Bhagwad Gita - Post 115

Verse 1

Sri Bhagavaan Uvaacha:

Bhooya eva mahaabaaho

Shrinu me paramam vachah;

Yatte’ham preeyamaanaaya

Vakshyaami hitakaamyayaa.

The Blessed Lord said:

Again, O mighty-armed Arjuna, listen to My supreme word which I shall declare to thee who art beloved, for thy welfare!

Verse 2

Na me viduh suraganaah

Prabhavam na maharshayah;

Ahamaadirhi devaanaam

Maharsheenaam cha sarvashah.

Neither the hosts of the gods nor the great sages know My origin; for, in every way I am the source of all the gods and the great sages.

Verse 3

Yo maamajamanaadim cha

Vetti lokamaheshwaram;

Asammoodhah sa martyeshu

Sarvapaapaih pramuchyate.

He who knows Me as unborn and beginningless, as the great Lord of the worlds, he, among mortals, is undeluded; he is liberated from all sins.

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.

Verse 6

Maharshayah sapta poorve

Chatwaaro manavastathaa;

Madbhaavaa maanasaa jaataa

Yeshaam loka imaah prajaah.

The seven great sages, the ancient four and also the Manus, possessed of powers like Me (on account of their minds being fixed on Me), were born of (My) mind; from them are these creatures born in this world.

Verse 7

Etaam vibhootim yogam cha

Mama yo vetti tattwatah;

So’vikampena yogena

Yujyate naatra samshayah.

He who in truth knows these manifold manifestations of My Being and (this) Yoga-power of Mine, becomes established in the unshakeable Yoga; there is no doubt about it.

Verse 8

Aham sarvasya prabhavo

Mattah sarvam pravartate;

Iti matwaa bhajante

Maam budhaa bhaavasamanvitaah.

I am the source of all; from Me everything evolves; understanding thus, the wise, endowed with meditation, worship Me.

Verse 9

Macchittaa madgatapraanaa

Bodhayantah parasparam;

Kathayantashcha maam nityam

Tushyanti cha ramanti cha.

With their minds and lives entirely absorbed in Me, enlightening each other and always speaking of Me, they are satisfied and delighted.

Verse 10

Teshaam satatayuktaanaam

Bhajataam preetipoorvakam;

Dadaami buddhiyogam

Tam yena maamupayaanti te.

To them who are ever steadfast, worshipping Me with love, I give the Yoga of discrimination by which they come to Me.

Verse 11

Teshaam evaanukampaartham

Aham ajnaanajam tamah;

Naashayaamyaatmabhaavastho

Jnaanadeepena bhaaswataa.

Out of mere compassion for them, I, dwelling within their Self, destroy the darkness born of ignorance by the luminous lamp of knowledge.

Verse 12

Arjuna Uvaacha:

Param brahma param dhaama

Pavitram paramam bhavaan;

Purusham shaashvatam divyam

Aadidevamajam vibhum.

Arjuna said:

Thou art the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode (or the supreme light), the supreme purifier, the eternal, divine Person, the primeval God, unborn and omnipresent.

Verse 13

Aahustwaam rishayah sarve Devarshirnaaradastathaa;

Asito devalo vyaasah

Swayam chaiva braveeshi me.

All the sages have thus declared Thee, as also the divine sage Narada; so also Asita, Devala and Vyasa; and now Thou Thyself sayest so to me.

Verse 14

Sarvametadritam manye

Yanmaam vadasi keshava;

Na hi te bhagavan vyaktim

Vidurdevaa na daanavaah.

I believe all this that Thou sayest to me as true, O Krishna! Verily, O blessed Lord, neither the gods nor the demons know Thy manifestation (origin)!

Continued...

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 114

THE YOGA OF THE DIVINE GLORIES

Summary of Tenth Discourse

In the Tenth Chapter we go further, to a greater emphasis of the immanence of God — not God coming sometimes when we are in a state of distress, not a God who provides us with what we need when we need it, but God perpetually residing in all things which are the glories of this world.

God is both beauty and grandeur. Mostly, religions do not consider God as a beautiful person; there is no emphasis on that.  Religions prescribe fatherhood of God, thus keep God far away from us, to be respected, to be feared. So, we always fear God and we think that He has to be respected because of His power and His capacity to punish us. 

We do not embrace God as if He is a beautiful, beloved thing. 

Sakshan manmathamanmathah (S.B. 10.32.2) is a term used in the Bhagawata: “He is the cupid of cupids, the beauty of beauties.” Even if the essences of all the beautiful things in the world—the quintessence of the most beautiful things, human or otherwise, whatever they be—are taken together, it will not stand before the beauty of God. It is very unfortunate that God should be regarded only as a terror, as a justice, and as a fearful person. He is the most enchanting. 

The enchanting, beautiful character of God is especially brought into high relief in the life of Bhagawan Sri Krishna, who is the might of mights, the power of powers, and represents the fatherhood of God in this tremendous incarnation as the height of yogic ecstasy and power; and yet, he was the beauty of beauties. 

The Bhagawata Purana and the Mahabharata also describe Bhagavan Sri Krishna as an incarnation of God, and they remove the partial notion of God as only a father who is merely just and legal in His attitude, rather than compassionate and friendly. 

The friendliness of God, the power of God, the transcendence of God, the superiority of God, the beauty of God, the enchanting capacity of God, the tremendous attraction that He exerts upon us is delineated in Bhagawan Sri Krishna, who is the full incarnation of God. 

Bhakta asks- “Where are You actually present in this world, O Lord? You said that You are in all things. Are You in an atom? Are You in a dustbin? Are You in a tree? Are You in a stone? Where are You?” 

Lord responds- “I am in everything, no doubt, yet My presence can be especially felt in certain exalted manifestations.” Towards that description we are entering the most glorious chapter, the Tenth—where Sri Bhagavan Himself starts speaking without Arjuna raising a question. “I shall speak to you further about My glories and My supernal greatness.”

Krishna tells Arjuna that even the Devas and highly evolved souls fail to understand how He projects Himself as the universe and all its manifestations. He goes on to describe the various qualities that beings manifest according to their Karmas. All these qualities—wisdom, truth, contentment, etc.—originate from Him.

Arjuna accepts the descent of the Supreme in a human form but wishes to know from the Lord Himself His Cosmic powers by means of which He controls the diverse forces of the universe.

The true devotees of the Lord are wholly absorbed in Him. They have completely surrendered to Him and through single-minded devotion they are granted the power of discrimination, the discrimination that leads them from the unreal to the Real. Krishna emphatically declares that ignorance is destroyed, and knowledge gained through Divine Grace alone.

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 113

Patram pushpam phalam toyam

Yo me bhaktyaa prayacchati;

Tadaham bhaktyupahritam
Ashnaami Prayataatmanah.

Whoever offers Me with devotion and a pure mind (heart), a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water—I accept (this offering).

“I shall be easily pleased. My worship is not difficult.” We do not require large assets to please God. The samarpana or the naivedya that we have to offer to God is simple.

“You can offer a leaf; I shall be satisfied. You can offer a single flower; I shall be satisfied. You can offer Me a spoon of water with devotion to Me, I am fully satisfied with it. But it has to be offered with devotion.” What is offered is not of consequence in the eye of God.

The bhava, or the feeling, or the mode, or the attitude with which it is offered is what counts. God does not want anything from us — not large estates, not many kinds of delicacies. God has enough of these in His Vaikuntha, in His Kailasa, in His Brahmaloka. These are not going to be the means of His satisfaction. But if our heart is there, then of course He will accept it. If our heart is not there, the offering is devitalized.

Devitalized offerings are not accepted. And, finally, the vitality comes from us only. If we offer ourselves, that shall be the greatest pleasure to God. If we offer something that is dear to us, that is also a pleasure to God, but a lesser pleasure. But if we offer something that is not dear to us—an old coin or a torn note—that is not going to satisfy God because He knows our feelings, our motives. Even before we think, He knows what we are going to think. So, no deception, no trick, can be played here. “I am simple and accessible in a very, very easy manner.”

It is said that Arjuna and Bhima were worshipping Lord Siva. Arjuna was collecting tons and tons of bilva leaves and offering mountains of these leaves to Lord Siva in worship.

Bhima was also worshipping Lord Siva, but he did it only in his mind. He had no physical leaf and did not bring anything from the forest to offer to Lord Siva. One day, it seems, Arjuna and Bhima were taken to Kailasa for some reason.

They saw cartloads and cartloads of bilva leaves being brought by the ganas of Siva, and they were poured at his feet. And some people were also bringing little handfuls of leaves and throwing them.

Arjuna asked, “Who are these people who are bringing little bunches of leaves and offering them, and who are these who are offering cartloads?”

“That little bit is what has been offered by Arjuna, and the cartloads are the offerings of Bhima,” they said.

“Bhima? He never does any worship,” said Arjuna.

“He has done the worship, and Lord Siva is pleased,” they replied.

Bhima offered cartloads because his mind was there; and Arjuna offered a little bit because it was a physical offering.

Sri Hari Bhakti Vilas states:

Tulasī-dala-mātreṇa

Jalasya chulukena cha

Vikrīṇīte svam ātmānaṁ

Bhaktebhyo Bhakta-vatsalaḥ

(11.261)

“If you offer God with sincere love, just a Tulsī leaf and as much water as you can hold in your palm, He will offer Himself to you in return because He is endeared by love.”  

How wonderful it is that the Supreme Master of unlimited universes, whose glorious qualities and virtues are amazing beyond description, and by whose mere thought multitudes of universes come into existence and disappear again, accepts even the most humble offering of His devotee that is given with genuine love.  

The word used here is prayatātmanaḥ, implying, “I accept the offerings of those whose hearts are pure.” I am easily satisfied if it is offered to Me with devotion. Because you have come to Me with an utter spirit of self-surrender, I shall accept what you give — even a spoon of water or a leaf, or even a thought. I shall be happy even with the thought of your surrender to Me. Forget the leaves, etc.; even the idea is sufficient for Me. Your love for Me is enough for Me, and I know that your heart is for Me, and I shall take care of you.”

Devotees may recall author's talk on a  Samarpan bhajan “Tumhe Namaskar Baba” in which there is an expression “Prem Dakshina Sweekaaro Bhagwan”.

All other offerings are also accepted by Lord, but with a smile as though telling us, “These are all given by me to you, this entire creation has sprung out of me, so you are offering that which I have given you?”. 

But when we offer ourselves with a pure heart filled with love, Prem Dakshina, Lord is pleased and whispers, “There you are, you are offering yourselves to me and not anything other than you, for, you are Love and I am just Love and You have offered yourself as Love , in love, through love, to me, I accept and I bless you”!!

Love.