Saturday, November 23, 2019

Bhagwad Gita - Post 120


Verse 4

Buddhir jnaanamasammohah
Kshamaa satyam damah shamah;
Sukham duhkham bhavo’bhaavo
Bhayam chaabhayameva cha.

Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, truth, self-restraint, calmness, happiness, pain, birth or existence, death or non-existence, fear and also fearlessness.

Verse 5 

Ahimsaa samataa tushtistapo
Daanam yasho’yashah;
Bhavanti bhaavaa bhootaanaam
Matta eva prithagvidhaah.

Non-injury, equanimity, contentment, austerity, fame, beneficence, ill-fame—(these)different kinds of qualities of beings arise from Me alone.

In these two verses, Lord Krishna continues to confirm His Supreme Lordship and absolute dominion over all that exists in creation. Here, he mentions twenty emotions that manifest in a variety of degrees and combinations in different people to form the individual fabric of human nature. He declares that the various moods, temperaments, and dispositions of humankind all emanate from him.

Buddhi is the ability to analyze things in their proper perspective.

Jñānam is the ability to discriminate spiritual from material.

Asammoham is the absence of confusion.

Khamā is the ability to forgive those who have harmed us.

Satyam is the veracity to declare the truth for the benefit of all.

Dam means restraining the senses from the sense objects.

Śham is restraint and control of the mind.

Sukham is the emotion of joy and delight.

Dukham is the emotion of sorrow and affliction.

Bhava is the perception of one’s existence “I am.”

Abhāva is the experience of death.

Bhaya is the fear of oncoming difficulties.

Abhaya is freedom from fear.

Ahinsā is abstinence from harming any being through word, deed, or thought.

Samatā is equanimity in good and bad situations.

Tuhi is feeling content in whatever comes by ones karma.

Tapa is voluntary austerities for spiritual benefit, in accordance with the Vedas.

Dān is giving in charity to one who is worthy.

Yaśh is fame arising from possessing good qualities.

Ayaśh is infamy for possessing bad qualities.

Sri Krishna concludes this topic by asserting that all of these qualities are generated in us by none other than Easwara. However, there is a set of rules that govern the creation of these qualities. It does not happen randomly or in an ad-hoc manner. It is our karma or actions that determine which qualities or states will arise within us. 

These qualities are almost a complete classification of the entire world-of-beings and their fields of experiences, and therefore, as Sankara observes, we can consider these two stanzas as an exhaustive commentary upon the Self's status as the Lord of the worlds (Sarva-loka-maheshwarah).

Love.