Bhagwad Gita - Post 198

Having declared about the great qualities of a human being, now, the Lord proceeds to list down qualities of those who are exactly opposite to the men having the great qualities, as explained in the 3 earlier verses.

Verse 4

  

Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit, harshness and also anger and ignorance, belong to one who is born in a demoniacal state, O Arjuna!

Dambhaḥ is putting on a show—making a show of that which is really not there. 

Dambhaḥ is a show of something which is not there, that is, Hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy is, certainly, one of the cheapest poses assumed by the vicious. To them, all their superficial glow of goodness and purity, of religiosity and sincerity are but attractive hoods to cover their deadly motives and ugly intentions.

These are men who are not endowed with Trikarana Shuddhi.

They think something, speak something else and act in a totally different way.

Darpaḥ is pride over something which is already there. So, either way there is some show. The only difference is that in one case there is nothing and in the other case there is something, but it is a big demonstration, adumbration and advertisement of one’s great importance. 

It is difficult to sometimes understand, which one of these qualities come first in such beings. 

They exhibit hypocrisy because they have pride or the inner pride makes them Hypocrites?

Abhimāna is being intensely self-conscious, always thinking of oneself, always looking in the mirror, being fond of oneself, and imagining that all people are thinking of us only, while nobody is thinking of us. 

This arises out of the basic ignorance, Avidya, ignorance about one’s true nature as SELF.

Man forgets he is divine, so, it must follow that he is a human being with a body, with a mind, with an intellect.

Whatever he thinks himself to be, it is but natural that he is conscious about that identity and goes out of way to nurture and cherish that identity. 

Krodhaḥ is anger. Lord has given the qualities in such a manner that one obviously leads to the other.

When  a self-conceited, arrogant, hypocrite, conscious and thinking always about one’s physical identity, one’s own preferences, likes, dislikes etc., when he  looks at the world around him and whenever he finds that the world's estimate of him is different from his own estimate of himself, he revolts within and hence his wrath (Krodha) at everything around him.

Pāruṣyam is cruelty, a cruel nature. We feel very happy at the suffering of other people. Even if we do not actually commit an act of cruelty, we would like it to be committed by somebody else. Or if we ourselves do it, it is still better. 

Needless to say, it is the combination of all earlier qualities that makes a man cruel by nature. 

Anger follows from conscious about one’s physical identity or ego, when the society or a part of society does not accept our nature.

And, to those who do not accept us the way we have understood ourselves to be, cruelty crops in. We tend to inflict cruel acts directly on those who condemn our ego, our nature or, if that is not possible, we show our cruelty to some other beings who have to helplessly accept our cruel nature. If they do not get human beings, they go the extent of being cruel even to the horses/cows etc. which they maintain at their place. 

Ajñānaṁ means ignorance, which is the basis of all topsy-turvy perception of things and wrong evaluation of the world—a lack of spiritual knowledge. 

He knows not himself, that he is ignorant of the scheme of the world around him, and consequently, he is blind to the right relationship that he should maintain with the world around him. 

This ignorance of oneself and one's relationship with the things and beings around is the secret cause that generally forces one to revolt against the environments and act quixotically.

These are qualities of human beings who behave like demons, a pain-giver, killer, exploiter and destroyer. The good qualities and the undivine qualities are, therefore, characterizations of human beings. 

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 197

Verse 3

  

Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride — these belong to one born in a divine state, O Arjuna!

Tejaḥ is vigor, energy, strength, and not a drooping spirit. This is the quality of tejas, or energy, vigor, capacity to work. 

An indefatigable frame of the body and mind will automatically come to us as a consequence of following the other qualities mentioned earlier. 

Kṣama is fortitude. We do not try to wreak vengeance on someone who has committed some mistake, and do not go on thinking of one mistake that a person has committed even though that person may have hundreds of good qualities. 

Generally, the evil that men do, lives after them; the good is often buried with their bones. This is not to be our attitude.

A hundred sacrifices a person has made, and for twenty years that person has served us, but one day he does something which is very displeasing and we remember only that, and not the twenty years of service. 

We must have a forgiving attitude, because who has absolutely no fault? “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us” is a very touching line in the Lord’s Prayer. 

Dhṛtiḥ is determination to achieve our goal, and never slacken our effort, and be decided in our mind that, “Perhaps this is the last birth of mine. Why should it not be the last birth, when I have put forth all my energy and I honestly strive for the attainment of God Almighty? 

I have no defect in my mind. I have no greed. I don’t harm anybody. To my mind, there is nothing wrong. Therefore, God should be kind to me. I shall realize God in this birth.”

If this kind of determination is there, something really worthwhile may take place one day, perhaps in this life itself. 

Śaucam is purity. We know much about it—external purity and internal purity. I need not go on harping on this subject. 

It refers to both internal and external purity. Virtuous people believe in maintaining external cleanliness because it is conducive to internal purity.

Or can we say that their internal purity gets manifested in external purity sustained by them in the environment they are in?? 

Adrohaḥ is never committing blunders in respect of ourselves or of others. This blundering and floundering habit is due to the preponderance of rajoguna, which keeps us restless always and never allows us to concentrate on anything. 

Nātimānitā is never expecting too much regard and respect from people. 

It is said that Sri Rama respected other people first; and if other people did not speak, he would speak first. He would not have the attitude: “Why should I speak first? Let the other person speak first.” Rama would speak first. 

Swami Krishnananda ji recalls that his master Swami

Sivanandaji Maharaj was like that. If a person did not touch his feet, he would touch that man’s feet. People would be horrified. “Maharaj! You are touching the feet of that person?” 

He would speak first. “How are you? Acche hain maharaj? Theek hai?” (Sivanandaji used to address all beings as Maharaj or such names with reverence).

Even if that person did not speak a word, he would

immediately start a conversation: “How are you?” That man would be very highly pleased, and start speaking to him. So do not ask for respect. Give respect to others. 

We are fit to take the name of God only if we give respect to everybody and do not expect any respect for our own self. 

“These are the great qualities, O Arjuna, that may be called divine, gracious, noble, superb.”

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 196

Verse 2

Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion towards beings, un-covetousness, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness.

Ahiṁsa is the extending of harmlessness and fearlessness to all living beings. No injury can come from us, and no living being need fear us. We are a source of fearlessness, harmlessness; this is ahiṁsa. 

It does not consist so much in not causing bodily injury to beings in the physical world, as in not harming any living creature in the world around from the realm of thought. 

Real Ahimsa means, even in unavoidable disturbances around ourselves, if our motives are pure and clean, any of our actions taken in such a situation which is required, then we are still practicing Ahimsa.

As the Head of Organization, when someone had to take strict action of dismissing a staff who had indulged in activity in the organization which was against the interest of the organization and proved absence of integrity,  that staff has to be  dismissed, no doubt, but  the head of the organization calls the staff  to his private chamber  when the staff was about to leave, and much to the surprise of that staff,  the staff was hugged and was advised to take to the correct path in future!! 

Thus, the action is strict, befitting the circumstances but the inner heart is full of Love.

Akrodhaḥ is freedom from anger. We should not become enraged over small things. 

What can be the root cause for anger? When we are attached to a thing and we want that thing/human being to give us in a particular way and it does not happen, then we get angry.

When we are averse to a thing/being and we have to come face to face with that thing/being, we get angry.

Thus, the root cause for anger is attachment/aversion, which are colourings of the main ego, avidya.

Tyāgaḥ is living a simple, frugal life; as it is generally said, simple living and high thinking. That may be said to be tyāgaḥ. We do not accumulate property, treasure, wealth etc., more than what is essential for our minimal comfortable existence, and we renounce all other things. 

Śāntiḥ is being always inwardly calm, composed, serene. If a seeker is capable of living, conscious of Truth harming none, keeping an even temper, in a spirit of renunciation, inspite of all disturbing environments and happenings around, then he is the one who shall come to experience peace and quietude in himself. Even in the midst of a stormy life and outrageous circumstances, such an individual can successfully keep his inward balance and intellectual poise.

Apaiśunam is the absence of crookedness and cunningness in speech or expression, in respect of other people. 

Chinmaya writes, 

“…A seeker who is trying to reach a fuller and more exhaustive self-expression should develop such an inward harmony that his speech should echo the fragrance of his soul. 

A speech with softness of tone, clarity of expression, honesty of conviction, power of bringing a clear picture in the listener's mind with no veiled meaning, overflowing with sincerity, devotion and love, becomes the very quality of the autobiography of the speaker's personality. 

To develop, therefore, a habit of such speech would be unconsciously training many aspects in ourselves which are all necessary for the perfect disciplining of the inner equipment.”

Dayā means to be compassionate. When we see suffering, we feel within ourselves “What will happen if we are in that condition?” When we identify ourselves with that miserable state in which living beings exist, we will feel a tenderness of approach and we will cast an eye of compassion, and to the extent of our capacity we will do something to redress that sorrow. Dayā bhūteṣu is mercy in respect of all living beings. 

Aloluptvaṁ is absence of greed. We should never say that we want this or we want that. Whatever comes is okay. Yadṛcchālābhasaṁtuṣaḥ (4.22): Be contented, satisfied with whatever comes of its own accord or without too much of strenuous effort. If for the sake of ten percent of happiness we have to put forth ninety percent effort, then that happiness is not worth anything because the sorrow of struggle is much more than the little jot of joy that ensues.

Mārdavaṁ is softness—soft speech, soft behaviour, soft conduct, soft movements. Everything is very soft, mild and subdued, not irritable. 

Hrīḥ is shame in the presence of things which are forbidden. It is an automatic repulsion from actions and even thoughts that are contrary to an elevated form of spiritual life. 

Acāpalam is steadfastness, freedom from fickleness. Thinking something now, thinking another thing after some time and a third thing tomorrow, and with no concept of the final aim of life, no clarity of perception in regard to what is to be done now and what is the actual program of one’s life, having everything in chaos—that would be chapalata. 

The absence of it is acāpalam—steadfastness and a clear perception of the values of life, right from now till the end of our life. 

Where the purpose/ goal is clear and the actions pursued for the fulfillment of the Goal have the background of all the earlier values, then there is no possibility of fickleness in such a meaning. Wherever a human being has one goal and keeps thinking of various other things other than the goal, then there is fickleness in taking up action for the fulfillment of the goal to such an extent that the goal itself is forgotten and the being ends up taking all petty actions not befitting the attainment of goal. 

Love.