Mahabharata: Vol. 5 (77 page)

⁴³⁴
Krishna, meaning the one without decay.

⁴³⁵
This sentence sounds incomplete in the English rendering. Like a father, a friend or a beloved forgives, the son’s, friend’s or lover’s errors or transgressions, forgive mine.

⁴³⁶
If chakra has to be translated, it can only be translated as disc or discus. The chakra is Vishnu and Krishna’s weapon.

⁴³⁷
This requires explanation. Krishna has two arms, but Vishnu has four. The explanation therefore is that Arjuna knew Krishna to be a manifestation of Vishnu. Alternatively, Krishna could have adopted Vishnu’s form temporarily.

⁴³⁸
This concludes the bhakti yoga segment. The issue is simple. Is it better to worship the nirguna form of the paramatman or the saguna form? The former is the path of knowledge (jnana) and the latter is the path of devotion (bhakti). For most people, the latter is easier.

⁴³⁹
The brahman or the paramatman.

⁴⁴⁰
Paraphrased, is bhakti yoga superior or is jnana yoga superior? The word yogi is being used for someone who achieves union with God.

⁴⁴¹
The word
kutastha
can be translated in various ways. We have translated it in the sense of being the original cause of everything. But it can also mean unchanging or the refuge of this illusory world. There can even be a metaphorical interpretation of being immovable like the peak of a mountain.

⁴⁴²
And therefore possess a sense of the individual self and the individual ego.

⁴⁴³
That is, the path of jnana yoga is difficult. The path of bhakti yoga is easier.

⁴⁴⁴
In some interpretations, there is an emphasis on the ‘alone’ clause, arguing that this is superior to establishing one’s mind on the brahman and therefore, this shloka demonstrates the superiority of bhakti yoga to jnana yoga. This interpretation seems to be both contrived and unnecessary.

⁴⁴⁵
After death.

⁴⁴⁶
Practise yoga, with practise used as a verb, makes for better English. But a literally more accurate translation is, through the yoga of practice. The word yoga is used in many different senses in the Gita. Later shlokas suggest that the yoga of practice means pranayama.

⁴⁴⁷
This is not the same as performing action without attachment. That comes in the next shloka. Here, deeds mean rites or acts associated with bhakti yoga, such as listening to or singing devotional songs, ceremonies of worship and the like.

⁴⁴⁸
That is, karma yoga, where action and fruits of all action are offered up to the brahman.

⁴⁴⁹
Historically, this shloka has caused several problems of interpretation. By practice, one means the practice of yoga, or pranayama. Since this can be purely mechanical, knowledge (jnana) must be superior to this. But in what sense is dhyana (meditation) superior to knowledge? The answer certainly lies in the distinction drawn between jnana (knowledge) and vijnana (self-realization). Jnana is knowledge learnt from one’s teachers or from the sacred texts. Vijnana is a special type of jnana and is knowledge picked up through introspection, meditation and self-realization. So the knowledge of this shloka is specific knowledge picked up from elsewhere and is not knowledge in a general sense. And vijnana or knowledge through meditation and self-realization is superior to jnana. Most historical commentators preferred renunciation of action to karma yoga. The preference was for sannyasa. Therefore, there were problems in interpreting the superiority of action to meditation. And by linking up this shloka with the preceding one, it was argued that karma yoga was for those who couldn’t perform meditation and follow the path of jnana, jnana being interpreted generally, rather than in the specific sense of knowledge picked up from teachers or sacred texts.

⁴⁵⁰
This firmness of conviction or resolution is interpreted as firmness of faith in Krishna.

⁴⁵¹
The word used is
amarsha
. This can be translated as dissatisfaction from not having attained one’s desires. But it can also be translated as envy, because others have got what they want.

⁴⁵²
Or, without expectation.

⁴⁵³
Renouncing all fruit is not a literal translation. A literal translation is renouncing all attempts, beginnings or endeavours (
arambha
). However, attempts, beginnings or endeavours are for specific gains, in this world or the next. Hence, someone who has renounced these is someone who has renounced all fruits.

⁴⁵⁴
The interpretation of giving up good and evil is that one has given up the good and evil fruits or results of action.

⁴⁵⁵
A literal translation of
mouni
is someone who is silent or doesn’t speak.

⁴⁵⁶
Without habitation or without a home presumably means someone who is not attached to the home or habitation.

⁴⁵⁷
With this chapter, there is a switch in emphasis to jnana yoga.

⁴⁵⁸
Field or repository.

⁴⁵⁹
The body is the kshetra. The person who knows the body is someone who has a sense of ownership of the body and this is the kshetrajna, that is, the jivatman or the individual soul. Those who know about kshetra and kshetrajna call the individual soul kshetrajna.

⁴⁶⁰
That is true knowledge.

⁴⁶¹
The kshetrajna.

⁴⁶²
The theory of kshetra and kshetrajna.

⁴⁶³
The reference to the sages (rishis) singing is to the Vedas. The Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads followed the Vedas and are collectively known as Vedanta. One interpretation is that this shloka refers to the Vedas and the Vedanta, and in the latter case, especially to the Upanishads, because it is there that the nature of the brahman is particularly discussed. However, there is also a collection of aphorisms (
sutra
s) known as Brahmasutra. This is ascribed to Badarayana, Badarayana being identified as Vedavyasa. If the Brahmasutra was compiled before the Gita, the second part of this shloka could also be a reference to this specific text.

⁴⁶⁴
The five core elements of prithvi or kshiti (the earth), apa (water), tejas (energy), vayu or marut (the wind) and akasha or vyoma (the sky).

⁴⁶⁵
As mentioned earlier, the unmanifest (avyakta) means primeval matter or prakriti.

⁴⁶⁶
The ten organs of sense are the five organs of action (the mouth, hands, feet, the anus and sexual organs) and the five senses (sight, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching).

⁴⁶⁷
By the single one, is meant the mind.

⁴⁶⁸
The objects of the five senses are
rupa
(form),
shabda
(sound),
gandha
(smell),
rasa
(flavour) and
sparsha
(touch).

⁴⁶⁹
The word
samghata
means union, combination or collection. Because the senses are united in the body, combination refers to the body.

⁴⁷⁰
Towards others.

⁴⁷¹
In righteous action.

⁴⁷²
Towards objects.

⁴⁷³
The subject is suppressed. With that knowledge, the seeker attains immortality.

⁴⁷⁴
The subject is again suppressed and is a reference to the brahman. We have translated sat and asat as the eternal and the transient, meaning the indestructible brahman and the transient universe. However, sat can also be translated as unmanifest nature and asat as its manifest counterpart.

⁴⁷⁵
The brahman.

⁴⁷⁶
The brahman is both nirguna (without qualities) and saguna (with qualities).

⁴⁷⁷
Know the brahman, the object is suppressed in the shloka.

⁴⁷⁸
The brahman is established.

⁴⁷⁹
The word used is bhava, which can be translated in different ways. The devotee attains or realizes the brahman’s nature. Alternatively, the devotee gains Krishna’s love and affection.

⁴⁸⁰
The qualities (gunas) of sattva, rajas and tamas.

⁴⁸¹
In sankhya philosophy, prakriti is the original source of the material world and is active. The Gita has earlier used the expression apara prakriti for prakriti. Purusha (the soul) is inert or inactive and the Gita has earlier used the expression para prakriti for purusha.

⁴⁸²
This is the straightforward translation. But in interpretations, the senses are the cause and the body is the effect.

⁴⁸³
The reason.

⁴⁸⁴
Otherwise, the inactive purusha shouldn’t have a sense of happiness or unhappiness.

⁴⁸⁵
Of the purusha.

⁴⁸⁶
Because the word atman can mean different things, there is a problem of interpretation. The simplest meaning is the following. Some people themselves (with the atman) use meditation to see the atman (the paramatman) in themselves (in the atman). But atman can also mean body, mind or intellect. Hence, an alternative translation is to use the mind to see the paramatman in the intellect or to use the mind to see the paramatman in the body.

⁴⁸⁷
Here, sankhya yoga probably means jnana yoga, or the path of knowledge. But it can also mean sannyasa yoga or the path of renunciation.

⁴⁸⁸
Failing to know through their own efforts.

⁴⁸⁹
What does killing the atman with the atman mean? Incidentally, instead of a strong translation of killing, a weaker translation of doing violence to is also possible. The traditional interpretation of killing the atman with the atman is the following. Uplifting one’s self (atman) is possible. Not attempting to do this is tantamount to killing oneself. If the weaker translation of doing violence is used, another interpretation is possible. He who has attained true knowledge sees the same paramatman in everything and knows that there is no difference between doing harm to one’s own self and to someone else. He avoids doing violence to the atman (someone else) with the atman (one’s own self).

⁴⁹⁰
The paramatman.

⁴⁹¹
Specifically, not attached to the fruit of action.

⁴⁹²
Kshetra is of course bodies. And the word kshetrajna has been used for the jivatman. Here, the word kshetri obviously stands for the paramatman and kshetri and kshetrajna are effectively synonymous.

⁴⁹³
What does freedom from beings and prakriti mean? Prakriti is the root cause of being and beings and prakriti therefore stands for ignorance. Knowledge brings freedom from this ignorance. Therefore, one could also have said—‘freedom of beings from prakriti’. Indeed, some translations state it thus. But our translation is a more correct rendering of the Sanskrit.

⁴⁹⁴
This chapter is about the three gunas (qualities) of sattva, rajas and tamas.

⁴⁹⁵
The bondage of life.

⁴⁹⁶
Meaning, prakriti or nature.

⁴⁹⁷
We have translated
yoni
as womb and
garbha
as seed. Instead of seed, embryo would have been more accurate, but seed sounds better.

⁴⁹⁸
Nature again.

⁴⁹⁹
The word used is yoni, which can also be translated as womb.

⁵⁰⁰
The three gunas or qualities.

⁵⁰¹
Because this knowledge is not knowledge of the paramatman, nor is it happiness that comes from such supreme knowledge. Hence, there is attachment and that binds the atman. Some commentators have argued that the pure sattva quality involves supreme bliss and supreme knowledge. However, ordinarily sattva is mixed with rajas and tamas and that gives rise to attachment to happiness and knowledge that is less than supreme.

⁵⁰²
We have translated
trishna
as thirst, but it can also be translated as desire or greed. What is the difference between thirst or desire, and attachment? One is attached to what one already possesses. And one is thirsty for or desirous of what one does not already possess.

⁵⁰³
The rajas quality.

⁵⁰⁴
The expression used is ‘occupier of the body’, meaning the atman.

⁵⁰⁵
The tamas quality.

⁵⁰⁶
Alternatively, inadvertence.

⁵⁰⁷
What is bound is not specified. But clearly, the atman is meant.

⁵⁰⁸
That is, rajas overcomes sattva and tamas and becomes strong. Similarly, tamas overcomes sattva and rajas and becomes strong. The point is that all three gunas are combined in every being. However, in every being, one of the gunas tends to dominate, compared to the other two.

⁵⁰⁹
As stated earlier, the nine gates of the body are two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, the mouth, the anus and the genital organ.

⁵¹⁰
For other people’s possessions.

⁵¹¹
These beginnings of action are because of attachment to the fruits.

⁵¹²
Pure or unsullied instead of shining is also possible.

⁵¹³
That is, when tamas becomes strong.

⁵¹⁴
That is how this is invariably interpreted. However, the Sanskrit original should literally be translated as species that is confused and ignorant. That is not necessarily subhuman.

⁵¹⁵
That is, to heaven and among the gods.

⁵¹⁶
The middle means the earth and among humans. Those with rajas, means those with a preponderance of rajas.