Vyasa ashtottarshata-namavalii

Vyasa ashtottarshata-namavalii, thanks to Shri Sunder-ji (who is a moderator of Advaitin group and respected member of online Sanskrit community) is available at the following links:

ITX file
PDF file. Read the rest of this entry >>

On propagating the Vedas

The Veda-pUrva-bhAga is the forest in which the trees have bloomed, of which the flowers are the Upanishads.

Upanishads are like the final flowers whose fragrances are ready for any sincere seeker to take. The essence of these flowers has been sprinkled in purANa-s too, by the revered Veda Vyasa. There are no limits on who can smell the flower or the taste the essence of the flower. They should have that particular sense. That is it.

Giving back to the system (the vaidic system) may be interpreted as going out of the place one has smelled the flowers and running around in ecstasy letting people know where the flowers can be found. Some other people interpret the giving back to the system as choosing to remain in the forest, and taking care that the system that has lead to the flowers bloom is intact.

This constant gardening is mostly a thankless job and is error prone and leads to fear of staying within the realm of dharma, as the veda-pUrva-bhAga is full of kArmic injunctions which should be carefully dealt with. This fear manifests in anger towards anything that seems to obstruct the path. The constant watching of actions at the manas, vaak and karma so that there is no dharma-glaani occurs is a difficult task indeed. (Is this the reason why some of our ancestors were known to be very anger prone? Was it the anger which was fueled by the dharma-glaani, or was it the one fueled by kaama, as gIta says many times?)

There may be a selfish reason too: they get to smell more flowers than the ones who go out with limited flowers. Occasionally they need to take care of the serpents that are the the forest, but that is part of the job.

The people who run around about the fragrance often (often indeed!) meet people who do not have the taste for the flowers. These latter varieties of people are perhaps ones who lost the particular sense, and they may argue about the futility of the fragrance/taste itself (they could be like the characters in the "Country of Blind Men" by H.G. Wells).

This poses some questions:
How many are ready for the gardening of the forest? Who ready for this difficult task? How long can one keep smelling the flowers?

Alternately how long can one garden the forest? Doesn't one "give back" something to the forest? What if the forest is infinite? Shouldn't the fragrance be propagated by living it, instead of working on improving it?



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Protecting sanAtana dharma

In general, the second aashrama (namely grihasthaas) have the main responsibility of protecting dharma as they follow the jaImini mImaMsa sUtrAs, which begins with athAto-dharma-jiGYAsA followed by chodana-lakshaNaH-artho-dharmaH. This should be contrasted with the fourth aashrama, the sannyaasins, who have renounced everything for the sake of brahma-jiGYAsa, following the bAdarAyaNa sUtrAs, which begins with athato-brahma-jiGYAsA.

It is sad that in the current days, when virus [1] of conversion is spreading, the protection of dharma has fallen on the shoulders of sannyAsins. It is not that they are doing poor job out of it. In fact they are excelling in what they are doing. But it is a travesty that the current kaala (kali-kaala!!!) is of that nature that everyone else, other than the individuals belonging to the fourth aashrama, has turned into an artha kaami and kaama kaami leaving alone dharma.

[1] It should actually be fungus, rather than virus. virus has a raajasik nature, while fungus has a taamasik nature. People who convert others and people who are converted are full of taamasik nature. Read the rest of this entry >>

Advaita and Vedanta before Shankara

Who were the Advaitins before Adi Shankara? gauDapAda's kArika is a commentary on mAnDUkya. What about other Upanishads? Kena is said to have two commentaries by Adi Shankara, one of which is said to have referred to an earlier commentary. What was it?

What about the authors of ashTAvakra-gIta, avadhUta-gIta and yoga-vAsishhTa?

Why does Swami Madhavananda says that "Kumarila Bhatta did his best to do an GYAna-interpretation of the brahmaNAs?

In general, what was the Vedantic tradition (as in Upanishadic) before gauDapAda, govindapAda and shankara?



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Ramana, Vedas and His Dialogues

What did bhagavaan Ramana mean when he referred to as the scriptures? Did He mean the scriptural words of all the world, which could be interpreted as advaitic, or did He mean the Vedas (essentially Vedanta)? More precisely, when He used the word "scriptures" in His works (see the next question), what were the precise words He used? (Remember that He spoke only the vernacular languages).

Are the Dialogues of the Ramana proper reference material, or are secondary material to His original works (like naan-yaar, ullanDu-naarpaandu) and translations (like Vivekachudamani, Shri Dakshinamurthy Stotram)?



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sampradAya, jIvanmukas and abhrahamic religions

The basic promise of a tradition (sampradAya) is by the measurable results that it provides, under different times and places, some of them even testing the tradition to its limit.

All the sampradAyas of sanAtana-dharma excel in such a test. On the whole, it has produced a great lineage of aacharyas and gurus who have not only shown their jIvanmuktitva, but also answered the questions their particular times have raised.

In this test, the notable failures are the abrahamic religions. One of them says that a particular prophet is the son of god with rest of the followers being sinners. The sinners can never reach to the level of son of God. Implicitly, the highest status as defined by the religion itself is inachievable by the religion itself. The other religion even goes on to define this more precisely. It says that there can be no more prophets. Even after stopping to laugh at the preposition, when one understand it, it means that an individual, who is a follower of that cult can never ever raise to the highest level of prophethood, as offered by the religion itself!

These kind of religions, if were kept in a religion-market would be aptly dismissed as a snake-oil-salesmen, as neither can one verify whether a bygone individual is a true son of god, or whether he has actually seen god, which confirms his prophethood. Oh wait, these are abrahmic religions, which means you could never reach to the level of brahman in them!

What kind of bogus!



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Effective Communication: individual and organization

What are the basic premises that an organization or an individual has to satisfy to get his message to the listeners? Is it just charm or substance?

At individual level, the substance is improved by "communication skills", which are in turn improved by a yogic system (yama-niyama and so on).

What helps an organization? Can yama-niyama help an organization like BJP? How can it tackle the hostile media?

In general, what is the yoga that helps the collective intellect to of a country like India, so that it can effectively keep in "control" the media, so that it does not lead the collective intellect astray. This "control" has to be done while giving it freedom.




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Gita Quiz

In the past, I had linked to a Gita Quiz posted on advaitin list by Prof. VK. Here is a link to a Gita Quiz from Chinmaya Mission.


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Some links on Jagannatha Pandita Raya

Here are a few links on Jagannatha Pandita Raya, a world renown poet who was perhaps a contemporary of Akbar as well as of Appayya Dikshita.

by Prasad B.S.V (The same appears at the following link).

by santhemant



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The cry of the jiva: a poem

A young black man walked into the train,
was dressed as young people do,
the train was not that full,
as it was a holiday.


He walked in,
the doors closed,
said the automatic announcer:
"les portes se ferment" (or doors are closing),
or something like that.

The train started moving.
He did not sit down.
Then it happened.
He started crying.

This was not a usual sobbing
by hiding the tears behind the eyes
and turning away from onlookers.

This was crying,
loud crying,
pure and simple.

Just as kids do,
when they want something,
and not too unlike lovers kissing each other passionately,
as they usually do in this part of this world,
without care and abandon.

He did not stop crying,
the crying just got louder.
People, did not care,
even if they did, they turned their
eyes away.
French callousness, as opponents as
people on the other side of the channel,
(or the ocean) may say.
I do not simply know if they were gifted
to turn their ears off too!

The crying continued,
then it sparked in me.
It was no usual crying.
It was the Jiva crying.
The reason being separation from its source!

The Jiva was crying due to fear
because it had forgotten its source.

Not due to the source's fault that it had happened.
Not due to the Jiva's fault that it had happened.
It had happened to to a false-superimposition.
What caused the it?
A wise man said: beginning-less ignorance.

How to end it?
Just watch it.
It will go away,
simply because it never was.

The jiva will merge in the source,
if it wants to,
the moment it wants to.

The Jiva was always the source,
the source was never the Jiva.
the source always was the source.

Before source,
after source
in between the source.

What a maya!
Om Shanthi!

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yoga and vedanta from Advaita-L

Here are some links on yoga and vedanta, mainly from April 2005 archives.



yama and niyama by Shri. VS

1. Part 1,
   
   
2. Part 2(yama and niyama)
   
   
3. Part 3
   
   

What is tapas? 2
The ones given in 17th chapter do not count, as they are the practice

Yoga and Vedanta: part 9 (Which has the links to other posts,

1. Part 0
   
   
2. Part 1
   
   
3. Part 2
   
   
4. Part 2 cont
   
   
5. Part 3
   
   
6. Part 4
   
   
7. Part 5
   
   
8. Part 5 contd.
   
   
9. Part 6
   
   
10. Part 7
    
    
11. Part 8
    
    
12. Part 9
    
    

My praNAms to the author (Shri VS-ji) and his guru parampara.

Also see this link by Shri Chittaranjan-ji.

Also refer to the previously linked paper by Shri Michael Comans.

Postscript See this post on advaitin.

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Two books on Hindu Dharma

This post is about books that are worth reading by anyone interested in sanAtana dharma, whether they are "practicing it" or have been outsiders and want to understand it.

Hindu Dharma by Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji: The book Hindu Dharma is a series of lectures by Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji, who was the the head of the Shankara Mutt at Kanchi. He was known to be a jIvanmukta (one who is liberated while alive).



This book teaches all the basics about a Hindu life and the corrects the misconceptions that have crept in over times. These misconceptions are more dangerous to a dharma, not the least when it is attacked from other encroaching religions. It is well known that the emphasis on a spiritual orientation, even while doing their nitya and naimittika karmas (duties that are daily and obligatory) distinguishes a Hindu from these others.

In fact, I think that this book should be one of the first introductory books to Hinduism, as it tries to correct the many errors that have crept into the practice of sanAtana dharma. It is these errors, which gradually turn into corruption in the hearts and minds of the people who, which make the dharma weaker from within, thus causing a rot on which other religions can feed upon.

In particular, The key concepts should be understood by parents of raising kids, as clearly puts an onus of responsibility on them. For example, the Sage of Kanchi, never forgets to repeat the maxims (like "do a sandhya vandana regularly") that the parents who practice sanAtana dharma well will beget children who are equally good practitioners themselves.

The philosophy section of the book is very readable and mature at the same time. The Acharya takes the reader through the entire gamut of Indian darshanas (schools of thought), from the non-vaidic schools to the vaidic schools. In this aspect, it as well rivals many books written by purely academicians. Reading these sections of the book enforces the thought that philosophy in Indian schools is not one built in ivory towers, but by practitioners or seers, with the former searching for the meaning behind the Truth, and the latter explaining it. There is no problem of the reader complaining of lack of "no tears approach", as he is taken through it deftly trough the sharp bends. There are difficult sections though, which make the book a worthy for multiple readings.


There is no point putting any excerpts from the book as there are too many gems over there. If you want to learn about Hindu Dharma, first read it and put it into practice.

Radical Universalism: Does Hinduism Teach That All Religions Are The Same? A Philosophical Critique of Radical Universalism The fallacies and mistakes that this book (rather a paper) corrects are numerous. It should be read multiple times by many Hindus to really understand what they truly believe in, especially when they are explaining to their beliefs to a mostly western audience, or just trying to understand for themselves. This book is Radical Universalism subtitled "Does Hinduism Teach That All Religions Are The Same? A Philosophical Critique of Radical Universalism". The author Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D. (Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya)" is, according to the above website a well known speaker with many credentials.

Primarily there are some Philosophical questions that the book raises, which need to dealt with. The questions obviously touch upon the classical and seemingly never ending debates like: traditional vs. modern, conservative vs.liberal, meaning of scriptural statements with respect to modern age and so on. But the questions that are asked are very important and need to be thought about.

The historical section of the book raises very valid points and confirms some of the well known recent alarming trends in people understanding scriptures for themselves. None-the-less, this has been there for some time too.

Here are some excerpts from this book:

In order to fully appreciate the proper purport of the verse ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti, we need to understand the verse in terms its own inherently derived meaning, and not merely in accordance with polemically determined speculative opinion. We can do this by explicating the verse in accordance with the verse’s precise categorical status, followed by an accurate veridical assessment of its philosophical content. In order to more precisely understand the philosophical meaning of the many verses found in the Hindu scriptures, this verse included, I have developed a methodological system of explication that I call Categorical Exegetical Analysis. This interpretive methodology enables its user to more accurately understand the precise meaning of any singular unit of philosophical text from the Hindu scriptures, units ranging from a simple declarative statement to a string of verses to an entire work, and held together by one unitive philosophical or conceptual motif.

Stated briefly, this philo-exegetical method involves three sequential steps. First, we must determine whether the verse in question is making an actual philosophical statement or some other form of statement (poetic, descriptive, historical, narrative, etc.). In the case of the verse ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti, the philosophically propositional makeup of the statement, the obviously philosophical nature of the subject (sat, "Truth/God"), and the clearly unitive conceptual pattern of the verse, undoubtedly makes this a philosophical statement. Second, we need to see what category of philosophical subject matter the statement falls under by determining the precise philosophical nature of the textual unit under analysis. Is the verse saying something about ethics, about knowledge, about liberation, or about some other aspect of philosophy?

The following are the various categories of philosophical statements that the verse under analysis could potentially fall under.

a) Ontological - statements outlining the nature of the Absolute.

b) Ethical - statements concerning proper/improper behavior.

c) Soteriological - statements about the means and/or nature of liberation.

d) Social - political, economic and sociological statements.

e) Aesthetic - poetic description and/or theory.

f) Cosmological - statements on the nature of the universe and physics.

g) Cosmogonical - statements about the origin/creation of the universe.

h) Epistemological - statements concerning means of knowing.

Every propositional statement containing significant philosophical content found in the scriptures of Hinduism falls within one or more of these philosophical categories. It is impossible to determine the full scope of the intent of any statement without first discerning which category a statement falls under. This is so because of the commonsensical fact that before we can determine what a verse is saying philosophically, we first need to know what aspect of philosophy the verse is addressing. Third, after completing steps one and two, a proper philosophical explication of the verse can be done.

We will now use Categorical Exegetical Analysis to examine the famous verse from the Rig Veda: ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti. An exact transliteration of the verse is:

"Truth/God (sad) [is] One (ekam), [despite] seers (vipra) call (vadanti) [it] variously (bahudha)."

The typical Radical Universalist attempt at interpreting this verse is to view it, incorrectly, as either an epistemological or a soteriological claim. That is, this verse is usually misinterpreted as either saying that a) God can be known in a myriad of ways (thus seeing this as an epistemological statement), or that b) there are many ways or paths of achieving God (thus misinterpreting this as a soteriological verse).

It is my contention that both interpretations are incorrect. An interpretive error is committed by Radical Universalists due to not understanding the proper categorical context, and thus the proper philosophical meaning, of the statement. The mantra ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti is neither an epistemological nor a soteriological statement; but it is rather an ontological one. It is not talking about the proper derivation of authoritative knowledge (pramana), nor about the means of attaining liberation (mokshopaya, or mokshamarga). Rather, the verse is making a clear attributive statement about the essential ontological nature of the Absolute. The ontological nature of this verse is clearly known due to the fact that sat ("Truth, reality, being, God") is the singular nominative subject, which is then qualified by the accusative ekam ("one, unity"). "God is One…". Thus the primary clausal emphasis of this propositional verse is clearly placed upon explaining the ontological nature of sat (before consonant-initial endings, the t becomes d; thus sat becomes sad in this verse) being a metaphysically unified substance (ekam = "one"). The emphasis is not on the secondary supportive clause vipra bahudha vadanti. The point of this verse is the ontological unity and integrity of the Absolute, that God is one…despite the fact that this Absolute may have multiple names. The statement ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti is an ontological statement with God as subject, not an epistemological statement with wise-ones as subjects, or a soteriological statement with the means of liberation as the subject. Indeed, multiple paths of liberation are not even mentioned in the original Sanskrit of this verse at all, leaving even less reason for anyone to misinterpret this as a verse somehow supporting Radical Universalism from a soteriological perspective. In summation, this verse is not talking about multiple paths for achieving liberation (since it does not even mention "paths"). It is not talking about various means of knowing God. Rather, it is a straightforward ontological statement commenting upon the unitive nature of the Absolute, that God is one. Thus, "God is one, despite sages calling it by various names".

One interesting aspect of this book is that the book asks RSS, the uncomfortable question: "How is is that you are saying all religions are the same and still supposedly fighting for Hinduism?"


It is a great luck that we are in an age when knowledge is just a click away. But is not true that the same is statement is applicable to the all pervasive truth that is closest to one's Self (in fact, it is one's own self!). But, how many can drop the weight of one's vaasanaas to truly know it?

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brahmaGYAna and jIvanmukti

This post is a collection of links on brahmaGYAna and jIvanmukti by Shri S Jayanarayanan on Advaita-L. The series begins with the Nov 2006 archives.

1. part 1
   
   
2. part 2
   
   
3. part 3
   
   
4. part 4
   
   
5. part 5 and part 5a.
   
   
6. part 6
   
   

Not very related to the above post, but the following post in advaitin on Sampradaya is worth reading too.

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Who am I?

Ramana's Who Am I?.


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The Enlightened Eminently Engage in Empirical Endeavours

Read the fascinatingly titled "The Enlightened Eminently Engage in Empirical Endeavours". The same article is available in PDF format here (or here)
.
My humble praNAms to the author and his guru parampara as well as all the advaitic masters!





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Activities of GYaanis according to Advaita

In a great post, Shri Jaishankar-ji, a disciple of Swami Dayananda, and a great scholar of Advaita, elaborates on the major points of contention of the "two schools" in Advaita. The post is worth reading to understand the core reasons of contention between followers of SSS and the "Parampara-school" of Advaita.

Let me try to summarise the two different views on the empirical activities of a jnAni (knower of brahman) being discussed in this group. To understand why the two views don't seem to converge even after a lot of posts, we have to understand the fundamental positions of the adherents of these two views.

We have one set of arguments which goes thus:

1. Ignorance (ajnAna) is jnAna-abhAva (absence of knowledge)
   
2. dvaita prapancha ( world of duality) is anAdi adhyAsa (beginningless superimposition) which is due to wrong/ erroneous cognition (mithyAjnAna) by mind
   
3. mAya is avidyAkArya ( effect of ignorance)
   
4. Isvara is mAyAvi (wielder of mAya) and is also an effect of ignorance
   
5. There is no difference of Isvarasrsti (Isvara's creation) and jIvasrsti (individual's creation) as all perception is due to erroneous cognition by mind
   
6. When knowledge 'dawns' the erroneous perception of duality is removed like a snake perception on a rope
   
7. This implies that jnAni/jivanmukta can no more perceive any duality and 'becomes' that very brahman. Further the jnAni/jivanmukta cannot be identified with any particular body-mind-sense complex.
   
8. The so called teacher-student interactions and the empirical engagements of jnAni/jivanmukta are only in the perception of ajnAnis due to erroneous cognition by mind.
   

The other view is that:

1. Ignorance (ajnAna) is jnAna-virOdhi (opposed to knowledge)
   
2. dvaita prapancha ( world of duality) is adhyAsa (superimposition) which is due to false ignorance (mithyA-ajnAna)
   
3. ajnAna / ignorance covers the truth (AvaraNa) and then projects the world of duality (vikshepa). Brahman conditioned by ajnAna (ignorance) is jiva (embodied individual)
   
4. Brahman conditioned by mAya is Isvara the creator. mAya is the creative power and Isvara is the wielder of mAya. mAya covers the truth (AvaraNa) and then projects the world of duality (vikshepa). mAya is mithyA (false ontologically).
   
5. mAya and ajnAna are one and the same principle but mAya is with respect to Isvara (cosmic) and ajnAna is with respect to the jiva/individual.
   
6. Isvarasrsti (Isvara's creation) is vyAvahArika (empirical/objective) and jIvasrsti (individual's creation) is prAtibhAsika (subjective).
   
7. Knowledge is the understanding that Atma (Self) is brahman (satyam) and the objective world and subjective individuality is false (mithyA). Knowledge results in the permanent shift in one's identity from jiva/individual to brahman. Knowledge does not end the perception of duality. Knowledge is the understanding that even while perceiving the duality, advaita (non-dual) alone is real (satyam).
   
8. jnAni/knower of truth, can continue to engage in Guru-Sishya interactions and other worldly interactions due to prArabdha karma (Karma which has already started to fructify), which are part of Isvara srsti, while enjoying jIvanmukti (liberation while being alive).
   

I would like to quote BG chapter 3 verse 33

sadrSam ceSTate svasyAh prakrterjnAnavAnapi
prakrtim yAnti bhUtani nigrahah kim kariSyati

Even a wise person acts in keeping with his or her own nature. Because
all beings follow their own nature, of what use is control?

Shankar in his Bhasya says

sadrSam anurUpam ceState ceStAm karoti | kasyAh ? svasyAh svakIyAyAh prakrteh | prakrtir nAma pUrva-krta-dharmAdharmAdi-samskAra vartamAna-janmAdau abhivyaktAh | sA prakrtih | tasyAh sadrSam eva sarvo jantur jnAnavAn api ceState, kim punar mUrkhah ?

Translation of swAmi GambhIrAnanda:

Api, even; jnanavan, a man of wisdom-what to speak of a fool!; cestate, behaves; Sadrsam, according to;-what? svasyah, his own; prakrteh, nature. Nature means the impressions of virtue, vice, etc. [Also, knowledge, desires, and so on.] acquired in the past (lives) and which become manifest at the commencement of the present life.

For more clarity you can read from BG Chapter Verse 17 onwards up to end of chapter to understand clearly the vyvahAra of jnAni and ajnAni.

[Ed. I think Jaishankar-ji is talking about chapter 5 verse 17 onwards.]

Postscript: Read the fascinatingly titled "The Enlightened Eminently Engage in Empirical Endeavours" by Subbu-ji, another scholar of advaita whose articles this blog had linked earlier to. The same article is available in PDF format here.

My humble praNAms to the authors, their guru parampara as well as all the advaitic masters!




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Pujya Swamiji on Global Warming

I hope people listen to you, when you say this.




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Beginning and Ending Verses of each chapter in the Gita

Here are the 36 (+1 [see notes below]) verses that are the first and last verses of all the chapters of the Gita, along with Swami Gambhirananda's translation, as well as my notes.

1. Chapter 1
   
   • dhR^itaraashhTra uvaacha .
     dharmakshetre kurukshetre samavetaa yuyutsavaH .
     maamakaaH paaNDavaashchaiva kimakurvata sa.njaya .. 1.1..
     
     
     Dhrtarastra said: O Sanjaya, what did my sons (and others) and Pandu's sons (and others) actually do when, eager for battle, they assembled on the sacred field, the Kuruksetra (Field of the Kurus)?
     
     
   • sa.njaya uvaacha .
     evamuktvaarjunaH saN^khye rathopastha upaavishat.h .
     visR^ijya sashara.n chaapa.n shokasa.nvignamaanasaH .. 1.47..
     
     Sanjaya narrated: Having said so, Arjuna, with a mind afflicted with sorrow, sat down on the chariot in the midst of the battle, casting aside the bow along with the arrows.
     
   
   
   
2. Chapter 2
   
   • sa.njaya uvaacha .
     ta.n tathaa kR^ipayaavishhTamashrupuurNaakulekshaNam.h .
     vishhiidantamida.n vaakyamuvaacha madhusuudanaH .. 2.1..
     
     
     Sanjaya said: To him who had been thus filled with pity, whose eyes were filled with tears and showed distress, and who was sorrowing, Madhusudana uttered these words:
     
     
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     eshhaa braahmii sthitiH paartha nainaaM praapya vimuhyati .
     sthitvaasyaamantakaale.api brahmanirvaaNamR^ichchhati .. 2.72..
     
     
     The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, this is the state of being established in Brahman. One does not become deluded after attaining this. One attains identification with Brahman by being established in this state even in the closing years of one's life.
     
   
   
   
3. Chapter 3
   
   • arjuna uvaacha .
     jyaayasii chetkarmaNaste mataa buddhirjanaardana .
     tatki.n karmaNi ghore maa.n niyojayasi keshava .. 3.1..
     
     
     Arjuna said: O Janardana (krsna), if it be Your opinion that wisdom is superior to action, why they do you urge me to horrible aciton, O Kesava ?
     
     
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     evaM buddheH paraM buddhvaa sa.nstabhyaatmaanamaatmanaa .
     jahi shatruM mahaabaaho kaamaruupaM duraasadam.h .. 3.43..
     
     
     3.43 Understanding the Self thus as superior to the intellect, and completely establishing (the Self) is spiritual absorption with the (help of) the mind, O mighty-armed one, vanquish the enemy in the form of desire, which is difficult to subdue.
     
   
   
   
   
4. Chapter 4
   
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     imaM vivasvate yogaM proktavaanahamavyayam.h .
     vivasvaanmanave praaha manurikshvaakave.abraviit.h .. 4.1..
     
     The Blessed Lord said: I imparted this imperishable Yoga to Vivasvan, Vivasvan taught this to Manu, and Manu transmitted this to Iksavaku.
     
     
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     tasmaadaGYaanasaMbhuutaM hR^itstha.n GYaanaasinaatmanaH .
     chhittvainaM sa.nshayaM yogamaatishhThottishhTha bhaarata .. 4.42..
     
     
     The Blessed Lord said: Therefore, O scion of the Bharata dyasty, take recourse to yoga and rise up, cutting asunder with the sword of Knowledge this doubt of your own in the heart, arising from ignorance.
     
   
   
   
5. Chapter 5
   
   • arjuna uvaacha .
     sa.nnyaasaM karmaNaa.n kR^ishhNa punaryoga.n cha sha.nsasi .
     yachchhreya etayorekaM tanme bruuhi sunishchitam.h .. 5.1..
     
     
     Arjuna said: O Krsna, You praise renunciation of actions, and again, (Karma-) yoga. Tell me for certain that one which is better between these two.
     
     
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     bhoktaaraM yaGYatapasaa.n sarvalokamaheshvaram.h .
     suhR^idaM sarvabhuutaanaa.n GYaatvaa maa.n shaantimR^ichchhati ..
     5.29..
     
     The Blessed Lord said:One attains Peace by knowing Me who, as the great Lord of all the worlds, am the enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities, (and) who am the friend of all creatures.
     
   
   
   
6. Chapter 6
   
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     anaashritaH karmaphalaM kaarya.n karma karoti yaH .
     sa sa.nnyaasii cha yogii cha na niragnirna chaakriyaH .. 6.1..
     
     
     The Blessed Lord said: He who performs an action which is his duty, without depending on the result of action, he is a monk and a yogi; (but) not (so in) he who does not keep a fire and is actionless.
     
     
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     yoginaamapi sarveshhaaM madgatenaantaraatmanaa .
     shraddhaavaanbhajate yo maa.n sa me yuktatamo mataH .. 6.47..
     
     
     Even among all the yogis, he who adores Me with his mind fixed on Me and with faith,he is considered by Me to be the best of the yogis.
     
     
   
   
   
7. Chapter 7
   
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     mayyaasaktamanaaH paartha yogaM yuJNjanmadaashrayaH .
     asa.nshayaM samagraM maa.n yathaa GYaasyasi tachchhR^iNu .. 7.1..
     
     
     The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, hear how you, having the mind fixed on Me, practising the Yoga of Meditation and taking refuge in Me, will know Me with certainly and in fulness.
     
     
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     saadhibhuutaadhidaivaM maa.n saadhiyaGYa.n cha ye viduH .
     prayaaNakaale.api cha maa.n te viduryuktachetasaH .. 7.30..
     
     
     The Blessed Lord said: Those who know me as existing in the physical and the divine planes, and also in the context of the sacrifice, they of concentrated minds know Me even at the time of death.
     
     
   
   
   
8. Chapter 8
   
   • 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?
     
     
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     vedeshhu yaGYeshhu tapaHsu chaiva
     daaneshhu yatpuNyaphalaM pradishhTam.h .
     atyeti tatsarvamidaM viditvaa
     yogii paraM sthaanamupaiti chaadyam.h .. 8.28 ..
     
     
     The Blessed Lord said: Having known this, the yogi transcends all those results of rigtheous deeds that are declared with regard to the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and also charities, and he reaches the primordial supreme State.
     
   
   
   
9. Chapter 9
   
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     idaM tu te guhyatamaM pravakshyaamyanasuuyave .
     GYaanaM viGYaanasahitaM yajGYaatvaa mokshyase.ashubhaat.h .. 9.1..
     
     
     The Blessed Lord said: However, to you who are not given to cavilling I shall speak of this highest secret itself, which is Knowledge [Jnana may mean Brahman that is Consciousness, or Its knowledge gathered from the Vedas (paroksa-jnana). Vijnana is direct experience (aparoksa-jnana).] combined with experience, by realizing which you shall be free from evil.
     
     
   • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
     manmanaa bhava madbhakto madyaajii maa.n namaskuru .
     maamevaishhyasi yuktvaivamaatmaanaM matparaayaNaH .. 9.34..
     
     
     Having your mind fixed on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, and bow down to Me. By concentrating your mind and accepting Me as the supreme Goal, you shall surely attain Me who am thus the Self.
     
     
   
   
   
   
   
10. Chapter 10
    
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      bhuuya eva mahaabaaho shR^iNu me paramaM vachaH .
      yatte.ahaM priiyamaaNaaya vakshyaami hitakaamyayaa .. 10.1..
      
      
      The Blessed Lord said: O mighty-armed one, listen over again ot My supreme utterance, which I, wishing your welfare, shall speak to you who take delight (in it).
      
      
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      athavaa bahunaitena kiM GYaatena tavaarjuna .
      vishhTabhyaahamidaM kR^itsnamekaa.nshena sthito jagat.h .. 10.42..
      
      
      The Blessed Lord said: What is the need of your knowing this extensively, O Arjuna? I remain sustaning this whole creation in a special way with a part (of Myself).
      
      
    
    
    
    
11. Chapter 11
    
    • arjuna uvaacha .
      madanugrahaaya paramaM guhyamadhyaatmasa.nGYitam.h .
      yattvayokta.n vachastena moho.ayaM vigato mama .. 11.1..
      
      
      Arjuna said: This delusion of mine has departed as a result of that speech which is most secret and known as pertaining to the Self, and which was uttered by You for my benefit.
      
      
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      matkarmakR^inmatparamo madbhaktaH saN^gavarjitaH .
      nirvairaH sarvabhuuteshhu yaH sa maameti paaNDava .. 11.55..
      
      
      The Blessed Lord said: O son of Pandu, he who works for Me, accepts Me as the supreme Goal, is devoted to Me, is devoid of attachment and free from enmity towards all beings-he attains Me.
      
      
    
    
12. Chapter 12
    
    • arjuna uvaacha .
      evaM satatayuktaa ye bhaktaastvaaM paryupaasate .
      ye chaapyaksharamavyaktaM teshhaa.n ke yogavittamaaH .. 12.1..
      
      
      Arjuna said: Those devotees who, being thus ever dedicated, meditate on You, and those again (who meditate) on the Immutable, the Unmanifested-of them, who are the best experiencers of yoga [(Here) yoga means samadhi, spiritual absorption.] ?
      
      
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      ye tu dharmyaamR^itamidaM yathoktaM paryupaasate .
      shraddadhaanaa matparamaa bhaktaaste.atiiva me priyaaH .. 12.20..
      
      
      The Blessed Lord said: But those devotees who accept Me as the supreme Goal, and with faith seek for this ambrosia which is indistinguishable from the virtues as stated above, they are very dear to Me.
      
      
    
    
    
13. Chapter 13
    
    • arjuna uvaacha .
      prakR^itiM purushha.n chaiva kshetra.n kshetraGYameva cha .
      etadveditumichchhaami GYaanaM GYeya.n cha keshava .. 13.1..
      
      
      shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      idaM shariiraM kaunteya kshetramityabhidhiiyate .
      etadyo vetti taM praahuH kshetraGYa iti tadvidaH .. 13.2[13.1]..
      
      The Blessed Lord said: O son of Kunti, this body is referred to as the 'field'. Those who are versed in this call him who is conscious of it as the 'knower of the field'.
      
      
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      kshetrakshetraGYayorevamantaraM GYaanachakshushhaa .
      bhuutaprakR^itimoksha.n cha ye viduryaanti te param.h .. 13.35[13.34]..
      
      
      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.
      
      
    
    
    
14. Chapter 14
    
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      paraM bhuuyaH pravakshyaami GYaanaanaa.n GYaanamuttamam.h .
      yajGYaatvaa munayaH sarve paraaM siddhimito gataaH .. 14.1..
      
      
      The Blessed Lord said: I shall speak again of the supreme Knowledge, the best of all knowledges, by realizing which all the contemplatives reached the highest Perfection from here.
      
      
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      
      brahmaNo hi pratishhThaahamamR^itasyaavyayasya cha .
      shaashvatasya cha dharmasya sukhasyaikaantikasya cha .. 14.27..
      
      
      The Blessed Lord said: For I am the Abode of Brahman-the indestructible and immutable, the eternal, the Dharma and absolute Bliss.
      
    
    
    
15. Chapter 15
    
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      uurdhvamuulamadhaHshaakhamashvatthaM praahuravyayam.h .
      chhandaa.nsi yasya parNaani yasta.n veda sa vedavit.h .. 15.1..
      
      
      The Blessed Lord said: They say that the peepul Tree, which has its roots upward and the branches downward, and of which the Vedas are the leaves, is imperishable. He who realizes it is knower of the Vedas.
      
      
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      iti guhyatamaM shaastramidamuktaM mayaa.anagha .
      etatbuddhvaa buddhimaansyaatkR^itakR^ityashcha bhaarata .. 15.20..
      
      
      The Blessed Lord said: O sinless one, this most secret scripture has thus been uttered by Me. Understanding this, one becomes wise and has his duties fulfilled, O scion of the Bharata dynasty.
      
      
    
    
16. Chapter 16
    
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      abhayaM sattvasa.nshuddhirGYaanayogavyavasthitiH .
      daanaM damashcha yaGYashcha svaadhyaayastapa aarjavam.h .. 16.1..
      
      The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of mind, persistence in knowledge and yoga, charity and control of the external organs, sacrifice, (scriptural) study, austerity and recititude;
      
      
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      tasmaachchhaastraM pramaaNaM te kaaryaakaaryavyavasthitau .
      GYaatvaa shaastravidhaanokta.n karma kartumihaarhasi .. 16.24..
      
      
      The Blessed Lord said: Therefore, the scripture is your authority as regards the determination of what is to be done and what is not to be done. After understanding (your) duty as presented by scriptural injunction, you ought to perform (your duty) here.
      
      
    
    
    
17. Chapter 17
    
    • arjuna uvaacha .
      ye shaastravidhimutsR^ijya yajante shraddhayaanvitaaH .
      teshhaa.n nishhThaa tu kaa kR^ishhNa sattvamaaho rajastamaH .. 17.1..
      
      
      But, O Krsna, what is the state [i.e., where do the rites undertaken by them end? of those who, endued with faith, adore by ignoring the injunctions of the scriptures? Is it sattva, rajas or tamas?
      
      
    • shriibhagavaanuvaacha .
      ashraddhayaa hutaM datta.n tapastapta.n kR^ita.n cha yat.h .
      asadityuchyate paartha na cha tatprepya no iha .. 17.28..
      
      The Blessed Lord said: O son of Prtha, whatever is offered in sacrifice and given in charity, as also whatever austerity is undertakne or whatever is done without, faith, is said to be of on avail. And it is of no consequence after death, nor here.
      
    
    
    
18. Chapter 18
    
    • arjuna uvaacha .
      sa.nnyaasasya mahaabaaho tattvamichchhaami veditum.h .
      tyaagasya cha hR^ishhiikesha pR^ithakkeshinishhuudana .. 18.1..
      
      Arjuna said: O mighty-armed Hrsikesa, O slayer of (the demon) Kesi, I want to know serverally the truth about sannyasa as also about tyaga.
      
      
    • sa.njaya uvaacha .
      yatra yogeshvaraH kR^ishhNo yatra paartho dhanurdharaH .
      tatra shriirvijayo bhuutirdhruvaa niitirmatirmama .. 18.78..
      
      
      Sanjaya narrated: Where there is Krsna, the Lord of yogas, and where there is Partha, the wielder of the bow, there are fortune, victory, prosperity and unfailing prudence. Such is my conviction.
      
    
    

Here is some notes:

• The +1 at the beginning of this post refers to the additional verse at the beginning of chapter 13. Some versions of Gita do not contain the verse that is Arjuna's question asking Lord Krishna about six items.
  

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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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