REFLECT on your true nature this Year: Happy Deepavali

Wishing You And Your Family A Very Happy Deepavali And

A Peaceful & Prosperous New Year

(Note: Gujarati New Year will be V.S. 2071 on 24th Oct 2014. For other states, year is celebrated on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada  Most Lunar calendars start the year on Shukla Paksha Pratipada during Chaitra month (March – April). In 2014, the Nav Samvat begins on March 31. This day is celebrated as Gudi Padwa and Yugadi. The New Year is first day after the Amavasi (No moon) in the month of Chaitra.

However in Gujarat New Year starts on Shukla Paksha Pratipada in month of Kartik.)

 Reflection

Deepavali is the celebration of victory of good over evil.

‘Good’ represents, sattva guNa, sAttvika qualities like dayA (compassion), prema (divine love), tyAga (renunciation), etc and all activities related to sattva guNa and light i.e. knowledge (of Self).

Evil represents tAmasika guNa and it’s qualities like revengeful attitude, lazyness, ignorance (of knowledge of truth), etc. 

rajasa guNa represents activity, glory, and vikshepa Sakti (mental agitation)

Each year, we get an opportunity to reflect upon our past actions and accordingly take necessary action so as not to repeat mistakes. It is about starting fresh life.

bhagavad gItA is one of the most revered scriptures for us. Sri Abhinavagupta, a great and unique Saiva AcArya has written a unique commentary on bhagavad gItA. The commentary directly asks one to look within. It is in the commentary of Sri Abhinavagupta ji that we find symbolic interpretation in the first verse itself.

Note: Adi SankacAcArya ji has commented on gItA from chapter 2, verse 10 i.e. BG 2.10. This is because the chapter 1 is all about creating a background, calledas pUrvabhumikA. gItA starts with BG 2.7, as it is in this verse arjuna accepts bhagavAn Sri kruShNa. bhagavAn accepts arjuna as his disciple and begins giving his updeSa from BG 2.10. Hence Adi SankarAcArya ji has start his commentary from BG 2.10, though he has covered earlier verses in brief.

Since symbolic interpretation can be used even today to turn introvert and apply the teachings in our daily life, let’s have a look at BG 1.1, BG 6.5-6 of bhagavad gItA in brief.

• Kuru-kshetra, a battlefield, is our own mind.
• Kaurava-s are ignorant qualities like, hatred, jealousy, etc and attachment to perishable objects and person with a sense of attachment like ‘me’ and ‘mine’
• pAnDava-s are positive qualities like love, compassion, etc and will to overcome negative qualities.
• druTrAShTra is represented as a blind man, meaning our ignorance towards Atman / Brahman and false attachment towards objects and loved words. Since we are all ‘blinded by attachment - ‘me’ and ‘mine’, gItA begins with the blind king.

The summary of Adi SankarAcArya ji’s commentary on two verses BG 6.5-6 can be:

Mind is one’s own enemy and friend. Mind with sAttvika (divine) qualities is a friend and an obedient servant, while a mind filled with lower, negative thoughts and emotions is one’s greatest enemy. Anyone else who is an external harmful enemy, even he is of one's own making! [This is because of perception and our own way of judgment of a particular person and incident.]. One who has conquered with 5 senses, that mind is the friend, while the one who’s mind is a slave of senses is an enemy of himself.

As an enemy, who is different from oneself, does harm to oneself, similarly one's self behaves like an enemy to oneself. This is the meaning. If the body and organs are under control, they are helpful in concentrating one's mind on the Self; but, if they are not under control, they oppose this concentration.

[Note, The word ‘AtmA’ (Self) is taken as ‘mana’ (mind) when it is taking about controlling one own self and self with good and / or bad qualities. Real Self cannot be controlled, as it is the one and only one reality]

Gita begins with a blind king and ends with Arjuna’s recalling of Self i.e. knowing the true nature of Self. Our journey too is from that of being attached (blinded by objects and loved ones) to becoming a disciple and then realizing our True nature i.e. becoming a GYAnI by the grace of ISvara and guru.

This article is purposefully published early so that one can

Reflect ... On Your True Identity

Story: Once, mother tigress died immediately after giving birth to a cub while pouncing on sheep. Cub grew among sheep heard and thought himself to be a sheep. He started eating grass and became a vegetarian. Once a tiger saw a cub behaving like a sheep. Tiger grabbed him and show his face in a pond and said that your face matched with 'Me', the tiger, and not with the Sheep. Immediately, Tiger realized his 'true' nature and started living like a 'Tiger'.

Let the lamp of knowledge ever ignite in our hearts is my prayer from the bottom of my heart

Reflect ...

Overcome negative qualities That Stop Your Spiritual Progress ...

Realize Your True Nature

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Verses explained in detail: (can be skipped)

मूल स्लोकः

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच

धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः।

मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय।।1.1।।

English translation by Swami Gambhirananda

1.1. Dhrtarastra said -- O Sanjaya, what did my sons (and others) and Pandu's sons (and others) actually do when, eager for battle, they assembled on the sacred field, the Kuruksetra (Field of the Kurus123)?

Sanskrit commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta

धर्मक्षेत्र इति। अत्र केचित् व्याख्याविकल्पमाहुः -- कुरूणां करणानां यत् क्षेत्रमनुग्राहकं अतएव सांसारिकधर्माणां (S सांसारिकत्वधर्माणां) सर्वेषां क्षेत्रम् उत्पत्तिनिमित्तत्वात्। 'अयं स परमो धर्मो यद्योगेनात्मदर्शनम्' (या. स्मृ. I, 8) इत्यस्य च धर्मस्य क्षेत्रम्; समस्तधर्माणां क्षयात् अपवर्गप्राप्त्या त्राणभूतं तदधिकारिशरीरम्। सर्वक्षत्राणां, क्षदेः हिंसार्थत्वात्, परस्परं वध्यघातकभावेन (S परस्परवध्य -- ) वर्तमानानां रागवैराग्यक्रोधक्षमाप्रभृतीनां समागमो यत्र, तस्मिन् स्थिता ये मामका अविद्यापुरुषोचिता अविद्यामयाः संकल्पाः; पाण्डवाः शुद्धविद्यापुरुषोचिता विद्यात्मानः; ते किमकुर्वत? कैः खलु के जिताः? इति। मामकः अविद्यापुरुषः; पाण्डुः, शुद्धः ।।1.1।।

 

English translation by Dr. S Sankaranarayan (on Sri Abhinavagupta's Sanskrit Commentary)

1.1 Dharmaksetre etc. Here some authors offer a different explanation as -Kuruksetra : the man's body is the ksetra i.e., the facilitator, of the kurus, i.e., the sense-organs. The same is the field of all worldly duties, since it is the cause of their birth; which is also the field of the righteous act that has been described as :

'This is the highest righteous act viz., to realise the Self by means of the Yoga';

and which is the protector [of the embodied Self] by achieving emancipation [by means of this], through the destruction of all duties. It is the location where there is the confrontation among all ‘ksatras’, the murderous ones-because the root ‘ksad’ means 'to kill' - viz, passion and asceticism, wrath and forbearance, and others that stand in the mutual relationship of the slayer and the slain. Those that exist in it are the ‘mamakas’ i.e., the intentions that are worthy of man of ignorance and are the products of ignorance-and those that are born of Pandu: i.e., the intentions, of which the soul is the very knowledge itself and which are worthy of persons of pure knowledge. What did they do? In other words, which were vanquished by what? Mamaka : a man of ignorance as he utters always 'mine'. Pandu : the pure one.

 

We can have a look at BG 6.5 and BG 6.6. Sri Abhinavagupta ji has given a combined commentary on two verses

मूल स्लोकः

उद्धरेदात्मनाऽऽत्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्।

आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः।।6.5।।

English translation by Swami Gambhirananda

6.5 One should save oneself by oneself; one should not lower oneself. For oneself is verily one's own friend; oneself is verily one's own enemy.

मूल स्लोकः

बन्धुरात्माऽऽत्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः।

अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत्।।6.6।।

English translation by Swami Gambhirananda

6.6 Of him, by whom has been conquered his very self by the self, his self is the friend of his self. But, for one who has not conquered his self, his self itself acts inimically like an enemy.

 

Sanskrit commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta

अस्यां च बुद्धौ अवश्यमेवावधेयमित्याह -- उद्धरेदिति। बन्धुरिति। अत्र च नान्य उपायः, अपि तु आत्मैव, मन एवेत्यर्थः। जितं हि मनो मित्रं घोरतरसंसारोद्धरणं करोति; अजितं तु तीव्रनिरयपातनात् शत्रुत्वं कुरुते ।।6.5 -- 6.6।।

 

English translation by Dr. S Sankaranarayan (on Sri Abhinavagupta's Sanskrit Commentary)

6.5-6 Uddharet etc. Bandhuh etc. In this path there is no other means excepting the self i.e. nothing but one's mind. Indeed the subdued mind is a friend and it lifts up the Self from the highly dreadful cycle of birth and death. But the unsubdued one does the act of enmity as it throws the Self down in the horrible hell. The characteristic mark of the subdued-minded man is this :

 

Adi SankarAcArya ji also agrees with Sri Abhinavagupta . Lets see commentaries on BG 6.5 and BG 6.6.

 

Sanskrit commentary by Sri Sankaracharya

-- उद्धरेत् संसारसागरे निमग्नम् आत्मना आत्मानं ततः उत् ऊर्ध्वं हरेत् उद्धरेत्, योगारूढतामापादयेदित्यर्थः। न आत्मानम् अवसादयेत् न अधः नयेत्, न अधः गमयेत्। आत्मैव हि यस्मात् आत्मनः बन्धुः। न हि अन्यः कश्चित् बन्धुः, यः संसारमुक्तये भवति। बन्धुरपि तावत् मोक्षं प्रति प्रतिकूल एव, स्नेहादिबन्धनायतनत्वात्। तस्मात् युक्तमवधारणम् 'आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुः' इति। आत्मैव रिपुः शत्रुः। यः अन्यः अपकारी बाह्यः शत्रुः सोऽपि आत्मप्रयुक्त एवेति युक्तमेव अवधारणम् 'आत्मैव रिपुरात्मनः' इति।।आत्मैव बन्धुः आत्मैव रिपुः आत्मनः इत्युक्तम्। तत्र किंलक्षण आत्मा आत्मनो बन्धुः, किंलक्षणो वा आत्मा आत्मनो रिपुः इत्युच्यते -- ।।6.5।।

 

English translation by Swami Gambhirananda (on Sri Sankaracharya's Sanskrit Commentary)

6.5 one should save oneself sunk in the sea of the world by oneself; one should save,  should uplift (oneself) from that, i.e. make it attain the state of being established in Yoga.  one should not lower, debase; oneself. for oneself is verily one's own friend. Certainly there is no other friend who can bring about liberation from this world. In fact, even a friend is an obstacle to Liberation, he being the source of such bondages as love etc. Therefore the emphatic statement, 'For one is one's own friend, is justifiable. oneself verily is one's own enemy. Anyone else who is an external harmful enemy, even he is of one's own making! Therefore the firm conclusion, 'oneself verily is one's own enemy's is reasonable. It has been said that 'oneself is verily one's own friend, oneself verily is one's own enemy.' As to that, (the self) has this additional word, ‘atma’, self. of what kind is one's own friend, or (the self) of what kind is one's own enemy? This is being answered:

 

Sanskrit commentary by Sri Sankaracharya

-- बन्धुः आत्मा आत्मनः तस्य, तस्य आत्मनः स आत्मा बन्धुः येन आत्मना आत्मैव जितः, आत्मा कार्यकरणसंघातो येन वशीकृतः, जितेन्द्रिय इत्यर्थः। अनात्मनस्तु अजितात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे शत्रुभावे वर्तेत आत्मैव शत्रुवत्, यथा अनात्मा शत्रुः आत्मनः अपकारी, तथा आत्मा आत्मन अपकारे वर्तेत इत्यर्थः। ।।6.6।।

 

English translation by Swami Gambhirananda (on Sri Sankaracharya's Sanskrit Commentary)

6.6 of him; by whom, has been conquered, subdued; his very self, the aggregate of body and organs; that atma, self {here atma is to be taken as mind}; is the friend of his self. The idea is that he is a conqueror of his senses. but for one who has not conquered his self, who has no self-control, his self itself acts like an enemy, inimically, with the attitude of an enemy. As an enemy, who is different from oneself, does harm to oneself, similarly one's self behaves like an enemy to oneself. This is the meaning. If the body and organs are under control, they are helpful in concentrating one's mind on the Self; but, if they are not under control, they oppose this concentration.

 

Let’s begin our journey by taking an appointment with our own mind and take necessary steps so as to progress spiritually.

 

Reflect ... On Your True Self

Reflect And Realize … 

॥ ज्ञनदेव तु कैवल्यम् ॥