ignorance. He realises futility of all
his education in making him know. The
realisation is due to his humility that what he learnt is nothing and what is
left to be learned is vast. That the
most educated says this does not mean education is waste and unnecessary. He has been able to realise his ignorance
because and after he studied. One who
knows his ignorance is wise and one who regards self as knowledgeable, is the
greatest fool.
We should not take this
as a comment against the Vedas. The
Vedas can fetch us other things, not the Paramaatman. That is the truth and has been corroborated
by Upanishads, integral parts of the Vedas.
Similarly Daana, Tapas, Yagya also are inept in seeing the Paramaatman.
If we think these are
instruments in attaining Him, we probably reduce Him to a matter of
business. ‘I give this much rupees. Give me that object’. That is business. ‘I do this.
Make Yourself visible to me’. Is
the Paramaatman a purchaseable product?
If He is, what will be the cost we can bear to get Him? He is the One who created this huge, infinite
Universe by His mere wish. What can be
the possible cost offered by ‘me’, a speck in this huge, huge universe. That is why He says, ‘this Chaturbhuja Form
is not seen with the help of Vedas or Daana or Tapas or Yagya’.
-\-
भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्य अहं एवं विधोर्जुन ।
ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुञ्च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परन्तप ॥ ५४ ॥
But by the single-minded devotion I may in this Form, be
known, Oh Arjuna! and seen in reality,
and also entered into, Oh scorcher of foes.
(XI - 54)
Shri Krishna mentions
three steps in this shlokam. Gyaatum (to
know); Drashtum (to see); Praveshtum (to reach). The Veda and Dharma Shastra help in
knowing. Self-Introspection, Analytical
thinking and Dhyaana help us to see.
Reaching is achieved by dissolving ‘me’.
Ananya Bhakti is attained by all these three steps together.
Ananya Bhakti is extolled
again and again in the Gita. Anya is
other. Ananya is ‘none other’. Ananya Bhakti on the Paramaatman is devotion
to Him, love for Him, without any thought on anything else. Is ananya bhakti then ‘rejection of wife,
children and worldly relationships, neglect of society, disregard for money and
objects and establishment of absolute devotion to the Paramaatman? Once a friend of mine came to me and said,
“After I listened to your lecture, I knew the body is perishable. Whenever I see my daughter, a thought that ‘she
is bound to die’ comes to my mind. I
develop fear the next moment”. (In olden
days, the disciple was selected after tough trials and tests, only to avoid
such perverted understanding.) “Why do
you look at your daughter? Why not look
at your own body and feel that the body is perishable?” I asked him. Such is the intelligence of humans. He never wants to even glance at his
destruction. He does not like to take
the slightest hint on his own death.
Is this the meaning of
ananya bhakti? Hating the world and
wanting to get Him? Hostility with the
world and friendship and love for Him?
The expectation of Shri Krishna can never be this. The world is born from Him, created by His
Maya. Anyone hating His creation can
never find a spot in His heart. ‘Find
Him in the world. He is the Lover. The object of Love is also His. You remove yourself from the scene. There is necessity to reject wife and
children. Tune your attitude. Now you regard them as ‘mine’. Transform this outlook to ‘They are His
manifested Forms’. Let Love
continue. The 38th shlokam
says ‘He is anantaroopa’. He has
innumerable Forms. Love them as very
forms of the Paraman. That is ananya
bhakti. No hatred towards the
world. No rejection of the world. Love continues but the lover ‘me’ is removed
and the possessive feeling about the loved ones considering them as ‘mine’ is
eliminated.
There is an ahankara or
ego involved in the feeling that ‘I love’ or ‘these are my beloved’. The expectation for favourable response is
born. Disappointment, anger and hatred
grow if the response from the beloveds is not favourable. Now, the Love changes into contempt. But, if
love radiates like flower radiates scent or a tree produces cool shadow, then
love takes the form of bhakti. The
flower never attaches with those who enjoy its smell or the tree does not
resolve to give shadow and shelter only to ‘my’ people who ‘water my
roots’. The flower does not consider the
smell as ‘mine’, neither the tree takes the shadow as ‘mine’. Love showered considering all as His Forms is
Ananya Bhakti.
This seems to be very
difficult. That is why Shri Krishna says
it is almost impossible to see Me. The
Vedas can be studied. Yagyas can be
performed. Toughest austerities can be
practised. But, attaining this sight by
which everything is seen and loved as the Paramaatman, is very difficult and
rare.
-\-
मत्कर्मकृन्मत्परमो मद्भक्त: सङ्गवर्जितः ।
निर्वैरः सर्वभूतेषु यः स मामेति पाण्दव ॥ ५५ ॥
He who does work for Me alone and has Me for his goal, is
devoted to Me, is freed from attachment, and bears enmity towards no creature –
he enters into Me, Oh Pandava.
(XI - 55)
He further elaborates
‘ananya bhakti’ in this shlokam. “Work for Me’; ‘Have Me as your ultimate goal’; ‘detached and without hatred in heart’ such a
devotee is destined to reach Me.”
Whenever He mentions Raaga (attachment) he also mentions dwesha (hatred
or dislike) as these two are twins, opposite faces of the one and the same
coin. One is if the other is. One can not be if the other is not. If anyone says, “I have attachment, I have
likes. But, I do not have an iota of
dislike or hatred for anyone or anything” he is lying. When he expresses like for one object or
person, his dislike for something or some other person is latent. The object being liked by him today may
itself become an object of his hatred tomorrow.
Whom should one work for? It is lowly to work for self, one’s own belly. It is ordinary to work for others, the king,
the job-giver, the government, an organization, society etc. To work for Him is superior. There is story of three sculptors. Three sculptors had been hired by a king to
create statues of elephant to be placed in a majestic temple, proposed to be
built by the king. One worked for his
belly. He is unhappy. He detests the work assigned to him. He hates the king. He hates the chisel in his hands. He curses the stone being carved into
sculpture. He is irritated if the next
person sings in joy. He hates the sun
for showering heat. He even hates his
life, the fate which forced him to this task.
His inner self is filled with hatred, anger and grief.
The second sculptor shapes his
sculpture for the boss or the job-giver.
He desires to receive appreciation and further jobs from the boss. He is anxious. He is restless. He is enthusiastic at times and irritated at
other times.
The third sculptor shapes the
sculpture for the Paramaatman. He is
full of peace, joy, and contentment. The
work is same. The instrument like chisel
is the same. The stone is the same. Sun and other factors around are same. The boss is the same. But, the mind set of the three are different.
What is to be
attained? There are three types here
too. Those who seek and attain objects
are the first type. ‘I have to build my
house’; ‘Buying a vehicle is my goal’; ‘I have to acquire these comfort gadget’;
etc. They are always in discontent and
hence unhappy. They are also in a hurry
and hence restless. This type is
low. The second type are those who have
name, fame, position, etc. as the ultimate goal. They are ready to sacrifice comforts for
achieving that. They live a life of
excited and enthusiastic activity. They
face disappointments. All these for
name, fame, position etc. They are the
ordinary or middle type. The third type
are those who target reaching the Parmatman.
They live a peaceful, contented and joyous life. When we say He is to be reached, it gives a
feeling as if He is somewhere else and has to be reached through our
efforts. He is not somewhere else. He is within us. In fact, our real identity is Him. We have forgotten that and are lost. The moment we realize this, we are one with
Him. The third type live to know this
and are the superior type.
What should be our
object of devotion? It can not be the
world. World can be an object of
attachment and never devotion. We wish
to enslave the world. Gradually, we
ourselves are enslaved by the world.
There can neither be devotion towards the slave in the boss or towards
the boss in the slave. Authority on the
slave and fear for the boss are possible, not devotion. Can there be devotion to ‘self’? One may be plunged in ‘self-praise’ ever
singing the greatness of own qualities, talents, achievements etc. There may be a few cronies around,
benefitting from him, who join in this. But
there are many others in the field singing self-praise. Hence, competition, comparison, jealousy,
haterd, fear etc. become inevitable products.
Where is the space for devotion?
Devotion to a great individual, a noble personality is possible. But, that can not be parmanent and
non-changing. It will erase the moment some
defect, short coming is exposed in him.
He is not permanent. He has to
go. Devotion shrinks or diverts to
someone else or something else after his death.
Permanent Bhakti, Never-deminishing Bhakti, no-expectations Bhakti is
possible only on the Paramaatman.
Actions for Him
(Matkarma), Goal is Him (Matparama), Devotion on Him (Madbhakta) one with such
an attitude is also sanga-vivarjitha and nirvaira (without attachment and
hatred), he will reach Me.
-\-
\
तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासु उपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुन सम्वादे विश्वरूप दर्शन योगो योगो नाम एकादशोsध्यायः ॥
Thus concludes ‘Vishva Roopa Darshana Yog’, the eleventh chapter in the
grand dialogue between Shree Krishna and Arjuna, called the Shreemad Bhagawad
Geetha, which is verily an Upanishad, elaborating on ‘The Divine Knowledge’ and
also describing the ‘Way to Godhood’.
\\\\\ HARIH OM TAT SAT \\\\\
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