Mahabharata: Vol. 5 (73 page)

¹¹⁶
Sattva
,
rajas
and
tamas
. The world, and everything in it, is a mixture of these three qualities or gunas and this shloka asks Arjuna to rise above these three gunas. But the shloka also asks Arjuna to be always under the quality of sattva. Depending on one’s point of view, there may or may not be an issue of interpretation here. In one interpretation, rising above the three gunas means suppressing rajas and tamas and therefore, sattva is needed to rise above the three gunas. In an alternative interpretation, rising above the three gunas is interpreted as being without attachment.

¹¹⁷
The word used is
dvandva
, meaning doubt. But it also means opposite sensations, like pleasure and pain or happiness and unhappiness. Therefore, dvandva is the outcome of the senses and to be without dvandva means to rise above the senses and look on everything equally.

¹¹⁸
Yoga means what is yet to be attained, while
kshema
means what has already been attained.

¹¹⁹
As the second part of the shloka makes clear, the word yoga is used here in the very specific sense of treating success and failure equally.

¹²⁰
Buddhi yoga. The sense is that the motivation behind the action is superior to the outwardly effect of the action.

¹²¹
Meaning, praise of fruits and of heaven. The word
shruti
can mean that which is heard, or the Vedas. In this shloka and the next, if shruti is interpreted as the Vedas, one means the ritualistic aspects of the Vedas, which speak of fruits like heaven.

¹²²
In a general sense, yoga means union between jivatman and the paramatman. That is also samadhi, union between the human and the divine. There are two words in this shloka,
nishchala
and
achala
and the meanings differ marginally. Nischala has a negative nuance in the sense that the mind is not attracted towards irrelevant distractions. Achala has a positive nuance in the sense that the mind is focused on whatever one is meditating on and doesn’t waver from that.

¹²³
Starving himself is the straightforward interpretation. However, a more general interpretation is also possible, that is, the reference is to a person who restrains his senses from addiction to sensual objects.

¹²⁴
In a person in whom wisdom is established.

¹²⁵
The senses.

¹²⁶
Objects.

¹²⁷
Confusion of memory about what is right.

¹²⁸
Attachment to sensual objects and hatred when desired outcomes don’t result.

¹²⁹
Intellect and thought about the paramatman.

¹³⁰
There are five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

¹³¹
That is, at the time of death.

¹³²
In the earlier chapter, two paths are mentioned—jnana yoga and karma yoga, though the expression karma yoga is never directly used. Arjuna infers a suggestion that jnana yoga or the path of knowledge is superior to karma yoga or the path of action. This chapter explains that this suggestion is incorrect and that avoidance of action is not the answer. Instead, detached action is the key.

¹³³
Followers of sankhya are those who tread the path of knowledge and the word yogi is being used for those who tread the path of action.

¹³⁴
That is, giving up action.

¹³⁵
Prakriti has been translated as nature. And the qualities are the three gunas of sattva, rajas and tamas.

¹³⁶
That is, limbs and the like. The five organs of action are the mouth, hands, feet, the anus and sexual organs. The five senses of knowledge are sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

¹³⁷
Instead of being a hypocrite, one can use the stronger translation of being a liar.

¹³⁸
There is scope for interpreting what prescribed action (
niyatam
karma) is. Is it rites and rituals? In that case, it doesn’t quite apply to Arjuna, because he is not a brahmana. Is it duty? Is it action without attachment?

¹³⁹
This translation is problematic. Traditionally, yajna means a sacrifice, but the Gita is against such rituals. The word yajna has also been equated with God in the sense of Vishnu, but that’s not terribly convincing either. It is also possible that these sections may have been interpolated into the Gita later. They don’t quite fit. However, later, the Gita uses the word yajna in a broader sense.

¹⁴⁰
Meaning, before creation.

¹⁴¹
Brahma.

¹⁴²
The word sacrifice (yajna) causes a problem again. As opposed to the creation itself, sacrifice may mean laying down prescribed duties for these created beings.

¹⁴³
The yajna.

¹⁴⁴
The yajna again.

¹⁴⁵
The gods.

¹⁴⁶
Leftovers after gods and guests have had their shares.

¹⁴⁷
This requires explanation, since there are three ‘brahmas’ in the shloka. The first two have conventionally been identified with the Vedas and the third with the brahman, although in a few rare cases, the third has also been identified with Vedas. That leaves the word
akshara
, meaning something that is indestructible. This too, is the brahman.

¹⁴⁸
Righteous king. However, there was more than one king named Janaka and this reference is to the first Janaka, the son of Mithi, from whom Mithila obtained its name. This Janaka, also mentioned in the Ramayana, is different from the Janaka who was Sita’s father.

¹⁴⁹
The sense is to convey a broader message of mixture and confusion.

¹⁵⁰
The ignorant ones. The Gita doesn’t favour renunciation and withdrawal from action.

¹⁵¹
Nature is prakriti and the qualities are the three gunas mentioned earlier.

¹⁵²
The gunas.

¹⁵³
Different in the sense of being performed by different senses or organs.

¹⁵⁴
Another difficult shloka to translate. Nature’s (prakriti) qualities work on each other and get action done through the senses and the organs. This realization means that one ceases to think of oneself as the doer.

¹⁵⁵
In the sense of distracting them from action. That is, learned people shouldn’t ask ignorant ones to desist from action.

¹⁵⁶
Mental fever of suffering and sorrow.

¹⁵⁷
The expression without finding fault is significant. There must therefore have been opposition to this view or teaching. For instance, there was the school of sannyasa or renunciation, which advocated the giving up of all action.

¹⁵⁸
From this shloka alone, it is not clear what restraint is meant. The next shloka suggests it is restraint of the senses. Because nature has its own way, forcible restraint of the senses is pointless. The point is not to restrain the senses, but rise above them.

¹⁵⁹
If taste is the sense in question, a sweet taste can lead to attachment. But as its opposite, a bitter taste can lead to aversion.

¹⁶⁰
One’s own dharma is
svadharma
. Most English translations translate this is as one’s own duty. That of course begs the question of what one’s own duty is. In the context of the Gita, this meant
varnashrama
dharma, which meant that a person’s duty depended on his varna (caste) and his
ashrama
(stage of life). A kshatriya’s duty was to fight. Even when the rigidity of varnashrama dharma is relaxed, one’s duty continues to be a function of one’s chosen profession.

¹⁶¹
Deviation from svadharma or falling prey to the senses.

¹⁶²
There are six vices or sins—
kama
(desire),
krodha
(anger),
lobha
(avarice),
moha
(delusion),
mada
(vanity) and
matsarya
(envy). But here, desire and anger have been singled out.

¹⁶³
In this world.

¹⁶⁴
Meaning either this world, or knowledge.

¹⁶⁵
The sins, specifically desire. Alternatively, ignorance can also be meant.

¹⁶⁶
Desire’s.

¹⁶⁷
Desire.

¹⁶⁸
The senses.

¹⁶⁹
Desire.

¹⁷⁰
We have used the word knowledge, but the shloka has two words signifying knowledge—jnana and
vijnana
. Jnana is knowledge one learns from one’s teachers or from the sacred texts. Vijnana is a special type of jnana and is knowledge one picks up through introspection, meditation and self-realization.

¹⁷¹
Superior to objects, because senses are subtle. Or perhaps even superior to the body.

¹⁷²
The atman.

¹⁷³
There is scope for interpretation here, because there are two atmans in the shloka. Use the atman to calm the atman. That’s the literal translation, but what does it mean? We have translated the first atman as inner strength. Or the first atman may be the intellect and the second atman may mean the mind.

¹⁷⁴
Eternal, immutable or indestructible. The yoga is eternal or immutable in the sense that following it leads to imperishability. This yoga is a splicing of karma yoga, jnana yoga and bhakti yoga, because one spills over into another and differences between the three are artificial. The expression ‘this’ yoga is used because the yoga has already been described in earlier chapters.

¹⁷⁵
One of the twelve
aditya
s born to the sage Kashyapa and Aditi. Vivasvat is thus a manifestation of the sun god and his dynasty is the solar dynasty (
surya vamsha
). Vivasvat’s son is Manu, known as Vaivasvata Manu. Manu is actually a title and there are fourteen Manus. Vaivasvata Manu, or the present Manu, is the seventh in this line of fourteen and the reference is to the beginning of treta yuga in the present manvantara (cycle of creation and destruction). Vaivasvata Manu’s son was Ikshaku.

¹⁷⁶
The expression is rajarshi, which means a king (
raja
) who is a sage (rishi), despite being a king. Janaka is an example.

¹⁷⁷
The yoga.

¹⁷⁸
That is, knowledge of the yoga has been destroyed.

¹⁷⁹
The word used is sakha, which as mentioned earlier, means kindred soul.

¹⁸⁰
The word used in the Sanskrit is maya, translated often as illusion. Resolution is a better translation in this context. This, and the next two shlokas, brings in the idea of
avatara
(incarnation). Usually, Vishnu is believed to have had ten incarnations. But twenty-two or twenty-four incarnations are also known.

¹⁸¹
Yuga is an era or epoch. Each of Brahma’s days consists of four yugas— satya, treta, dvapara and kali.

¹⁸²
The birth is divine because it is not the outcome of normal laws of birth and death, but results from Krishna’s own will.

¹⁸³
The sense is that karma yoga without attachment does lead to results, but that path is difficult and takes time. In contrast, pursuit of pleasure and wealth is easier and faster. Because people want quick results, they worship other gods, who help them achieve pleasure and wealth, even though these are transient.

¹⁸⁴
In the translation, we have left the word as varna instead of caste, because the equation of varna with caste, and more importantly, when the caste system developed historically and when caste became hereditary, are questions subject to debate. The three gunas or qualities are sattva, rajas and tamas. The sattva quality predominates in brahmanas and their prescribed action is studying and priestly duties. The rajas quality, with some sattva quality, predominates in kshatriyas and their prescribed action is fighting and ruling. The rajas quality, with some tamas quality, predominates in vaishyas and their prescribed action is agriculture and trade. The tamas quality predominates in shudras and their prescribed action is serving the other three castes.

¹⁸⁵
Without change and immutable.

¹⁸⁶
The paramatman is both
nirguna
(without qualities) and
saguna
(with qualities). In the saguna or active form, the paramatman is the creator and the agent. But in the nirguna form, the paramatman is inactive or passive and not the agent.

¹⁸⁷
The word used is
akarma
. Etymologically, this can mean action or inaction, the non-performance of action, the sense in which it has been translated. However, akarma can also mean the performance of action that is undesirable. But the next shloka indicates that performance of undesirable or prohibited action is
vikarma
.

¹⁸⁸
And by implication, what is inaction.

¹⁸⁹
This sounds confusing. Action is performed by the organs and the senses, not the atman. The wise or intelligent person thus sees inaction in action, and the vanity of action and attachment to its fruits are given up. There are those who indulge in inaction or renunciation, giving up action. But the wise or intelligent person realizes that not only does action continue to be performed even when ostensibly inaction is resorted to, there is vanity in this idea of giving up action. Because the person who has resolved to give up action, is not the atman either. Therefore, there is action in inaction. Wisdom is in yoga or union with the paramatman. And because one gives up the right to all action and inaction, one has the right to all action.