Everyday Geeta

October 31, 2011 Another break for glory (to celebrate the Lord's Vibhooti i.e divine glory). Remember, in Geeta 10-41 Sri Krsna says, "Whatever it is that is glorious, prosperous or powerful in any being, know that to be a manifestation of a fraction of My splendour". For me enough said, when I saw the news of 100-year old Fauja Singh completed the Toronto waterfront marathon . Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post.

October 30, 2011 In discussing Bhagavad Geeta chapter 3, Guruji, Swami Tejomayanandaji , often refers to an adage in Samskritam: अमंत्रमक्षरो नास्ति नास्ति मूलमनौषधं । अयोग्य पुरुषो नास्ति योजकस्तत्र दुर्लभः ।। ama.ntramaksharo naasti naasti mUlamanauShadham . ayogya puruSho naasti yojakastatra durlabhah .. There is no alphabet(syllable) that cannot become a mantra, no root that cannot become a medicine. No one is incompetent, only the expert is rare (i.e. who can do make make a mantra of a syllable, a medicine of a root and transform an individual's capability). Many such adages are to be found in Sūktisudhā . This free translation with any attendant errors is entirely mine. Chapter 3 lays out the transformation methodology aka karma yoga. The foundation of karma yoga begins with the understanding that everyone acts based on their likes and dislikes (राग द्वेश). While that appears to be perfectly normal, in life there is a constant tension between what the situation demands of us...

October 26, 2011 शुभ दीपावली | Shubha Deepavali. Happy Diwali. Wishing all readers a very auspicious Deepavali. May the Gītāchārya Śrī Kṛṣṇa shower you with prosperity and joy. My mind today goes to the second shloka of the Gītā Dhyānam. नमोस्तु ते व्यास विशालबुद्धे फुल्लारविन्दायतपत्रनेत्र | येन त्वया भारततैलपूर्णः प्रज्वालितो ज्ञानमयः प्रदीपः || namostu te vyAsa vishAlabuddhe phullAravindAyatapatranetra | yena twayA bhAratatailapUrNaH prajwAlito GYAnamayaH pradIpaH || Salutations unto you, O Vyāsa, of mighty intellect, whose eyes are like the petals of a fully-bloomed lotus, He who lit the lamp of Knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahābhārata. As Pujya Swami Chinmayanandaji says, All other kinds of knowledge that are known to us cannot by themselves be called knowledge since each one of them is limited, conditioned knowledge. Knowledge of physics, knowledge of chemistry, of astrology, of mathematics, none of them is KNOWLEDGE in itself but knowledge of something or the other....

October 24, 2011 Previously, I posted Prof V Krishnamurthy's favorite Geeta shloka. To be fair to him, the Professor was not entirely satisfied. To do justice to the Geeta, he went on to describe the five central doctrines of the Bhagavad Geeta. The foundation of this understanding on Adi Shankaracharya's Geeta Bhashya in the introduction to Chapter 11. Let me be clear that the following is based on my notes and are not direct quotes of what the Professor said. According to what the Professor said at the International Gita Forum held on October 22 in Singapore, the Geeta covers 5 main topics: 1. Karma Yoga as crystallized in Geeta 3-30. See the post the Profesor's favorite verse linked above. 2. Bhakti Yoga as crystallized in Geeta 9-27. यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् | यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ||९-२७|| yatkaroshhi yadashnaasi yajjuhoshhi dadaasi yat.h . yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkurushhva madarpaNam.h .. 9-27.. Whatever you do, whatever you eat, ...

October 23, 2011. At the Singapore Gita Jayanti Krishna Manjari cultural event on October 8, 2011, Shri Makarand Bua Dasi was speaking about the desire of every devotee to have a darśan of the Lord. The real challenge is whether the devotee is capable of seeing the Lord's glory directly. He told a story of Swami Swaroopanandaji of Pawas in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. He was very keen to have darśan of Narāyaṇa. However, when Lord Narāyaṇa appeared before him, Swamiji was blinded by His glory and stayed blind for 28 days. Shri Makarand Buaji said that this explains why Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to bless Arjuna with divya-chakshuh (Geeta 11-8) or divine sight to enable Arjuna to have darśan of the Lord's ViśwarUpa - Cosmic form. In this context, Shri Makarand Buaji quoted a nice couplet by Sant Kabirdas . क्यूँ मेरे बिराग का तुझको मातम है ? क्यूँ मुझे न मिलने का तुझको गम है ? तू देखके क्या करेगा मुझको ? मैं देख रहा हूँ तुझको यह क्या कम है ? kyun mere biraag ka tuhjko maatam hai? kyun mujhe...

October 23, 2011 Continuing, the series on favorite shlokas from various teachers of the Bhagavad Geeta. Here is Professor V. Krishnamurthy , a well known teacher of Vedanta. Prof V Krishnamurthy was the second keynote speaker at the International Gita Forum held on October 22, 2011 as part of the Singapore Gita Jayanti 2011-12 celebrations. He picked 3-30 which we have seen many times on this blog: मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि संन्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा | निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः ||३-३०|| mayi sarvaaNi karmaaNi sa.nnyasyaadhyaatmachetasaa . niraashiirnirmamo bhuutvaa yudhyasva vigatajvaraH .. 3\-30.. Renouncing all actions in Me, with the mind centered on the Self, free from expectation and egoism (ownership) , free from (mental) fever, fight! For other posts on 3-30, click on the following links: 1. Tiger Woods post 2. English football team . Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

October 22, 2011 I am starting a new series where I ask people what their favurite Geeta shloka is. Yesterday, the International Gita Forum was held in Singapore as part of the 2011-12 Gita Jayanti celebrations. During panel discussion, I asked the keynote speakers what their favorite shlokas were. Dr Shankar Abhyankar picked 18-26 as his favorite. I do not have his own translation of it, so I will use my usual source which is Swami Chinmayanandaji's. If I manage to get a direct translation from Dr Abhyankar, I will post that update. मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वितः | सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्विकारः कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ||१८-२६|| muktasaN^go.anaha.nvaadii dhR^ityutsaahasamanvitaH . sid.hdhyasid.hdhyornirvikaaraH kartaa saattvika uchyate .. 18-26.. One who is free from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with firmness and enthusiasm, and unaffected by success or failure, is called a SATTWIC (pure) doer of action. 18-26 According to Dr Abhyankar: If everyone acted in the manner...

October 16, 2011 I have decided to create a regular series of Vibhooti Yoga highlighting photographs or videos of great beauty and power in keeping with Geeta 10-41. यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा | तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम् ||१०-४१|| yadyadvibhuutimatsattvaM shriimaduurjitameva vaa. tattadevaavagachchha tvaM mama tejo.nshasambhavam.h .. 10-41.. "Whatever it is that is glorious, prosperous or powerful in any being, know that to be a manifestation of a fraction of My splendour". So here is my most recent discovery of His Vibhooti. Enjoy ANNAPURNA ELEVATION from warmeye on Vimeo . Having just travelled in the Lahaul and Spiti , this video brought back a lot of personal memories, too. For earlier editions on Lord's glories, click here . Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post.

October 14, 2011 Despite having lived in Mumbai for so many years, I was amazed when a rickshavalla told me that that tourists often wanted to know if stars such as Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan had real houses in Mumbai. Occasionally, some even paid him to drive past their homes despite having no chance of getting a glimpse of their hero. Similarly, when studying the Geeta, it is logical to wonder if the Bhakta (devotee), Jñāni (wise man) or Karmayogi (man of action) as described by Śrī Kṛṣṇa really exist in this world? Arjuna's question in chapter 2 is very direct: "Hey Kṛṣṇa! How do I know such people exist? If they do, tell me how they walk, how they talk, etc?" Take for instance, Geeta 14-25: मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः। सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते।।14.25।। maan-aapamaana-yostulyas-tulyo mitraaripakShayoH . sarvaarambhaparityaagii guNaatiitaH sa uchyate .. 14\-25.. He who is the same in honor and dishonor, the same to friend and foe, and ...

October 8, 2011 Louis René Beres, Professor of Political Science at Purdue University, has an interesting post titled "A Core Anxiety: Fear and trembling on the social networks" . (I first a reference to this on Andrew Sullivan's Dish ). Some quotes that caught my attention: “Look at me, please,” is the unspoken but desperate cry of the public talker, or “texter,” or “Twitterer.” I am here. I am important. I have human connections. I count for something. I am not (heaven forbid) unpopular.” There exists a universal human wish to remain unaware of oneself. But this subversive hope always leads individuals to stray dangerously from their true personhood, and toward the deceptively available  security of the "herd". Sometimes, when a terror gang and a sports team effectively become competitors for group loyalty, any herd will do. Nothing important, in science or industry or art or music or literature or medicine or philosophy, can ever take place without some lone...

October 6, 2011 Vijayadashami! Happy Dussehra to all. शुभं भूयात् । I know I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. Last year on the occasion of Gita Jayanti celebrations in Singapore, I had submitted the following article for publication in the Gīta Vāṇī publication that the Gita Jayanti committee brings out. BTW, for those of you in Singapore, there is still plenty happening for this year's celebration. Please click on the Gita Jayanti Singapore link to discover for yourselves. Public talks on the Bhagavad Geeta rarely focus a lot on the 1st chapter of the dialog between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Yet, for the student of the Geeta, we gain an understanding of the transforming power of Śrī Kṛṣṇa‘s teaching, only when we digest the implications of what transpired in Chapter 1. Recall the background that led the Pāṇḍava and Kaurava armies to the battlefield in Kurukṣetra. Having lost the second game of dice, the Pāṇḍavās had spent the required 12 years in exile, followed by a year livi...