Essence of the Geeta - Prof V Krishnamurthy

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, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give in charity, whatever you practise as austerity, O Kaunteya, do it as an offering to Me.

3. Yoga Sādhana or control of the mind and the senses. If I remember right, he quoted Geeta 6-25
शनैः शनैरुपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया |
आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ||६-२५||
shanaiH shanairuparamed.h bud.hdhyaa dhR^itigR^ihiitayaa .
aatmasa.nsthaM manaH kR^itvaa na ki~nchidapi chintayet.h .. 6\-25..
Little by little, let him attain quietude by his intellect held firm; having made the mind established in the Self, let him not think of anything.

4. Brahmabhāva, the constant aspiration to see the One self in all as described by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Geeta 6-29
सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि |
ईक्षते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्र समदर्शनः ||६-२९||
sarvabhuutasthamaatmaanaM sarvabhuutaani chaatmani .
iikShate yogayuktaatmaa sarvatra samadarshanaH .. 6-29..
With the mind harmonised by YOGA he sees the Self abiding in all beings, and all beings in the Self; he sees the same everywhere.

5. Prapatti or surrender. For this, he quoted what is probably the most quoted Geeta verse, 18-66
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज |
अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ||१८-६६||
sarvadharmaanparityajya maamekaM sharaNaM vraja .
ahaM tvaaM sarvapaapebhyo mokShyayishhyaami maa shuchaH .. 18\-66..
Abandoning all DHARMAS, (of the body, mind, and intellect) , take refuge in Me alone; I will liberate thee from all sins; grieve not.

This as a beautiful bird's eye view of the Bhagavad Geeta. The shlokas quoted above are not the only ones that expound these doctrines. We will certainly be seeing these shlokas again.

Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post.

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