Bhaya in the Gita

This post is about the word bhaya in Gita, its translation by Swami Gambhirananda, and some of my notes.

1. bhayaadraNaaduparataM ma.nsyante tvaaM mahaarathaaH .
   yeshhaa.n cha tvaM bahumato bhuutvaa yaasyasi laaghavam.h .. 2.35..
   
   
   The great chariot-riders will think of you as having desisted from the fight out of fear; and you will into disgrace before them to whom you had been esteemed by.
   
   
2. nehaabhikramanaasho.asti pratyavaayo na vidyate .
   svalpamapyasya dharmasya traayate mahato bhayaat.h .. 2.40..
   
   
   Here there is no waste of an attempt; nor is there (any) harm. Even a little of this righteousness saves (one) from great fear.
   
   [pratyavaaya is a kind of paapa that one incurs due to non-performance of duties that one has to perform, as defined by the shaastra. Rules for sin etc. are given in Purva-Mimamsa (P.M) sutras. Fear of these sins, or attachment to the desires drives one to do duties that have to be performed. Lord Krishna allays this fear by saying that doing the scripture-ordained-duties, shaastra-vihita-karma with an Ishvara-arpita-buddhi would save one from pratyavaaya-paapa. On the other hand, karma that is kaama-samkalpita (as well as raaga/dvesha samkalpita), duties that are prompted by desire (as well as attachment and aversion) works, would have the usual P.M rules applied to them (???). These kinds of works lead one to greater (vedantic sense) peril anyway, as they keep one in the cycle of births and deaths.]
   
   
3. duHkheshhvanudvignamanaaH sukheshhu vigataspR^ihaH .
   viitaraagabhayakrodhaH sthitadhiirmuniruchyate .. 2.56..
   
   
   That monk is called a man of steady wisdom when his mind is unperturbed in sorrow, he is free from longing for delights, and has gone beyond attachment, fear and anger.
   
   [Swami Dayananda notes that the underlying root cause of both attachment as well as anger is Fear.]
   
   
4. shreyaansvadharmo viguNaH paradharmaatsvanushhThitaat.h .
   svadharme nidhana.n shreyaH paradharmo bhayaavahaH .. 3.35..
   
   
   One's own duty, though defective, is superior to another's duty well-performed. Death is better while engaged in one's own duty; another's duty is fraught with fear.
   
   [Another's duty will induce great fear. The primary cause for Arjuna's confusion is the misunderstanding of his duty. The persons who were standing before him were evil doers, aatataayi and he was kshatriya. So, his current duty is to punish those people. Instead, he wanted to renounce and go to Himalayas. (This is exactly what is happening in India now-a-days. As a country, India seems to have lost its kshaatra-dharma.)
   
   Krishna explains that another's duty is fraught with fear as in a Vedantic sense, any secular duty is as good as another. Further dereliction of one's duty (svadharma) does not fulfill the "karma as a purifier" model.
   
   Also, compare this verse with the following verse in the final chapter of Gita:
   
   shreyaansvadharmo viguNaH paradharmaatsvanushhThitaat.h .
   svabhaavaniyataM karma kurvannaapnoti kilbishham.h .. 18.47..
   
   One's own duty, (though) defective, is superior to another's duty well performed. By performing a duty as dictated by one's own nature, one does not incur sin.
   
   The message of both these verses is unequivocal: Do your duty with Ishvara-arpita-buddhi. It will save you from the fear of non-performance of duty, as well as save you from paapa, sin.]
   
   
5. viitaraagabhayakrodhaa manmayaa maamupaashritaaH .
   bahavo GYaanatapasaa puutaa madbhaavamaagataaH .. 4.10..
   
   
   Many who were devoid of attachment, fear and anger, who were absorbed in Me, who had taken refuge in Me, and were purified by the austerity of Knowledge, have attained My state.
   
   [Second instance when attachment and anger are clubbed together with fear. Earlier, it was in 2.56. Once these three are defeated, then there is no time needed for sinking of the Knowledge which leads one to the infinite state.]
   
   
6. yatendriyamanobuddhirmunirmokshaparaayaNaH .
   vigatechchhaabhayakrodho yaH sadaa mukta eva saH .. 5.28..
   
   
   (Keeping the external objects outside, the eyes at the juncture of the eye-brows, and making equal the outgoing and incoming breaths that move through the nostrils,) the contemplative who has control over his organs, mind and intellect should be fully intent on Liberation and free from desire, fear and anger.
   
   [Here is ichcha (which is another form of raaga) that is clubbed together with bhaya and krodha. See 2.56 and 4.10 as well.]
   
   
7. prashaantaatmaa vigatabhiirbrahmachaarivrate sthitaH .
   manaH sa.nyamya machchitto yukta aasiita matparaH .. 6.14..
   
   
   He should remain seated with a placid mind, free from fear, firm in the vow of a celibate, and with the mind fixed on Me by controlling it through concentration, having Me as the supreme Goal.
   
   
8. buddhirGYaanamasaMmohaH kshamaa satya.n damaH shamaH .
   sukhaM duHkhaM bhavo.abhaavo bhaya.n chaabhayameva cha .. 10.4..
   
   
   Intelligence, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, truth, control of the external organs, control of the internal organs, happiness, sorrow, birth, death and fear as also fearlessness;
   
   [Here fear is trepidation, and fearlessness is its absence. These are used as a prerequisite for gaining Knowledge.]
   
   
9. amii hi tvaa.n surasaN^ghaa vishanti
   kechidbhiitaaH praaJNjalayo gR^iNanti .
   svastiityuktvaa maharshhisiddhasaN^ghaaH
   stuvanti tvaa.n stutibhiH pushhkalaabhiH .. 11.21..
   
   
   Those very groups of gods enter into You; struck with fear, some extol (You) with joined palms. Groups of great sages and perfected beings praise You with elaborate hymns,saying 'May it be well!'
   
   
   
10. vaktraaNi te tvaramaaNaa vishanti
    da.nshhTraakaraalaani bhayaanakaani .
    kechidvilagnaa dashanaantareshhu
    sa.ndR^ishyante chuurNitairuttamaaN^gaiH .. 11.27..
    
    
    They rapidly enter into Your terrible mouths with cruel teeths! Some are seen sticking in the gaps between the teeth, with their heads crushed!
    
    
11. adR^ishhTapuurva.n hR^ishhito.asmi dR^ishhTvaa
    bhayena cha pravyathitaM mano me .
    tadeva me darshaya deva ruupaM
    prasiida devesha jagannivaasa .. 11.45..
    
    
    I am delighted by seeing something not seen heretofore, and my mind is stricken with fear. O Lord, show me that very form; O supreme God, O Abode of the Universe, be gracious!
    
    [The question is, why did not Arjuna speak like vaagabhriNi or vaamadeva of Rig Veda, or like Janaka in beginning chapters of Ashtavakra Gita? According to an opinion, it is because of the "primal fear", fear of duality, which Vyaasa due to His brilliance wanted us to remember. Any experience involves the diads and triads. Which means duality. On the other hand, Advaita is ekam-advitiiyam: One without a second.]
    
    
12. yasmaannodvijate loko lokaannodvijate cha yaH .
    harshhaamarshhabhayodvegairmukto yaH sa cha me priyaH .. 12.15..
    
    
    He, too, owing to whom the world is not disturbed, and who is not disturbed by the world, who is free from joy, impatience, fear and anxiety, is dear to Me.
    
    [One who is a good knower of Self never ever perturbs the state of the world by his anxieties.]
    
    
13. abhayaM sattvasa.nshuddhirGYaanayogavyavasthitiH .
    daanaM damashcha yaGYashcha svaadhyaayastapa aarjavam.h .. 16.1..
    
    
    Fearlessness, purity of mind, persistence in knowledge and yoga, charity and control of the external organs, sacrifice, (scriptural) study, austerity and recititude;
    
    [Fearlessness is a prerequisite to the gaining of knowledge.]
    
    
14. duHkhamityeva yatkarma kaayakleshabhayaattyajet.h .
    sa kR^itvaa raajasaM tyaagaM naiva tyaagaphalaM labhet.h .. 18.8..
    
    
    Whatever action one may relinquish merely as being painful, from fear of physical suffering, he, having resorted to renunciation based on rajas, will surely not acquire the fruits of renunciation.
    
    
15. pravR^itti.n cha nivR^itti.n cha kaaryaakaarye bhayaabhaye .
    bandhaM moksha.n cha yaa vetti buddhiH saa paartha saattvikii ..
    18.30..
    
    
    O Partha, that intellect is born of sattva which understands action and withdrawal, duty and what is not duty, the sources of fear and fearlessness, and bondage and freedom.
    
    
    
16. yayaa svapnaM bhayaM shokaM vishhaadaM madameva cha .
    na vimu.nchati durmedhaa dhR^itiH saa paartha taamasii .. 18.35..
    
    
    That firmness is considered to be born of tamas due to which a person with a corrupt intellect does not give up sleep, fear, sorrow, despondency as also sensuality.
    
    [These fears are lower level fears that have to be conquered.]
    
    

Here is some notes: The Brihadaranaka Upanishad says dvitiyaad vai bhayam bhavati. The same sentiment is expressed in Srimad Bhagavatham, 11.2.37. This "primal fear" is the root cause of all suffering and all ephermeal existence. Only when this is conquered does one reach the ekam-advitiiyam-stage (One without a second state.) The fearlessness of GYaanis is well known. How can a dream tiger cause fear, when in waking state? It can cause fear when in the dream state.

• This fear is what has been conquered by Prahlada, who was a natural GYaani. Hence when the Lord appeared in a ferocious form, he remained unperturbed.
  
• This fear is what cause Arjuna tremble when he saw the Lord in His fearful form, and hence the reason for Arjuna asking the Lord to re-appear in a sattvik form.
  
• This primal bhaya is what made Swami Vivekananda cry out in fear, asking Ramakrishna Paramahamsa "what are you doing to me?", when the latter touched Him on the heart. This will turn out to be a delusional fear anyway!
  

The above primal fear seems to be different from the ordinary fear that we face in daily life. Some people seem to be more bold, because they have conquered their inhibitions. One could think that there is a lower bhaya, which has to be conquered so that Vedanta can be imbibed. Lord Krishna is unequivocal in conquering this lower fear. Do your Duty. Do it with dedication. It will save you from great fear. it will create a serenity in you that will make you ready for Vedanta. Even among non-atma-GYaanis, the people who have conquered this lower fear by doing their duty have obtained the necessary aatma-shuddhi and hence will imbibe Vedanta better.

May we pray to the Lakshmi Narasimha who drives away the fear from our hearts so that we can let the Vedanta sink in our hearts deeply!

ekena chakramapareNa kareNa sha~Nkha\-
manyena sindhutanayaamavalambya tishhThan.h .
vaametareNa varadaabhayapadmachihnaM
lakShmiinR^isi.nha mama dehi karaavalambam.h ..


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Purusha and Prakriti in the Gita

Here are the occurances of Purusha (purushha) and Prakriti (prakR^iti) in the Gita, the verses and their translation by Swami Gambhirananda, and my notes.



purushha

1. ya.n hi na vyathayantyete purushhaM purushharshhabha .
   samaduHkhasukha.n dhiira.n so.amR^itatvaaya kalpate .. 2.15..
   
   
   O (Arjuna, who are) foremost among men, verily, the person whom these do not torment, the wise man to whom sorrow and happhiness are the same-he is fit for Immortality.
   
   [Here the two uses refer to persons and an epithet for Arjuna.]
   
   
2. vedaavinaashina.n nitya.n ya enamajamavyayam.h .
   katha.n sa purushhaH paartha ka.n ghaatayati hanti kam.h .. 2.21..
   
   
   O Partha, he who knows this One as indestructible, eternal, birthless and undecaying, how and whom does that person kill, or whom does he cause to be killed!
   
   [This use is about a person who knows the ephermeality of the Body-Mind-complex, as the eternal nature of the Self.]
   
   
3. yatato hyapi kaunteya purushhasya vipashchitaH .
   indriyaaNi pramaathiini haranti prasabhaM manaH .. 2.60..
   
   
   For, O son of Kunti, the turbulent organs violently snatch away the mind of an intelligent person, even while he is striving diligently.
   
   [An intelligent person is only in the secular level. If He was truly Vedantic, he would have known how to control the indriyas.]
   
   
4. na karmaNaamanaarambhaannaishhkarmyaM purushho.ashnute .
   na cha sa.nnyasanaadeva siddhi.n samadhigachchhati .. 3.4..
   
   
   A person does not attain freedom from action by abstaining from action; nor does he attain fulfilment merely through renunciation.
   
   [Again, this use is about a person who does not know the technique of proper Vedantic action.]
   
   
5. arjuna uvaacha .
   
   ki.n tad.h brahma kimadhyaatma.n kiM karma purushhottama .
   adhibhuuta.n cha kiM proktamadhidaivaM kimuchyate .. 8.1..
   
   
   O supreme person, what is that Brahman? What is that which exists in the individual plane? What is action? And what is that which is said to exist in the physical plane? What is that which is said to be existing in the divine plane?
   
   [One of the instances when Arjuna addresses the Lord, knowing that He is the Self in all Beings.]
   
   
6. adhibhuutaM ksharo bhaavaH purushhashchaadhidaivatam.h .
   adhiyaGYo.ahamevaatra dehe dehabhR^itaa.n vara .. 8.4..
   
   
   That which exists in the physical plane is the mutable entity, and what exists in the divine plane is the Person. O best among the embodied beings, I Myself am the entity that exists in the sacrifice in this body.
   
   The terse reply to the question of Arjuna, explaining the divine nature of the Self. This will be explained later, culminating in the final verses of Chapter 15. Also, here it is the Lord who recognizes Arjuna as the Best among all Men. Who else would be fit for such teaching?]
   
   
   
7. abhyaasayogayuktena chetasaa naanyagaaminaa .
   paramaM purushhaM divya.n yaati paarthaanuchintayan.h .. 8.8..
   
   
   O son of Prtha, by meditating with a mind which is engaged in the yoga of practice and which does not stray away to anything else, one reaches the supreme Person existing in the effulgent region.
   
   [The goal is the supreme person. The means is practice, determination and dispassion.]
   
   
8. prayaaNakaale manasaa.achalena
   bhaktyaa yukto yogabalena chaiva .
   bhruvormadhye praaNamaaveshya samyak.h
   sa taM paraM purushhamupaiti divyam.h .. 8.10..
   
   
   At the time of death, having fully fixed the Prana (vita force) between the eyebrows with an unswerving mind, and being imbued with devotion as also the strength of concentration, he reaches that resplendent supreme person.
   
   [Again, the goal is the Person described in many Vedic Hymns. The power of Yoga which the aspirant has accumulated over His/Her lifetime comes to use at the time of departure. This is in cases of aspirants who have not attained jIvanmukti in this lifetime, as is the goal of Upanishads. They go to higher worlds and eventually reach the final state of Moksha.
   
   Even if the person has other thoughts at that time, the path traversed till then does not go waste. He reaches the goal eventually. The story of Jada Bharatha is an illustration.]
   
   
9. purushhaH sa paraH paartha bhaktyaa labhyastvananyayaa .
   yasyaantaHsthaani bhuutaani yena sarvamidaM tatam.h .. 8.22..
   
   
   O son of Prtha, that supreme Person-in whom are included (all) the beings and by whom all this is pervaded-is, indeed, reached through one-pointed devotion.
   
   [Here Purusha means Brahman, with Bhakti being clearly stated as a means to reach it.]
   
   
10. ashraddadhaanaaH purushhaa dharmasyaasya para.ntapa .
    apraapya maa.n nivartante mR^ityusa.nsaaravartmani .. 9.3..
    
    
    O destroyer of foes, persons who are regardless of this Dharma (knowledge of the Self) certainly go round and round, without reaching Me, along the path of transmigration which is fraught with death.
    
    [Here, Purusha refers to common-folks who are caught up in the cycle of births and deaths.]
    
    
11. arjuna uvaacha .
    paraM brahma paraM dhaama pavitraM paramaM bhavaan.h .
    purushhaM shaashvataM divyamaadidevamajaM vibhum.h .. 10.12..
    
    
    You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme Light, the supreme Sanctifier. All the sages as also the divine sage Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa call You the eternal divine Person, the Primal God, the Birthless, the Omnipresent; and You Yourself verily tell me (so).
    
    [Arjuna again recognizes Lord Krishna to be the eternal Brahman.]
    
    
12. svayamevaatmanaatmaanaM vettha tvaM purushhottama .
    bhuutabhaavana bhuutesha devadeva jagatpate .. 10.15..
    
    
    O supreme Person, the Creator of beings, the Lord of beings, God of gods, the Lord of the worlds, You Yourself alone know Yourself by Yourself.
    
    [Again, recognition by Arjuna of Lord Krishna as the Brahman.]
    
    
13. evametadyathaattha tvamaatmaanaM parameshvara .
    drashhTumichchhaami te ruupamaishvaraM purushhottama .. 11.3..
    
    
    O supreme Lord, so it is, as You speak about Yourself. O supreme Person, I wish to see the divine form of Yours.
    
    
14. tvamaksharaM paramaM veditavya.n
    tvamasya vishvasya paraM nidhaanam.h .
    tvamavyayaH shaashvatadharmagoptaa
    sanaatanastvaM purushho mato me .. 11.18..
    
    
    You are the Immutable, the supreme One to be known; You are the most perfect repository of this Universe. You are the Imperishable, the Protector of the ever-existing religion; You are the eternal Person. This is my belief.
    
    
15. tvamaadidevaH purushhaH puraaNaH
    tvamasya vishvasya paraM nidhaanam.h .
    vettaasi vedya.n cha para.n cha dhaama
    tvayaa tataM vishvamanantaruupa .. 11.38..
    
    
    You are the primal Deity, the eternal Person; You are the supreme Resort of this world. You are the knower as also the object of knowledge, and the supreme Abode. O You of infinite forms, the Universe is pervaded by You!
    
    [The above two are *key verses* in the prayer to the Lord by Arjuna. The sanaatana-purushha and purAna-purushha seem appropriate for the Brahman which is beyond time.
    
    I have made the correction to make purANa of 11.38 to be the same as sanAtana of 11.18. The translation in the book uses the word 'ancient', which is less appropriate. (another example for translation of purANa is verse na jaayate mriyate vaa kada (2.20)). ]
    
    
16. arjuna uvaacha .
    prakR^itiM purushha.n chaiva kshetra.n kshetraGYameva cha .
    etadveditumichchhaami GYaanaM GYeya.n cha keshava .. 13.1..
    
    
    O Keshava, I wish to learn about Prakriti and Purusha, Kshetra, Kshetrajna and also the Knowledge and that which is to be known.
    
    [Arjuna is asking about six entities at the beginning of Chapter 13. Abstractly, he wants to learn more about the discrimination between matter and spirit. Either the different words used could mean "please explain to me the different aspects of separation between the inert-matter and the consciousness entity" or it could also mean "explain the difference at local and cosmic level", with Prakriti and Purusha being the cosmic level terms and the Kshetra and Kshetrajna being the individual-level terms. These would be explained in chapters 13, 14 and 15. Some aspects have already been explained earlier.Translation by Swami Chinmayananda.]
    
    
17. prakR^itiM purushha.n chaiva vidyanaadi ubhaavapi .
    vikaaraa.nshcha guNaa.nshchaiva viddhi prakR^itisaMbhavaan.h ..
    13.20..
    
    
    Know both Nature and also the individual soul to be verily without beginning; know the modifications as also the qualities as born of Nature.
    
    [Here Purusha means the individual-soul (Jiva). The Lord explains that there is no beginning for both (Prakriti and Purusha). It is however possible to leave the "concept of Jiva" and attain the aatma-bhaava. (Atma is not merely a concept, it is the substratum of all concepts.) Then immortality ensures.]
    
    
18. kaaryakaaraNakartR^itve hetuH prakR^itiruchyate .
    purushhaH sukhaduHkhaanaaM bhoktR^itve heturuchyate .. 13.21..
    
    
    With regard to the source of body and organs, Nature is said to be the cause. The soul is the cause so far as enjoyership of happiness and sorrow is concerned.
    
    [The doer is just the Prakriti and its Gunas. The Jiva is one who has beginning-less association with the Gunas. Hence it becomes a bhokta due to this association. The Atma is non-doer and non-enjoyer. So is the Jiva who has totally identified with it.]
    
    
19. purushhaH prakR^itistho hi bhuN^.hkte prakR^itijaanguNaan.h .
    kaaraNaM guNasaN^go.asya sadasadyonijanmasu .. 13.22..
    
    
    Since the soul is seated in Nature, therefore it experiences the qualities born of Nature. Contact with the qualities is the cause of its births in good and evil wombs.
    
    [Jiva is Jiva so long as it considers itself a Jiva (Refer Prof. VK's "Who is a Doer" article). Enjoyment of the sense-organs continues its death and birth. Beyond these dualities is the Atma.]
    
    
20. upadrashhTaanumantaa cha bhartaa bhoktaa maheshvaraH .
    paramaatmeti chaapyukto dehe.asminpurushhaH paraH .. 13.23..
    
    
    He who is the Witness, the Permitter, the Sustainer, the Experiencer, the great Lord, and who is also spoken of as the transcendental Self is the supreme Person in this body.
    
    [The Self is the actionless inactive close witness of everything that happens. It permits the happenings, as without it, no action takes place (without it, everything else is inert). It hence sustains it as Vishnu sustains the worlds. He is the experiencer because due to it, the mental states like "I am Happy, I am sad" come into existence. He is Lord because it is He that allows all these happenings.]
    
    
21. ya evaM vetti purushhaM prakR^iti.n cha guNaiH saha .
    sarvathaa vartamaano.api na sa bhuuyo.abhijaayate .. 13.24..
    
    
    He who knows thus the Person and Nature along with the qualities will not be born again, in whatever way he may live.
    
    [This discrimination is the greatest of all Knowledge, as it liberates one from the cycle of births and deaths.]
    
    
22. tataH padaM tatparimaargitavyaM
    yasmingataa na nivartanti bhuuyaH .
    tameva chaadyaM purushhaM prapadye .
    yataH pravR^ittiH prasR^itaa puraaNii .. 15.4..
    
    
    Thereafter, that State has to be sought for, going where they do not return again: I take refuge in that Primeval Person Himself, from whom has ensued the eternal Manifestation.
    
    [Purusha is the final goal, obtaining which there is no return to the ephermeal universe. The means is Sharanam, surrender to the all encompassing one and recognizing it as One's own inner Self.]
    
    
23. dvaavimau purushhau loke ksharashchaakshara eva cha .
    ksharaH sarvaaNi bhuutaani kuuTastho.akshara uchyate .. 15.16..
    
    
    There are these two persons in the world-the mutable and the immutable. The mutable consists of all things; the one existing as Maya is called the immutable.
    
    [The two Purushas. The Vedic and Upanishadic "two birds" also worth remembering here. The lower Purusha does duties and attaches Himself to the results and is hence entangled in the lower Nature. The Higher is just an observer. Or He is the Ishvara in the Maya Frame. Beyond these two is the substratum of all. The being of all beings. The eternal "is-ness". Both the kshara and akshara Purusha are that, with different levels, called Upaadhis. When Upadhis cease to exist, Brahman just is.]
    
    
24. uttamaH purushhastvanyaH paramaatmetyudhaahR^itaH .
    yo lokatrayamaavishya bibhartyavyaya iishvaraH .. 15.17..
    
    
    But different is the supreme Person who is spoken of as the transcendental Self, who, permeating the three worlds, upholds (them), and is the imperisahble God.
    
    [Brahman permeates the three worlds, and upholds them. Because It is the is-ness of the concept of worlds. "Jiva is controlled by Ishvara in Maya" is a true statement. Beyond Jiva is the existence of Jiva (is-ness of Jiva). Beyond Ishvara-Maya framework, which is but a controlling/controller power is the "is-ness" of either of them. That is Brahman, which is called Brahman by the Seers of the Vedas.]
    
    
25. yasmaatksharamatiito.ahamaksharaadapi chottamaH .
    ato.asmi loke vedecha prathitaH purushhottamaH .. 15.18..
    
    
    Since I am transcendental to the mutable and above even the immutable, hence I am well known in the world and in the Vedas as the supreme Person.
    
    [Brahman is hence the supreme Person.]
    
    
26. yo maamevamasaMmuuDho jaanaatipurushhottamam.h .
    sa sarvavidbhajati maaM sarvabhaavena bhaarata .. 15.19..
    
    
    O scion of the Bharata dynasty, he who, being free from delusion, knows Me the supreme Person thus, he is all-knowing and adores Me with his whole being.
    
    [One who knows Brahman becomes Brahman. This is the last use of Purusha in the sense of Brahman.]
    
    
27. sattvaanuruupaa sarvasya shraddhaa bhavati bhaarata .
    shraddhaamayo.ayaM purushho yo yachchhraddhaH sa eva saH .. 17.3..
    
    
    O scion of the Bharata dynasty, the faith of all beings is in accordance with their minds. This person is made up of faith as the dominant factor. He is verily what his faith is.
    
    [Here it is people and faiths.]
    
    
28. nishchayaM shR^iNu me tatra tyaage bharatasattama .
    tyaago hi purushhavyaaghra trividhaH samprakiirtitaH .. 18.4..
    
    
    O the most excellent among the descendants of Bharata, hear from Me the firm conclusion regarding that tyaga. For, O greatest among men, tyaga has been clearly declared to be of three kinds.
    
    [Arjuna is clearly the best among Men.]
    
    

prakR^iti: Here are the occurences of Prakriti in Gita.

1. na hi kashchitkshaNamapi jaatu tishhThatyakarmakR^it.h .
   kaaryate hyavashaH karma sarvaH prakR^itijairguNaiH .. 3.5..
   
   
   Because, no one ever remains even for a moment without doing work. For all are made to work under compulsion by the gunas born of Nature.
   
   [The association of Jiva and Prakriti has been since immemorial times. Hence the Jiva keeps doing works driven by the Gunas, which are in turn born of Prakriti.]
   
   
2. prakR^iteH kriyamaaNaani guNaiH karmaaNi sarvashaH .
   ahaN^kaaravimuuDhaatmaa kartaahamiti manyate .. 3.27..
   
   
   While actions are being done in every way by the gunas (qualities) of Nature, one who is deluded by egoism thinks thus: 'I am the doer.'
   
   
3. prakR^iterguNasaMmuuDhaaH sajjante guNakarmasu .
   taanakR^itsnavido mandaankR^itsnavinna vichaalayet.h .. 3.29..
   
   
   Those who are wholly deluded by the gunas of Nature become attached to the activities of the gunas. The knower of the All should not disturb those of dull intellect, who do not know the All.
   
   [One who knows that the doer is akarta and abhokta, should not disturb the ignorant masses too much. This is because it can give rise to false sense of ahamkaara, which causes more problems (What use will a ignorant person make of E=mc^2? He will use it destructively. The same is the case with TAT-TVAM-ASI.). He, the knower, should instead set an example by acting in karma-yoga fashion. This is so that others follow him in a gradual fashion.]
   
   
4. sadR^isha.n cheshhTate svasyaaH prakR^iterGYaanavaanapi .
   prakR^iti.n yaanti bhuutaani nigrahaH kiM karishhyati .. 3.33..
   
   
   Even a man of wisdom behaves according to his own nature. Being follow (their) nature. What can restraint do?
   
   [The classic question of "Fate Vs. Free Will". Restraint cannot stop the sense organs from their sense-objects. It is knowledge, with vairaagya, that causes their proper separation. Remember the story of yayaati.]
   
   
5. ajo.api sannavyayaatmaa bhuutaanaamiishvaro.api san.h .
   prakR^iti.n svaamadhishhThaaya saMbhavaamyaatmamaayayaa .. 4.6..
   
   
   Though I am birthless, undecaying by nature, and the Lord of beings, (still) by subjugating My Prakriti, I take birth by means of My own Maya.
   
   [Also see 9. on the non-doer-doership, birth and works of the Lord. By the equivalence, One who knows the Lord to be the Self, also truly knows that He is a non-doer. It is the Prakriti which does things. This is the true knowledge.]
   
   
6. bhuumiraapo.analo vaayuH khaM mano buddhireva cha .
   aha.nkaara itiiyaM me bhinnaa prakR^itirashhTadhaa .. 7.4..
   
   
   This Prakrti of Mine is divided eight-fold thus: earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and also egoism.
   
   [The lower nature at cosmic level, that has the Eight fold division. Also see chapter 13 for a similar division, at individual level.]
   
   
7. apareyamitastvanyaaM prakR^iti.n viddhi me paraam.h .
   jiivabhuutaaM mahaabaaho yayedaM dhaaryate jagat.h .. 7.5..
   
   
   O mighty-armed one, this is the inferior (Prakrti). Know the other Prakrti of Mine which, however, is higher than this, which has taken the from of individual souls, and by which this world is upheld.
   
   [The Higher Prakriti is the Unmanifest nature, which runs the whole show, with Brahman as the witness. (see verse 9.10 too).]
   
   
8. kaamaistaistairhR^itaGYaanaaH prapadyante.anyadevataaH .
   taM taM niyamamaasthaaya prakR^ityaa niyataaH svayaa .. 7.20..
   
   
   People, deprived of their wisdom by desires for various objects and guided by their own nature, resort to other deities following the relevant methods.
   
   [The natural force drives people to their deities of their choice. People of duller intellect choose the faster-to-please and low-yielding deities. One who have greater intellect and discrimination choose the One who can give immortality.]
   
   
9. sarvabhuutaani kaunteya prakR^iti.n yaanti maamikaam.h .
   kalpakshaye punastaani kalpaadau visR^ijaamyaham.h .. 9.7..
   
   
   O son Kunti, all the beings go back at the end of a cycle to My Prakrti. I project them forth again at the beginning of a cycle.
   
   [As will be explained in the next verses, here I refers to the Higher-Prakriti, which has the doership of the creation and dissolution.]
   
   
10. prakR^iti.n svaamavashhTabhya visR^ijaami punaH punaH .
    bhuutagraamamimaM kR^itsnamavashaM prakR^itervashaat.h .. 9.8..
    
    
    Keeping My own prakrti under control, I project forth again and again the whole of this multitude of beings which are powerless owing to the influence of (their own) nature.
    
    [The Lord who is beyond the two-fold Prakriti seems to keep the Jivas in the cycle. Instead it is themselves, their own lower nature, that makes them in this cycle of births and deaths.]
    
    
11. mayaadhyaksheNa prakR^itiH suuyate sacharaacharam.h .
    hetunaanena kaunteya jagadviparivartate .. 9.10..
    
    
    Under Me as the supervisor, the Prakrti produces (the world) of the moving and the non-moving things. Owing to this reason, O son of Kunti, the world revolves.
    
    [Prakriti is the doer. The Lord is beyond this. One who knows this truly knows. Also refer verses in Chapters 4 and 7.]
    
    
12. moghaashaa moghakarmaaNo moghaGYaanaa vichetasaH .
    raakshasiimaasurii.n chaiva prakR^itiM mohinii.n shritaaH .. 9.12..
    
    
    Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge, and senseless, they become verily possessed of the deceptive disposition of fiends and demons.
    
    [Castigation of one who have lowly aspirations. Such aspirations are born of lowly nature, which they themselves created.]
    
    
13. mahaatmaanastu maaM paartha daiviiM prakR^itimaashritaaH .
    bhajantyananyamanaso GYaatvaa bhuutaadimavyayam.h .. 9.13..
    
    
    O son of Prtha, the noble ones, being possessed of divine nature, surely adore Me with single-mindedness, knowing Me as the immutable source of all objects.
    
    [It is divine nature that can make a Jiva cross the bonds of samsaara. These divine-minded-Jivas adore with single-mindedness, the Lord of all beings with all their hearts, all the time.]
    
    
14. arjuna uvaacha .
    dR^ishhTvedaM maanushhaM ruupaM tava saumya.n janaardana .
    idaaniimasmi sa.nvR^ittaH sachetaaH prakR^iti.n gataH .. 11.51..
    
    
    O Janardana, having seen this serene human form of Yours, I have now become calm in mind and restored to my own nature.
    
    [Here it is uses as an common-expression, as Arjuna's fear is no more.]
    
    
15. arjuna uvaacha .
    prakR^itiM purushha.n chaiva kshetra.n kshetraGYameva cha .
    etadveditumichchhaami GYaanaM GYeya.n cha keshava .. 13.1..
    
    
    [See above for meaning. This verse does not occur in some versions of Gita.]
    
    
16. prakR^itiM purushha.n chaiva vidyanaadi ubhaavapi .
    vikaaraa.nshcha guNaa.nshchaiva viddhi prakR^itisaMbhavaan.h ..
    13.20..
    
    
    Know both Nature and also the individual soul to be verily without beginning; know the modifications as also the qualities as born of Nature.
    
    
17. kaaryakaaraNakartR^itve hetuH prakR^itiruchyate .
    purushhaH sukhaduHkhaanaaM bhoktR^itve heturuchyate .. 13.21..
    
    
    With regard to the source of body and organs, Nature is said to be the cause. The soul is the cause so far as enjoyership of happiness and sorrow is concerned.
    
    [It is not even the soul that enjoys and hence suffers. It is the soul-ness, which identifies which lower-Prakriti that suffers.]
    
    
18. purushhaH prakR^itistho hi bhuN^.hkte prakR^itijaanguNaan.h .
    kaaraNaM guNasaN^go.asya sadasadyonijanmasu .. 13.22..
    
    
    Since the soul is seated in Nature, therefore it experiences the qualities born of Nature. Contact with the qualities is the cause of its births in good and evil wombs.
    
    
19. ya evaM vetti purushhaM prakR^iti.n cha guNaiH saha .
    sarvathaa vartamaano.api na sa bhuuyo.abhijaayate .. 13.24..
    
    
    He who knows thus the Person and Nature along with the qualities will not be born again, in whatever way he may live.
    
    [Real nature of the perishable and the Imperishable is what is needed for Moksha.]
    
    
20. prakR^ityaiva cha karmaaNi kriyamaaNaani sarvashaH .
    yaH pashyati tathaatmaanamakartaaraM sa pashyati .. 13.30..
    
    
    And he who sees actions as being done in various ways by Nature itself, and also the Self as the non-agent,-he sees.
    
    [What is to be seen? The doer-ship of the Nature, the non-doer-ship of the Self and the identification with the non-doer.]
    
    
21. kshetrakshetraGYayorevamantaraM GYaanachakshushhaa .
    bhuutaprakR^itimoksha.n cha ye viduryaanti te param.h .. 13.35..
    
    
    Those who know thus through the eye of wisdom the distinction between the field and the Knower of the field, and the annihilation of the Matrix of beings,-they reach the Supreme.
    
    [Only through the eye of wisdom is the above seen. Once that is seen, the have reached immortality.]
    
    
22. sattvaM rajastama iti guNaaH prakR^itisambhavaaH .
    nibadhnanti mahaabaaho dehe dehinamavyayam.h .. 14.5..
    
    
    O mighty-armed one, the qualities, viz sattva, rajas and tamas, born of Nature, being the immutable embodies being to the body.
    
    [The three fold division of Prakriti.]
    
    
23. mamaivaa.nsho jiivaloke jiivabhuutaH sanaatanaH .
    manaHshhashhThaaniindriyaaNi prakR^itisthaani karshhati .. 15.7..
    
    
    It is verily a part of Mine which, becoming the eternal individual soul in the region of living beings, draws (to itself) the organs which have the mind as their sixth, and which abide in Nature.
    
    [Also worth remembering are the final verses of Chapter 10, when the Lord clearly says that all this is His Vibhuti. Further, this Vibhuti is a small part of Him. This in turn has its root in Purusha Sukta (RV.10.90.3) when the Rishi is Narayana, who is extolling the Purusha (!!!) says paadosya vishva-bhuutaani ...]
    
    
24. na tadasti pR^ithivyaa.n vaa divi deveshhu vaa punaH .
    sattvaM prakR^itijairmukta.n yadebhiH syaattribhirguNaiH .. 18.40..
    
    
    There is no such entity in the world or, again, among the gods in heaven, which can be free from these three gunas born of Nature.
    
    [Summarization of the all pervasiveness of the Nature and hence the Gunas which constitute it. This verse can be considered to be a summary of the thoughts expressed in 3.27-28, or even entire chapter 14 (among others).]
    
    
25. yadaha.nkaaramaashritya na yotsya iti manyase .
    mithyaishha vyavasaayaste prakR^itistvaa.n niyokshyati .. 18.59..
    
    
    That you think 'I shall not fight', by relying on egotism,-vain is this determination of yours. (Your) nature impel you!
    
    [In the next verses 18.60-61 is explained the Machine, the helplessness of the Jivas who are caught in it, due to their own Ahamkara. The machine rotates, keeping them in the cycle of Births and Deaths.]
    
    

1. Also to be remembered is Purusha Sukta (RV 10.90) whose deity is Purusha. The Seer for that Hymn is Narayana Rishi.
   
2. Swami Gambhirananda notes that Prakrti is sometimes translated as matter, and purusa as spirit. These are the words that are used by Shri Aurobindo and Swami Chinmayananda.
   
3. Synonyms to these two words, like jIva, ishvara, brahman for Purusha and mAya, avidya, Kshetra (at local level), bhaava (??) for Prakriti could be included in the above list.
   
4. Further reading: Also worth reading are Shri Aurobindo's chapters from the book "Essays on the Gita."
   
5. The importance of these words in Samkhya Philosophy (saaN^khya-darshana) (one of the closest to Vedanta, albeit with wrong conclusions) cannot be overestimated. There everything is divided into the Purusha and Prakriti. Some "philosophers" contend that Samkhya preceded Vedanta and hence some of the terms in Gita should be understood from "that perspective".
   

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On Manifest and Unmanifest in the Gita

[A version of this post appeared in advaitin yahoo group.]

This post is about the use of words avyakta (unmanifest) and its antonym vyakta (manifest), as they appear in the Gita, with my notes. Such an analysis is closely related to the questions that Arjuna asked at the beginning of chapter 12, our current Gita Satsangh topic. I also found out that just looking at the various uses of these words across Gita enhanced my understanding of Jiva, Atma, Ishvara, the world, and Brahman.



We begin with a textual listing of the different occurances of the words, [The translations of Gita verses are either Swami Gambhirananda's or Swami Chinmayananda's.]

1. 2.25 avyakyo-ayam: This self is known to be unmanifest.
   
   
2. 2.28: avyaktaadini-bhuutaani vyakta-madhyaani ... avyakta-nidhanaanyeva (avyakta twice and vyakta once): Beings are unmanifest in the beginning, manifest in the middle and unmanifest in their end.
   
   
3. 7.24 avyaktaM vyaktimaapannaM ... (each once): The unintelligent, unaware of My supreme state which is immutable and unsurpassable, think of Me as the unmanifest that has become manifest.
   
   
4. 8.18 avyaktaad.h vyaktaya ... avyakta ... (avyakta twice and vyakta once): At the coming of the (cosmic) day, the embodied beings emanate (stem forth) from the unmanifest. At the coming of the cosmic night, they dissolve truly into that alone, which is called unmanifest.
   
   
5. 8.20 parastasmaattu .. avyakto avyaktaa tsanaatanaH (avyakta twice): Higher than the unmanifest, there lies another unmanifest which is Everlasting (Eternal) which is not destroyed when all beings are destroyed. The another unmanifest would be called as "Higher unmanifest".
   
   
6. 8.21 avyakto-akshara (avyakta once): O Arjuna, these same multiple beings are born again and again. They are dissolved (into the unmanifest) helplessly at the coming of the night, and they come forth again at the coming of the day.
   
   
7. 9.4 mayaa tatamidaM sarvam jagad-avyakta-muurthinaa (avyakta once). This whole world is pervaded by me in My Unmanifest form.
   
   
8. 10.14 sarvametadR^itaM ... vyakti ... (vyakta once): Neither the Devas not the Daanavas know your manifestation.
   
   
9. 12.1 evaM satatayuktaa ... avyaktaM ... (avyakta once): Those devotees who worship you and the devotees who worship the changeless unmanifest, which of them are better versed in the Yoga?
   
   
10. 12.3 ye tvaksharamanirdeshyaM avyaktaM ... (avyakta once): Those who worship the Changeless, Indefinable, the Unmanifest, .... they also come to Me.
    
    
11. 12.5 klesho.adhikatarasteshhaa.n avyaktaa ... avyaktaahi gatirduHkha.n (avyakta twice): Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the Unmanifest; for the goal, the Unmanifest is very hard for the embodied to reach.
    
    
12. 13.6 mahaabhuutaanyaha.nkaaro ... avyaktameva (avyakta once): The five elements, egoism, intellect and also the unmanifest (muula-prakriti) ... these are kshetra.
    

Here are my comments, reflecting my current understanding.

2.25 and 2.28: These two verses give the definitions, and set the tone for the two selves of the individual: the immutable Atman, that is unmanifest and never-decaying. and the mutable jiva. The jiva goes through the cycle of birth and death, until it stops identification with the part that takes birth and dies. This concept of two selves reaches its pinnacle in the final verses of chapter 15, where again the Lord makes a separation.

7.24 and 9.11: I think that verse 7.24 should be read along with 9.11, where the Lord again cautions against a similar misconception. In 9.11 He says, "Not knowing My supreme nature as the Lord of all beings, foolish people disregard Me who have taken a human body."

It is simple to think that either of 7.24 or 9.11 are referring to ajnaanis, the unwise, who are confused between the manifest and the unmanifest, with the verses themselves glorifying avataara-mahimaa (as in 4.6-4.9) or the vibhuutiis of the Lord (as in chapter 10) each of which are His divine glories.

The right way to understand these shlokas, as I think, is to bring in verse 13.2 (or 13.3 in some versions): kshetraj~na.n chaapi maa.n viddhi sarvakshetreshhu bhaarata where the Lord explains the difference between kshetra and kshetraj~na. The seer is the kshetraj~na and the seen object is the kshetra. The whole manifest universe, including our BMI complex, is the kshetra. The ones who know the difference between these two are the wise ones.

With the above understanding, the unwise ones of 7.24 and 9.11 could be interpreted are either of the following: (a) the ones that get confused between the manifest and the unmanifest as they think that beyond this manifest universe is the unmanifest universe, in potential form, that has to be worshipped. They do not know that the seed has the the same order of reality as the tree, as the seed itself comes from a tree! (b) the ones that do not know that the kshetra, the matter, can never be the Lord of all beings. The matter only has a material existence. Brahman, whose nature is both transcendent and immanent, can never be the matter, and has the only Lord of the universe, whatever form the universe may be.

In the former verse, Lord Krishna uses the word 'abuddhaya', while in the latter the word used is 'muuDhaa'. If there is a hierarchy between these two, I do not know. But, to the misconceptions themselves, the Lord Himself suggested a cure and the result.

The cure for the misconception of 7.24 and 9.11 has been explained in 10.10, while in verse 15.10 the result has been hinted at. In the former, the Lord uses a special term buddhiyogaM for the rescue of the sincere seekers. In the latter, while explaining the result, he clearly says: vimuuDhaa naanupashyanti pashyanti GYaanachakshushhaH: "the wise can see Me with eyes of knowledge". he interesting thing is, 15.19 mentions both the cure and the result! Instead of adding my comments, I just quote the divine wisdom:

yo maamevamasaMmuuDho jaanaatipurushhottamam.h .
sa sarvavidbhajati maaM sarvabhaavena bhaarata .. 15.19..

"O scion of the Bharata dynasty, he who, being free from delusion, knows Me the supreme Person thus, he is all-knowing and adores Me with his whole being."

8.18, 8.20, 8.21: In 8.18 and 8.21, the primary subject matter is prakriti and the jiva. The jivaas get created and destroyed. So does the world. The unmanifest-manifest-unmanifest cycle is similar to 2.28, but at a cosmological level. This world itself, could be in potential (unmanifest) form or in manifest form. Beyond even the potential form (or unmanifest form) of the world is the unmanifest consciousness, that is the witness. That witness is the kshetraj~na for the world including the BMI complex of the individual.

On manifest and unmanifest creation, we should not forget verse 2 of Shri Dakshinamurthy Stotram (biija-syaantarivaankuro jagadidam), where the creation theory is clearly explained by Adi Shankara, using the analogy of a seed. Shri Dakshinamurthy, is the unmanifest consciousness who is the Maha yogi who can conjure up this vyaavahaaric world, like a magician conjures up His magic.

On the manifest and unmanifest forms of the universe, we should also not forget names 397-399 in the Lalitha Sahasranamam, where the Divine Mother is called not only the muula-prakriti, and the avyakta, but also the nature that is manifest and unmanifest.

The tree is in the seed. Also, the seed is in the tree. But beyond the seed and the tree is the "is-ness", of either of them. That "is-ness" is common to both the tree and the seed and exists independent of either of them. That is what is to be worshipped (8.20), with worshipping being a means of identification. But if the seeker considers worshipping that to be difficult, he should do as the Lord says in the verses of chapter 12.

9.4 and 10.14: In 9.4, the Lord is affirming that He is the Lord of the Universe. In 10.14, Arjuna is echoing the Lord that he knows that the unmanifest has come teach Him, and affirming His qualification for further study. (Compare this with 7.24 and 9.11.)

12.1, 12.3, 12.5: Here Arjuna, being able to understand the crucial difference between manifest and unmanifest, is asking about the differences in the sense of upaasana (worship). The avyakta in these verses is the same unmanifest as the "higher unmanifest" of 8.20.

13.6: This is the same unmanifest as the first unmanifest of 8.18 or of 8.20, either of referring to muula prakriti.

Here is a short summary of the above notes: There is an unmanifest individual self, which is non-different from the unmanifested supreme Self. In "between" these two, come the notions of the world (in its manifested and unmanifested forms) and the Ishvara. The world in either of its forms, has does not have a higher order of reality than the individual Jiva. The Jiva concept itself, is a notion, which can be lost by losing the identification with its finiteness -- or more precisely, losing the mis-identification with its finiteness -- only by worshipping the supreme-self, with worship being a means of identification. This has been explained in the first part of chapter 12 by Lord Krishna.

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