From the lips of Sri Bhagwaan, the eternal well-wisher of all beings, is spoken the Shrimad Bhagavadgita for the supreme good of all of mankind. In Gita is revealed lessons on attaining transcendental divinity in dealings in this world. Whatever colour, stage in life, community (sect), country, race, situation a person may be, he can realize the Supreme Essence (Truth), while staying in the same situation. If he completely renounces prohibited actions, continues to perform prescribed actions without a selfish motive, then just by doing his duty, he will realize the Supreme Essence (Truth) –
सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ ।
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥
Sukh dukh samey krtvaa laabhaalaabhau jayaajayou
Tato yudhyaa yujjyasva naivam paapmavaapyasi. (Gita 2:38)
Meaning : Maintaining equanimity in victory-failure, gains-losses, happiness-sorrow, you must engage in battle. Fighting in this manner, by fulfilling your duty, you will not incur any sin.
What can be a more terrible a situation than war ? When even in a grave situation such as war man can attain his benediction, then in what situation can man not attain his supreme good (meaning, Salvation) ?
Pleasure-pain, gains-losses etc., all come and go, but we remain the same. Therefore, our state is naturally and innately established in equanimity. Gitaji is telling us to set our aim on equanimity. It means that when these various situations come, do not mingle with them, do not become pleased-displeased with them. Make proper use of a given situation. When favourable situations arise, share happiness, serve others, and when unfavourable situations arise, give up desire for pleasure and happiness. Such Divine lessons are revealed in the Gita.
परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ । (३/११)
Parasparam bhaavayantah shreyah paramvaapsyatha ।
Meaning : You and the Gods fostering each other shall attain to the supreme good.
May each one fulfill that which is lacking in the other. May we give pleasure and happiness to the other; may we see to the supreme welfare of the other; then by default all will attain their supreme good.
ते प्राप्नुवन्ति मामेव सर्वभूतहिते रताः (१२/४) ।
Te praapnuvanti maameva sarvabhootahite rataah|| (Gita 12/4)
Meaning : Those who are engaged in the welfare of all beings, come to Me.
Therefore we must see to each other’s supreme good, give each other happiness, give others honour and respect, honour their words, give them rest and relaxation, serve them. Whether the other person serves or not, one must not think about that; in other words, we are not to see to the other person’s duty, rather, we must fulfill our own duty without selfishness; because seeing towards other’s duty is not our duty. Here, there is one very important point to be understood, that the things, situations that we get are not dependent on the other individual, rather they are dependent on fate. We will get these things, circumstances etc. even on not wanting them, since they are destined to come.
Just as even though we may not want unfavourable situations, yet they come on their own; in the same way, favourable situations also come on their own. Other individuals will also get the same situations as are destined for them, but we are not to see towards them, but are only to see to our duty. In other words, we are to fulfill our duty (meaning, serve). The second point is – in return for our service, if the other person will also serve us, the value of our service will be degraded. Just as when we give ten Rupees to the other person, and the other person returns five Rupees to us, only half the amount was given by us ! Therefore, if the other person does not serve us back, we will attain Salvation very quickly. If the other person serves us or we have to take service from the other person, we must be very obliged to them; but in this we must not be pleased. Being pleased (meaning, happy) is a form of sense enjoyment, and sense enjoyment is the cause of sorrow and suffering.
Ye hi sansparshajaa bhogaa dukhayonaya eva te (Gita 5/22)
Meaning: All the pleasures that are born of contact (with objects) are only sources of pain
Let me seize happiness, let me gain respect and honour, let my ideas and points hold ground, let me get rest and relaxation, let others serve me – such sentiments are the cause of great ruin. Arjuna asked the Lord, “Why is it that even though not wanting, man commits sins ?” To this, the Lord replied, “The desire to ‘get something’ itself makes one commit sin”. (Gita3/36-37). The moment there is desire for personal pleasure, all sins, vexation, sorrow, nonsense etc. come into the scene. Therefore, we are to give joy to everyone as per our abilities. We are to serve all, but in return we are not to desire anything. The things we so call our strength, intellect, abilities etc., we must engage these in the service of others without a selfish interest.
Why should others experience a lack of something and suffer when these things are lying with us ? If our sentiments and feeling are such – while we have food, water, clothes etc., why should others stay hungry, thirsty and without any clothes – then all will become happy. To fulfill each other’s insufficiencies is naturally found in our country – Bharat. When the farmer used to grow grains, he used to barter the grains for other goods for his sustenance. Whatever he wanted, whether it was vegetables, oil, clarified butter, utensils, clothes, whatever he could exchange for the grains. The vegetable farmers used to barter vegetables for other goods. In this manner, if a man produced one thing, then through it, he would fulfill the needs of all other essential things. There was no need for money at all. But now with money, our habits are spoilt. We have grossly degenerated due to the greed for money. We have become so passionate about hoarding money that even things that are essential for living have become difficult to get ! The reason is that selling those things has generated money, and then we have hoarded that money. We are not at all attentive to the fact that what use will all the money be simply stashed away somewhere ! The money itself will be of no use at all; rather it is spending that money which is of use to us and to others. However, due to the significance and predominance of money, these points are not easily understood. This hunger for money is not natural state for Bharat, rather it has come due to bad company.
There is one very important point – others rights are our duties. Just as it is our duty to do what is good for others and it is their right. To serve the parents, to give them happiness is the duty of a son and the right of the parents. In the same way, to provide and care for the son and to make him a good person and well-qualified is the duty of the parents and the right of the son. To serve the Guru, to obey his instructions is the duty of a disciple and the rights of the Guru. Like this, to remove the ignorance of the disciple, to make him realize God is the duty of the Guru, and the right of a disciple. Therefore, through fulfilling our duty, we are to protect other’s rights. A man, who looks towards other’s duty and towards his own rights, strays away from his own duty. Therefore, he must renounce his own rights, and for the protection of other’s fair and just rights, he must fulfill his duty to the best of his ability. To see towards other’s duty and to justify your own rights, will lead to downfall in this life and the life beyond. In the present times, the main reason for the lack of peace (meaning, experiences), the bickering, the conflicts is that people demand their rights, but do not fulfill their duties. Therefore, Gita says –
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । (२/४७)
Karmamyevaadhikaaraste maa phaleshu kadaachan | (Gita 2/47)
Meaning : Your right is to work only, but never to its fruit
In this world, there is a great responsibility on those considered eminent, pioneers, dominant leaders, masters, main educators, trainers, topmost speakers, chiefs, foremost in their particular field, to educate others to see to the well-being and benefit of others. For them, Gita says –
Yadyadaacharati shreshstattdevetaro janah |
sa yatpramaanam kurute lokastdanuvartate || (Gita 3/21)
Meaning : Whatever is the conduct of great men, other men do just the same, and whatever they say, others do accordingly.
In the previous verse, with regards to the conduct of great people the words ‘yat yat’ ‘tat tat’ and ‘eva’ – these five words have come; but with respect to man’s speech, only the following two words have been used – ‘yat’ and ‘tat’. The point here is that man’s conduct has five times (more) the impact on other men and man’s spoken words has two times the affect (significantly lesser). The man who himself does not do his duty, but only by his speech, advises and lectures others to follow his advice, does not have any significant impact or affect on others. Advice and lectures have an impact, an effect, only when the one giving the lecture remains free of desires, his conduct is according to the scriptures and he remains within ‘lok maryaadaa’ (The established limits and boundaries). Therefore, God gives His own example and says that there is nothing in the three worlds that is for me to do and to attain, then too, wherever I incarnate, in whichever form, there itself according to the Incarnation, I fulfill my duty. If I do not do my duty deligently and carefully, then others too who have faith and trust in Me, will begin to do the same; in other words, they too will slip and heedlessly, will neglect their duty, by which the end result will be their fall (Gita 3/22-23)
All human beings have three things they are disadvantaged in – disadvantage in doing, in knowing and in acquiring. To get rid of these three disadvantages and to emancipate one’s self, man can attain these three powers – the power to do, the power to know and the power to accept. Even though these three powers are present, only due to lack of knowing and due to desire for pleasures, man experiences suffering. If he were to utilize these three powers, he can fulfill the voids in him and attain completeness. To do things for others (meaning, serve) without a selfish motive, for the benefit of others, is the proper utilization of the power to do, which is Karmayoga. Becoming apart from this body, to remain established in one’s own self is the proper use of the power to know, which is Jnanayoga. Regarding God as our very own and seeing ourselves as belonging to God is the proper use of the power of belief, which is Bhaktiyoga. Gita teaches about these three paths of Yoga.
Just as – He who only acts out of sacrifice i.e. performs actions for the benefit of others with sentiments of selflessness, that Karmayogi is released from the bondage of Karma –
Yagyaayaacharatah karma samagram pravileeyate (Gita 4/23).
Meaning : He, who works for the sake of sacrifice (Yajna) alone, all his actions are destroyed.
The reason being that by not regarding things pertaining to this body as our own and for our own self, and by applying them in the service of others, one naturally and automatically servers relationship with these things.
He who sees all actions taking place through Nature and does not see himself as the doer of any actions, that Jnanayogi (Person who follows the Discipline of knowledge) attains Self-realization.
He who is disinclined to the world, only takes refuge in God and does not desire anything else besides God, the entire responsibility for his Salvation is borne by God. Therefore, God Himself makes provisions to protect what they have and also to provide them with all the necessities that are required. God destroys all their sins. He makes them quickly cross over the ocean of this life, which is a form of death, and also makes them enlightened. There is one extraordinary thing about Bhaktiyoga (Discipline of devotion), that a devotee by God’s grace gets to know the essence of God, he beholds God and also realizes God.
In this manner, there are many such unusual lessons given in the Gita, and conducting ourselves in accordance to these, man can very easily attain his eternal aim of God-realization.
Narayan! Narayan !! Narayan !!!
From book in Hindi “Kalyaan Path” by Swami Ramsukhdasji.
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