The Last Lecture of a Rishi: Isaavaasya Upanishad

Imagine taking a trip to the past and meeting with a great Rishi of ancient times, renowned for his thorough knowledge of the Vedas and life-long ardent practice of Vedic teachings, but who also happens to be living what appears to be his last few moments on earth. If you had the opportunity to ask this great soul for his final message to the world before he passes on forever, can you fathom what he might say?  Would the words be extremely profound, authoritative and poetic ? Would it also be cryptic from the attempt to convey much using as few words as possible? What would that 'Last Lecture' be like? Let us find out, because there is one such text among the Upanishads that can be said to be a 'Last Lecture' by a great Rishi. This is the wonderful Upanishad, Isaavaasya or Isopanishad that appears in the Sukla Yajurveda Samhita.

First, a small vedic story* that provides an interesting backdrop to the Upanishad before examining its philosophical content.  The King of Heavens, Indra was once threatened by a demon(Asura) named Vritra who happened to be invincible by any of the Devas or their weapons. The only solution left for Indra to vanquish Vritra was to create a new weapon from the bones of a great Rishi who had assimilated into his body the strengths equivalent to  all the weapons of the Devas. This Rishi's name was Sage Dadichi. Sage Dadichi was the grand son of Sage Angiras, one of the seven original Rishis who were born from the creator Brahma's mind. In his fairly long life, Dadichi had done tremendous amount of contribution to elaborating the Vedas, institutionalizing various vedic rites and teaching the methods for self-realization. Indra is said to have approached the Sage Dadichi and made the request for him to voluntarily give up his body so that Thwashta, the blacksmith of Devaloka, can fashion this new weapon from Dadichi's bones. Sage Dadichi, being the great soul that he was, agreed to sacrifice his mortal life for the sake of universal well-being and used the power of his penances to leave the body. Indra managed to create his great weapon called Vajraayudha from the backbone of Sage Dadichi's body and killed Vritrasura using it. The Isavaasya Upanishad is said to be the words of Sage Dadichi and probably his final ones before he gave up his body for this great cause.

Befitting this context, the Isaavaasya upanishad also happens to be one of the shortest upanishads, with just 18 verses in it. And, its brevity has only added to the grandeur of the message it delivers . The Upanishad appears in the Vaajasaneya Samhita or mantra part of Sukla Yajurveda and hence it is also sometimes referred to as the Mantropanishad. It is rare for an Upansihad to be located in the Samhita part of Vedas, which again speaks to the antecedence of the text. It is also said that  the 18 chapters of Bhagawad Gita based on the 18 verses of Isaavaasya Upanishad.

 

In the same lines as Bhagawad Gita, this Upanishad's message can also be classified into the three categories of Right Knowledge, Right Attitude and Right Guidance. And, in the very first verse, in just four lines the Upanishad summarizes its entire message and uses the rest seventeen verses to elaborate on this first verse.

"isaavaasyam Idam Sarvam

 yatkincha Jagatyaam Jagat

 thenasthyaktena bhunjeeta

 maa gridha kasyasviddhanam"

Right Knowledge (first 2 lines): "Every single bit of this world which is in a state of continuous flux (conditioned by time and space) is pervaded by Isvara (who transcends time and space and hence is untouched by change). "

Right Attitude (3rd line): "Enjoy this (or, live everyday life joyfully) by giving up that" (or, giving up the sense of division between enjoyer and enjoyed resulting in attachment and aversion to sensual experience)

Right Guidance (4th line): "Do not grab another's wealth" (Or, live life according to Dharma)

Now let's take a look at how the Upanishad elaborates on these topics.

Right Knowledge

The nature of Brahman

The Upanishad uses few cryptic , paradoxical sentences to describe the nature of Brahman.

"thad ejati thannejati

thad doore thad anthike

thad antharasya sarvasya

thadu sarvasyaasya baahyata"

"It moves and it moves not. It is far but yet so near. It is inside everything and yet it is outside of everything".

"anejadekam manaso javiyo…naina deva praapnuvan poorvamarshad"

"(this) is One (the only reality); it doesn't move but is faster than the mind; the sense organs are unable to grasp it as it runs ahead of them"

"thad paryagachukram akaayam

 asnaaviragam suddham apaapaviddham

 kavi maneeshi paribhu swayambhu

 yatatadya yatorthaan vyadadhaancha

 saaswatibhya samaabhyah"

"It is all pervading, pure, without a body and sinews, taintless, untouched by evil. Omniscient, ruler of the mind, transcendent and self-existent; It  has allocated respective duties to the eternal years"

The reality of the Brahman transcends the reality of the world. Brahman is not knowable using the means and methods of knowledge that is used by us to ascertain the world. And this is because, Brahman is Knowledge itself and there is no division between knower and the known in Brahman. Same time, Brahman is not absent from the reality of the world. Being very much here, it transcends.

Types of Knowledge

An obvious deduction from the above statements is that there are two types of knowledge. One is the knowledge of the physical universe which is limited by time and space and characterized by subject-object differentiation. Isaavaasya upanishad refers to this knowledge as 'avidya', or the wrong knowledge whose subject is the perishable universe (vinaasam). The other is the knowledge of Brahman from which everything has been created (sambhutim), is not limited by time and space and is not conditioned by subject-object distinction. The upanishad calls this knowledge as 'Vidya' or the Right Knowledge.

"anyataahurvidyayaa anyataahuravidyaya"

"The results of avidya and vidya are different"

"avidyayaa mrityum theertwaa vidyayaa amritamasnute"

"Through Avidya one crosses over death; through Vidya one attains immortality"

"andham thama pravisanti ye asambhutim upaasate

thatho bhuyaa iva te tamo ya u sambhutyaagam rathah"

"The seeker of ephemeral (seekers of avidya) enters into a blinding darkness; but the seeker of permanence (seeker of vidya) appears to enter into a much greater darkness"

The knowledge of the world, including nature of life and death, is enveloped in mystery. Much as we may know from the scientific advancements of today, what we haven't discovered or understood far surpasses our current knowledge. Compared to this scientific inquiry that deals with plenty of unknowns, the knowledge of the Brahman, being not a subject that can be grasped intellectually, is still more mysterious to anyone who undertakes that pursuit. Now, this doesn't mean that it is a futile pursuit to seek Brahman. The caution here is not to make the seeking only an intellectual exercise.

Right Attitude:

The nature of the Realized person

How does a person who has realized Brahman perceive the world? What is his attitude?

"yastu sarvaani bhutaani

atmayevaanu pasyati

sarvabhutastamaatmaanam

thatho na vijugupsate"

"Perceiving all the beings to be in the one Atman and the same Atman in every being  such a person does not grieve thence"

"yasmin sarvaani bhutaani

aatmaivaabhut vijanatah

tatra ko moha ka soka

ekatwam anupasyata"

"For the one who is established in the understanding that all beings are but his own self and perceives the unification of everything in Atman (while experiencing them to be different), how can there be delusion or sorrow?"

 Anything  more that needs to be said about this subject matter will only be superfluous and any attempt to add to these most poetic and profound statements will only result in spoiling the beauty of it. Perhaps the following sloka from Bhagawad Gita will be an 'icing on the cake'.

"prajahaati yathaa kaamaan

sarvaan paartha manogataan

atmanyevaatmanaa thustah

sthithaprajnasthadochyate"  B.G Ch 2 Verse 55

"O Partha, he from whose mind all selfish desires have vanished (forever) and is able to find  joy and contentment by just remaining in his own self (not attaching happiness to factors external to him), such a person is said to have achieved the stable state of exalted awareness"

Right Guidance

If the realized person has nothing to gain from living in this world, with what motivation would he conduct himself? On the contrary, a seeker of Vidya who has not yet attained this highest state, how should he or she approach everyday activities of life?

"kurvanneveha karmaani

jijeevished satakam samah

evam twayi naanyadedosti

na karmaa lipyate nare"

"Perform these (everyday) actions desiring to live one hundred years. For this is the (prescribed) way and there isn't another way (that leads to a good outcome). (Performed with the right attitude) The actions do not stain a person"

More than any other scriptural text, Bhagawad Gita has elaborated on this subject in its depiction of Karma Yoga. (Please see previous blog post ……… for more details on Bhagwad Gita's treatment of this subject)

Final Thoughts

The Rishi of Isaavaasya Upanishad now prepares himself for his final journey. Addressing that 'light' that illuminates the entire universe, he commands:

"hiranmayena paatrena

  satyasyaapihitam mukham

  tat thwam pooshan apaavrinu

  satya dharmaaya dhrishtaye"

"Thou who nourishes of the world, remove the golden sheath that is covering the face of Truth and reveal your countenance (to this seeker) who has lived his entire life established in truth and justice"

"pooshan ekarshe yama soorya

  praajaapatya vyooha rasmin

  samooha thejo yatte roopam

  kalyaanatamam thathe pasyaami"

"Thou who has created this world, illuminates it, nourishes it and enforces your rules on it, hold back your many rays and (blinding) splendor so that I may see your most auspicious form"

"yosaavasau purusha sohamasmi"

"For that indweller (of the Sun)  is verily none other than me"

This isn't a prayer or an appeal but a confident demand for what the Rishi considers rightfully deserved because he is now speaking from a state of consciousness  where he is none other than 'He'. Time has come for the many distractions of the world to end and the true essence of reality revealed.

What about his body and mind?

"vayuranilaamritamadedam bhasmaanthakam sariram"

"krato smarah kritham smarah krato smara"

"The body has to come to an end returning its constituents to the elements of air, fire, water and ashes (earth)"

"Remember everything done, remember, remember" (Or, O Mind dissolve into memories of good deeds from past for there is no desire left for you to dwell upon )

The Upanishad ends with a prayer to the God of Fire, Agni , most likely to the fire that would light the funeral pyre.

"agne naya supathaa raaye asmaan"

"O Agni, lead me through the right path"

Conclusion

The Peace invocation (Shaanti Mantra) associated with this Upanishad summarizes the Rishi's thoughts.

"poornamatha poornamitham

  poornaath poornamuthachyate

  poornasya poornamaadaaya

  poornamevaavasishyate"

"That (the Brahman) is complete in itself. This (the self and the world) is complete in itself. This (the self and world) was removed (or created) from that (the Brahman). When this (self and world) is removed (or created) from that (the Brahman), what remains is still complete in itself (or is undiminished)"

The reality of the world does not in any way limit or condition the reality of the Brahman from which the world has originated. Brahman is that true reality to which  the self needs to awaken to. And, that awakening is the spiritual journey of the Upanishads.

* Special thanks to Sree Aswath for sharing the story and explaining its connection to the upanishad

What is Right Knowledge and Why should we care?

(This is a continuation of the previous Blog post 'Bhagawad Gita - What is in it for you')

Why gain 'Right Knowledge'?

Sri Krishna starts the Bhagawad Gita giving a very clear indication of what happens when one lacks right knowledge and perspectives:

asochyaan anya sochyastwam

prajnaa vaadaamcha bhaashase”  B.G Ch .2 Verse 11)

In the absence of right knowledge and perspectives one would "grieve upon what not be grieved about and become eloquent in justifying the grief arising out of delusion".  Therefore in the absence of right knowledge we will become overly concerned about what we shouldn’t be concerning about and as a result get mired in unnecessary confusion

What is 'Right Knowledge'

There are three components for 'right Knowledge'. They are addressed in the different chapters of Bhagawad Gita as below.

Let us take a deeper look into each one of the above.

What is the real nature of self?

Sri Krishna initially uses the sanskrit word 'dehi' , meaning the one who occupies the body of a living being, to refer to the self. Later on he uses the word 'kshetranja' , meaning the 'knower of the field' to refer to the same. And finally, he uses the term 'aatma' to refer to self, meaning the single, undivided presence that appears as soul in all living beings. The key point to note is that the real nature of self is not even the 'I' consciousness but the pure presence that enlivens the body-mind complex, which is described in Vedanta as 'existence, knowledge and bliss' (Sat-Chit-Aananda)

"dehi nityam avadhyoyam

dehe sarvasya bhaarata" B.G Ch. 2 Verse 30

"The soul that occupies the body of living beings is eternal and imperishable"

"achedyoyam adaahyoyam

akledyo soshya eva cha

nitya sarvagata sthaanu

achaloyam sanaatanah

avyaktoyam achinthyoyam

avikaaryoyam uvhyate" " B.G Ch. 2 Verse 24 & 25

"(This soul that is) indestructible by weapons as well as fire, water or wind, is eternal, all pervading, unchanging, unmoved (transcends space) and ancient (transcends time). This self that is not available for sensory perception, nor  the conception of the mind is said to never undergo any modifications"

upadrashtaanumanthaa cha

bhartaa bhoktaa maheswarah

paramaatmeti chaapyukto

dehesmin purusha parah  B.G Ch 13 Verse 23

"This indweller of body is in fact transcendental and is referred to as the supreme self (pramaatma) who the same time that he is the Lord, the cause, the ruler and the enjoyer of the field of experience remains as an unaffected witness to it"

The above, in summary, is Bhagawad Gita's view on the nature of self.

Who is Ishvara (God) and  what is his nature?

All through Bhagawad Gita, Sri Krishna is addressed as 'Bhagavaan' and his words are identified as 'Bhagavaan uvaacha', 'thus spoke Bhagavaan'. The literal translation of the Sanskrit word Bhagavaan  is 'the resplendent one'. But there is also a deeper explanation for this word, which is 'one who knows about the emergence and dissolution of the created world'. The 'ishwara'  of Bhagawad Gita is the permanence that transcends the impermanence of the creation.

ethad yonini bhutaani

sarvaanityupadhaaraya

aham krisnasya jagathah

prabhava pralyasthadaa"  B.G Ch 7 Verse 6

"This (Ishwara) is the origin for all the beings and as in it are they sustained. I am everything in this world including their emergence and dissolution"

mattha paratharam naanyathu

kinchidasthi dhananjaya

mayi sarvamidam protham

sutre maniganaa iva"    B.G ch 7 Verse 7

"O Dhanajaya, there is nothing that exists beyond me. In me are all these  strung, like the beads on a necklace"

Now, a question can come up as to whether the Ishwara is an insentient principle from which all these has come.  To alleviate this doubt, Krishna describes his nature as:

gatir bhartaa prabhu saakshi

nivaasa saranam suhrut

prabhava pralayasthaanam

nidhaanam bheejam avyayam    B.G Ch 9 Verse 18

"(Ishwara is) the path (of spiritual evolution), the upholder (of the universe), the Lord (who is enforcer of the rules),  the eternal witness (to passage of time), the place of rest, the refuge and the benignant friend (to the seeker). (Ishwara is)  the place of origin, place of existence and the place of dissolution as well as the undiminishing cause for this creation"

And, finally in the eleventh chapter of Bhagawad Gita, Arjuna is blessed with the vision of Ishwara in all his splendor.

divi surya sahasrasya

bhaved yugapthuthitha

yadi bhaa sadrisi saasyaad

bhaasathasya mahaatmanah  B.G Ch 11 Verse 12

"That great being (of Ishwara) stood shining forth in a splendor that equaled the glory of thousand suns rising simultaneously on the horizon"

And, where do we find such an Ishwara in the world?

ishwara Sarva Bhutaanaam

hriddese Arjuna thishtathi  B.G Ch 18 Verse 61

"The Ishwara dwells in the heart of every single being"

samoham sarva bhuteshu  B.G Ch 9 Verse 29

"I am equally present in all beings"

The above, in summary, is the view of Bhagawad Gita on the nature of Ishwara.

What is this world and what are we doing here?

Of the many words in Sanskrit Thesaurus for 'world', the one that fully encapsulates the nature of the world is 'jagat' which means 'that which comes into being and vanishes' (jaaayate gachate iti jagat').  Only when the impermanence of the worldly matter is well entrenched in the mind of a seeker can he follow the advice:

aagamaapaayino anithyah

Thaam thithikshaswa bhaaratha B.G Ch 2 Verse 14

"(The worldly experiences) are impermanent, coming into being and vanishing. Therefore, O Bhaaratha,  bear them with great fortitude"

Sri Krishna uses two other sanskrit terms, Prakriti and Kshetra, in Bhagawad Gita to refer to world. The English word 'Creation' owes its root to the Sankrit word 'Kru'. Prakriti is generally translated as 'Nature' but the literal translation is 'well created'. Bhagawad Gita offers a definition of Prakriti in the seventh chapter, in terms of what its composition is.

bhumiraaponalo vayuh

kham mano budhirevacha

ahankaara ideeyam me

bhinnaa prakritirashtatha B.G Ch. 7 , verse 4

"Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space, Mind, Intellect and the 'I' Consciousness are the eight aspects of this Prakriti of mine"

From the gross physical sense, Prakriti comprises the three states of matter, energy and space. From the subtle non-physical sense, it comprises the 'I' consciousness as well as the emotional and thinking powers.

If this is Prakriti, then the question that arises is,  are each one of us part of Prakriti or of something else? Here is Sri Krishna's answer to the question:

idam sariram kauntheya

kshetram ityabhidiyate

etad yo vethi tham praahuhu

kshetranja iti tad vidah  B.G Ch. 13, Verse 2

"O Kauntheya, this mind-body complex is said to be the field (prakriti). The one who is aware of this mind-body complex, is the 'knower of the field' (or Purusha)"

Here is a very quick way to distinguish between what in us is  prakriti and what is purusha. Everything in us that we can address as 'mine' (e.g. my body, my mind, my intellect, my consciousness etc.) is prakriti. What we cannot do as such and can only address as 'I' is Purusha.

What does this Purusha do?

purusha prakritisthohi

bhungthe prakritijaan gunaan

kaaranam gunasangosya

sadasadyonijanmasu B.G Ch 13 Verse 22

"The Purusha, with its association to Prakriti, experiences the qualia (of Satwa, Rajas and Tamo gunas). Experience by the  Purusha of the qualia acts as a cause for the Purusha to be associated again with  aspects of prakriti that produce good (satwa guna dominant)  or evil (tamo guna dominant) experiences"

The qualia of the experiences that Prakriti delivers is classified into three, viz., Satwa (enlightening), Rajas (empowering) and Tamas (deluding). It is not necessary that every experience is exclusively one of these three, but rather is dominated by one of them. For Purusha to free itself from being drawn continuously into this endless chain of experiences, the first action is to associate more with Satwa dominant experiences and minimize the tamas domoinant experience. Bhagawad Gita has a lengthy discussion on this topic in the sixteenth and seventeenth chapters.

What does this world of cause and effect look like? To answer this question, Bhagawad Gita paints this very beautiful, though somewhat cryptic,  picture in the Fifteenth chapter:

urdhamoolam adha saakham

aswatham praahuravyayam

chandaamsi ysya parnaani

yastam veda sa veda vid  B.G Ch 15, Verse 1

"This (universe) is said to be like a never-diminishing Peepal tree that stands upside down with its (single) root on top and (multitude of) branches spreading downward. Its leaves are the verses of Veda. He who understands this is the (true) knower of Veda"

The enquiry into the root of the cause and effect chain of this universe leads to one single primary cause, which is the Brahman. From that root has sprung forth this world, with its many branches, each of which brings forth more branches. Though there is birth and death in it, in totality, this universe doesn't diminish but only transforms from one manifestation to the other. At the end of the branches are the leaves which are an end in itself, not causing more effects come forth. And, these leaves are the verses of veda  containing the knowledge of the self, Ishwara and the world.

To better appreciate the beauty of this metaphor,  please see below a picture of the leaf of a Peepal tree. Every leaf starts from a single stem, expands in the middle and trails off into a single point. Likewise, the chant of OM, starts with a singular tone, expands and then trails into silence. Only in that silence is the ultimate truth gets eloquently declared. 

Why should one care to know?

Sri Krishna offers a great reason, again in the thirteenth chapter,  on why one should care to know about the Self, Ishwara, the world and the inter-relationships between them.

ya evam vethi purusham

prakritim cha gunai saha

sarvathaa varthamaanopi

na sa bhuyobhi jaataye  B.G Ch 13, Verse 24

"He who comes to understand about the purusha (the indweller) and Prakriti (the world) along with Gunaas (the qualia that defines the type of experience), and is (able to abide in that) understanding continuously at all time, he is not born again"

The goal is to end this apparently eternal cycle of experience that are powered by the experience of Guna and the chain of cause and effects. And, this goal is achieved when one is established in the Right knowledge. 

Talking about Love…

As the Valentine's day week draws to a close, mildly popping up the affection in many relationships as well as the retail economy, I couldn't but help reflect on a specific situation in Ramayana where Sage Valmiki very deftly paints contrasting pictures of the different kinds of love. The situation I am talking about is in the end of Ayodhya Kanda when Dasaratha decides to declare Rama as the next King. All hell breaks loose with Queen Kaikeyi, instigated by her maid Manthara, pulls up a political coup to get Rama banished to the forest and her son Bharatha installed as King. Tragedy follows with Rama, Sita and Laxmana going to the forest  and Dasaratha dying from being unable to bear the grief. Bharatha who admonishes his mother for her selfish act, refuses to be the King and reigns as a representative of Rama awaiting his return. This being the scenario,  let's take a look at the different types of love, at varying levels of their nobility, that get played out.

At the lowest level is Dasaratha's love for Kaikeyi. Kaikeyi was the most beautiful amongst Dasaratha's queens and his favorite. On a day of great joy for him, Dasaratha seeks Kaikeyi out to share his happiness of declaring Rama as King. All his great affection for Kaikeyi comes crashing when she invokes her right to the three boons he had promised her and asks for Rama's banishment and Bharata's coronation as King. Unfortunately for Dasaratha, Kaikeyi's beauty was only skin deep.

Next comes Kaikeyi's love for her son, Bharatha. Kaikeyi obviously loved her son more than anything in the world and wanted the best for him. Though easily condemned by many, she probably didn't do anything  worser than what many parents would do today to ensure success for their children. Obviosly Kaikeyi's love for her son was purely selfish and she sacrifices Dharma to satisfy her greed. For this foolish act, Kaikeyi ends up paying the price of losing what she valued most in life, the love and affection of her own son, and lives rest of her life in utter contempt from everyone around her.

At the next level is Dasaratha's love for his son, Rama. Interestingly, Valmiki says that Dasaratha who collapses from grief becomes physically blind after Rama leaves for forest. It  sounds like a great metaphor for the blind love Dasaratha had for his son that in turn becomes the unbearable grief which finally kills him. Dasaratha's love for Rama was nobler than the love Kaikeyi had for Bharatha, but Valmiki is not definitely depicting it as what one should emulate.

Now consider the love Sita had for Rama. Kaikeyi's demand was for Rama to be banished to the forest and Sita definitely didn't have to accompany Rama. Born and brought up in utmost luxury, she probably would have been extremely terrified of living an ascetic's life in forest.  Interestingly, Valmiki says that when Rama, Laxmana and Sita are handed over the valkala to wear, Sita struggles to put on hers and is unable to get it on right until Rama helps her out. When Rama tells her that she doesn't have to go, Sita responds that as a wife, wherever Rama is, that will be her home. Sita's unswerving commitment to Rama again comes to test with Ravana, later on in Ramayana. This is the first of the examples of noble love that Valmiki depicts, a love that is coupled with a commitment to perform one's duty.

Sita was Rama's wife and considered it her duty to be with him. What about Laxmana? Why did he have to take up this ordeal, that too leaving his newly wed wife back in the palace? Laxmana's love for Rama is one of the highest in stature as it involves  the great element of servitude. Giving up the pleasures of life, he serves Rama at every step in the forest, building the thatched huts they live in and staying guard at night so that Rama and Sita could sleep in peace. Even in this noblest love and servitude of Laxmana, Valmiki finds a small defect. When Bharatha comes in search of Rama to request him to come back, Laxmana spots the entourage from a distance and suspects Bharatha is coming with an army to kill Rama. Laxmana strings his bow and gets ready to fight and is held back only because of Rama's good counsel. Alas, even the noblest of love can sometime make us blind!

And, thus Valmiki leads us to what he portrays as the noblest expression of all love - that of Bharatha to Rama. It would have been so easy to Bharatha to take up the Kingship citing the death of his father and the unfortunate exile of his elder brother. Instead, he tracks down Rama in the forest and tries his best to convince him to return. Finally, when it becomes certain that Rama wouldn't budge he carries back the pair of Rama's wooden sandals on his head and keeps them on the throne until Rama's return. Bharatha in fact doesn't rule from Ayodhya and sets up a capital in the village of Nandhigrama. He assumes the same ascetic life that Rama did and administers the country efficiently until Rama's return. Thus Valmiki concludes the Ayodhya Kanda of Ramayana, underlining the nobility of love that is coupled with genuine sacrifice.

Isn't it a great mystery of life that love gets expressed in so many ways, and some times at its best, in times of great misfortune rather than good times? 

Bhagawad Gita - What is in it for you?

Bhagawad Gita - What is in it for you?

Bhagawad Gita is undoubtedly the most popular amongst all of Hindu dharma saastra texts and possibly the most commented upon text too.Any attempt to write about this text appears almost redundant since there are so many resources already available. However, it still looked pertinent to provide a quick answer to the question of 'what is in it for me' from someone who has not had  the opportunity to look deep into Bhagawad Gita.  Therefore, here is a humble attempt .

Context of Bhagawad Gita

Bhagawad Gita appears in the middle of the great epic of Mahabharata. It is a collection of 700 verses that are organized into 18 chapters,   As the Kaurava and Paandava  armies faced off each other, Arjuna who was the commander of the Paandava side asks Sri Krishna was acting as his charioteer, to position their chariot between the two armies so that he could have a close look at who all have assembled on either side. Once positioned in the middle, Arjuna's perception all of a sudden shifts and he now sees on the other side his cousins, nephews, friends, grandfather, teachers etc. instead of enemies. Arjuna who is overwhelmed by the dilemma of having to fight his own family, drops his weapons and asks Krishna for his guidance so that he may do what is right. Krishna's response to Arjuna is the Bhagawad Gita.

This context of Bhagawad Gita is important to us because it is not different from the everyday dilemma that we also face in life, except that in Arjuna's situation, the severity was many, many times than ours. Therefore what worked for Arjuna in Bhagawad Gita should possible work for us too!

Take a look at what we experience in our everyday life.

If this is our everyday state, then here is the million dollar question: Are our key decisions in life influenced more by how we feel emotionally and not our intellectual reasoning?   If you think the answer is latter, I would point you to the latest behavioral psychology researches that are saying otherwise. Bhagawad Gita has an answer to how one can train oneself to lean more towards the latter than former.

Pre-Requisites

The Bhagawad Gita instructions are listened to not just by Arjuna. Sanjaya, who is the charioteer of blind king Dhritarashtra, is able to relay the happenings of the war field to Dhritarashtra, thanks to a blessing he receives from Sage Vyaasa. It is important to note that while the teachings of Bhagawad Gita makes an impact on Arjuna and Sanjaya , it fails to make any impact on Dhritarashtra. This is because, just like any academic course you may take,  there are few pre-requisites needed for this learning to be effective and Dhritarashtra, unfortunately, had none of it. These pre-requisites are:

 In the absence of these pre-requisites, the ability of a student to derive benefit from Bhagawad Gita's  teaching diminishes considerably. In fact,  Sri Krishna starts his teachings to Arjuna only after Arjuna says:

"karpanyadoshopahrata swabhavah

 prichaami twaam dharma sammooda chetah

Yatsreyaan nischitam bruhi tanme

Sishyasteham saadi maam twaam prapannam" (B.G Ch 2, Verse  9)

"Overcome by weakness, I am unable to determine what is Dharma. Please tell me for certain what will bring good in the  long run. I am taking refuge in you as a student"

As evident from his words, Arjuna is clearly looking within himself, analyzing what has become of his character and intelligence, expressing his desire for doing what is good and not necessarily easy, and is eager to know what his Dharma is that he may do it. Finally, Arjuna is ready to embrace the attitude of a student offsetting all his established beliefs. The metaphor of Arjuna positioning himself between two armies and dropping his weapons further emphasizes this point.

Central Themes of Bhagawad Gita

The central themes of  Bhagawad Gita that is relevant to everyday life is masterfully concealed within two sets of opening and concluding words. The Bhagawad Gita text begins with the word 'Dharma' (righteous action) and ends with 'Mama' meaning 'Mine'. How one should approach determining 'Mama Dharma' or 'my righteous action' is one of the key questions that Bhagawad Gita tries to answer conclusively. Sri Krishna's instructions in Bhagawad Gita start with the word 'asochya', meaning 'do not grieve' and ends with the word 'maa sucha', again meaning 'do not grieve'. Grief is an emotion that completely destroys one's character, giving neither an immediate gain nor a long term gain. How to fortify oneself so as to be able to effectively deal with situations that cause grief is the other central theme in Bhagawad Gita.

Three sets of instructions in Bhagawad Gita

There are many different ways to summarize the teachings of Bhagawad Gita. Looking from the perspective of what it offers as teaching, it can be said that Bhagawad Gita essentially offers three distinct sets of instructions. They are:

Why gain 'Right Knowledge'?

Sri Krishna starts the Bhagawad Gita giving a very clear indication of what happens when one lacks right knowledge and perspectives:

asochyaan anya sochyastwam

 prajnaa vaadaamcha bhaashase”  B.G Ch .2 Verse 11)

In the absence of right knowledge and perspectives one would "grieve upon what not be grieved about and become eloquent in justifying the grief arising out of delusion".  Therefore in the absence of right knowledge we will become overly concerned about what we shouldn’t be concerning about and as a result get mired in unnecessary confusion

What is 'Right Knowledge'

 There are three components for 'right Knowledge'. They are addressed in the different chapters of Bhagawad Gita as below.

Why have the 'Right Attitude' ?

In the absence of right attitude, the attraction of experiencing pleasure and gaining success will completely overcome our intelligence and lead us to a state of permanent unrest.

“bhogaiswarya prasaktaanaam

 thayaapahrita chetasaam

 vyavasaayaatmikaa budhi

 samaadhau na vidheeyate”  B.G Ch .2 Verse 44)

"One who has given primary importance to enjoyment of pleasure and gaining of success and has allowed his intelligence to be dominated by desire for them, such a person will never be able to have a focused mind that enjoys peace"

What is 'Right Attitude' ?

Again, there are three key themes that Sri Krishna brings up in discussing the right attitude: They are:

Why take 'Right Guidance' ?

Right guidance is required for one simple reason - this is not easy and it can be extremely confusing as to how one should proceed. Arjuna flatly tells Sri Krishna in the sixth chapter of Bhagawad Gita that he doesn't see this instruction of Krishna as pragmatic because gaining control over the mind is as difficult as controlling the movement of air. Krishna agrees with Arjuna on the challenging nature of the task but disagrees that it is impossible. With right guidance and patient and perseverant practice, it is possible to live in this world basing one's understanding on the 'Right knowledge' and performing actions with the 'Right attitude'.

Krishna mentions one more reason why getting the right guidance is important.

“karmanohyapi bodhavyam

  bodhavyam cha vikarmana

  akarmanacha bodhavyam

  gahanaa karmano gati”    B.G Ch .4 Verse 17)

"One should become aware of what are right actions one should do, what are wrong actions one should prevent and what are wrong actions one shouldn't do for the chain of cause and effect triggered by performance of actions are extremely complex and undecipherable"

What is Right Guidance?

The guidance offered in Bhagawad Gita can again be summarized into three categories:

The final message of Bhagawad Gita: Become a 'Yogi'

Yogi means one who has achieved Yoga. Yoga again means to yoke or unite. While the ultimate spiritual goal is said to be the yoking of individual self with the supreme self, Bhagawad Gita also guide us to think of uniting the four different spiritual paths that it lays out. These four paths are:

1. Janaana Yoga - The path of knowledge
2. Bhakti Yoga - The path of devotion
3. Karma yoga - The path of action
4. Raja yoga or Dhyaana Yoga - The path of meditation

In Sri Krishna's words:

“thapaswibyodhiko yogi

 jnaanibhyopi mathodhika

 karmibhyachadhiko yogi

 thasmaad yogi bhavaarjuna”  B.G Ch .6 Verse 46)

"The yogi is superior to the austerious one, the knowledgeable one as well as one who has mastered the vedic rites; therefore Arjuna, become a Yogi"

Metaphorically, it could be said that Arjuna's chariot driven by Krishna is pictured to be pulled by the four horses, Janaana, Bhakti, Karma and Dhyaana yogas respectively. One who manages to yoke these four horses together in his spiritual quest could fare better than a single horse rider :-)

(Some of the concepts discussed above may require a deeper discussion. If there is sufficient interest,  will try to get to them  in future blog posts)

Brahmavidya - The Cosmic Knowledge

What is this world? Where did it come from? What is to become of it? These are some of the critical questions that have haunted leaders of faith, philosophy and science for a long time. For any seeker of truth, finding conclusive answers to these questions is vitally important as otherwise it leaves him or her in a state of incompleteness and doubt. In the Rig Veda, one of the earliest of Hindu texts, the Rishi exclaims about the beginning of Universe: "There was neither non-existence nor existence then; there was neither the realm of space nor the sky which is beyond. What stirred? Where? In whose protection? Was there water, bottomlessly deep?" (Excerpt from "Naasadiya Suktam"; translation from "The Rig Veda - An Anthology", Penguin Classics)

Before we look into the answers that Hindu saastra texts provide, let's first consider where Science today has taken us in its attempt to providing this answer. According to Cosmologists, this universe of ours, as we know today, is about 13.6 billion years old. It appears to be a flat (not curving), space-time fabric that is continuously expanding like the surface of a balloon getting inflated,  making the clusters of galaxies fly away  farther and farther from each other. The theory of 'Big Bang' postulates that the universe expanded almost instantaneously from a singularity, where there was no space-time. We also know that the visible matter of the universe forms only a fraction of the mass of the universe and the bulk of it is hidden in what is called as 'dark matter' and 'dark energy'.  There are two different futures that are predicted as likely scenarios of where the universe is heading to. One theory is that it will expand forever and that all visible matter will completely vanish at one point. The other is that the expansion will eventually slow down (it is accelerating as of now) and the attractive force of gravity will overcome the expansive force, bringing it back to the singularity that it came from. The equations of physics that work at cosmic level (General Theory of Relativity) do not hold good when applied to subatomic level  which is better explained by Quantum physics and the structure of subatomic space that is known as 'The standard model'. In the subatomic space a pair of matter and anti-matter can be created from nothingness at random and  annihilate each other when combined, leaving nothingness. The most basic of subatomic particle called quarks  are created in pairs of opposite 'spin' and are linked to each other by an unexplained property called 'quantum entanglement'. There are four fundamental forces that are acting in the universe: the electro-magnetic force, the weak nuclear force (that causes radioactive decay) , the strong nuclear force(the force that keeps  the nucleus of an atom together)  and gravity. Science has so far theoretically managed to unify three of these forces other than gravity and is still looking for the holy grail that will establish the unification of all the four forces. The mathematical models being proposed are currently leading scientists to explore the possibility of this universe of ours being just one of many universes, called a multi-verse scenario. And, most recently, it was experimentally proven that a particle called' Higgs Boson' exists substantiating the theory that matter derives the property of mass from its interaction with what is called as "Higgs's field' which permeates the universe. As far as the questions of what is life, awareness and consciousness are concerned, Science is continuing to build the answer and information is not comprehensive yet. ( Phew..that is the briefest history of time in a single paragraph! If you want to find out more, please refer to books by Stephen Hawking , Brian Green et al.)

Now let's look at what the Hindu Darsanas say on this. Of all the Hindu Darsanas that have dealt with this question, the three that stand out are the Vedanta Darsana, Sankhya Darsana and Vaiseshika Darsana. While the Vaiseshika Darsana is establishes that all matter are essentially varying compositions of same underlying atoms and their properties, the Sankhya system goes a step farther enquiring into what the primal cause is. According to the Sankhya theory, there are only two kinds of entities in the universe, the subject  who is the knower and the object which is the known. It postulates that the universe and everything in it have come from two principles, the Cognizance principle, Purusha and the Existence principle, Prakriti. The Purusha doesn't go through any transformation itself but acts as the catalyst triggering modifications in the Prakriti by its mere presence. The Prakriti has three force fields within it and these are the attractive force leading to stationary states (like that of a Blackhole)  called Tamas, the expansive force leading to a dynamic state called Rajas (like that of Big Bang) and  the Luminscence force leading to knowledge (like quantum entanglement) called as Satwa. When these three forces are in balance, there is no creation. The universe came to being when the forces became imbalanced. The Prakriti first evolved into a field of intelligence capable of cause & effect called Mahat, or the 'Great one' . In the Mahat arose the 'I' sense, Ahamkara resulting in ability to create differentiation.  The Satwa force field interacting with Ahamkara creating sentient matter (Mind, Sense Organs and Organs of Action). The Tamas force field interacting with Ahamkara gave rise to five elementary components  of physical existence (Space-time, Heat and the solid, liquid and gaseous states of matter).  Purusha who is only a witness in reality, identifies with the sentient components of Prakriti as individual soul and experiences pleasure and pain. Liberation for individual soul is when it is able to overcome this false identification.

The Advaita school of Vedanta Darsana goes one step further to propose that there is only one single entity, called Brahman, that is real and which is the cause for the universe . Prakriti is not a separate principle but and arises in Brahman by virtue of Brahman's ability to create an illusion, called as Maya, which has the three forces of Satwa, Rajas and Tamas. Just as the universe is brought forth by the force of Maya, it is also withdrawn into Purusha at end of a cycle of creation and this cycle repeats. Vedanta doesn't deny the reality of the universe that is available for sensual perception but identifies it as the vyaavaharika satya or transactional reality. This transactional reality is not relevant when the soul is able to rise above its identification within it and attain the ultimate reality, atyantika satya or paramaartha. The closest analogy used to explain this is that of a person waking up from a dream, with no residual memories of the dream. According to advaita philosophy, everything in the universe, the knower and the known, are nothing but Brahman. Same time, due to the limitations of the transactional reality, any attempt to portray the Brahman in terms or means available in transactional reality fails and Brahman remains beyond comprehension. This is most beautifully expressed in the following mystical Upanishad excerpts:
"thadejati thannejati thaddoore thadanthike, thadantharasya sarvasysa, tadu sarvsyaasya bhahyatah" (Isavasya upanishad) "It moves and it doesn't move; It is far and it is near; it is inside of everything and it is outside of everything"
"yadi manyase suvedeti bhaharamevabhi noonam" "yo nasthad veda no na vedeti vedacha" (Kenopanishad) "He who thinks that he has comprehended Brahman clearly has indeed known very little"; "he who says he has known Brahman, doesn't know for certain; he who says he doesn't know, perhaps has come to know it"
"Yatho vacho nivarthanthe apraapya  manasaa saha" (Taitiriyopanishad) "Whence the words return, being unapproachable for the mind"
"Yan Manasa na manuthe, yena mano manutham" (Kenopanishad)"Brahman is that which is not conceived by the mind but by which the mind has come to have the ability to conceive ideas"

Just as the Brahman identifying with ahamkara, mind, sense organs and gross body at an individual level manifests as the soul (jivatma),  Brahman also identifies with the 'I' Sense (Ahamkara), Mind (Manas) and the Universe at a cosmic level(Viraat)  and manifests as Saguna Ishwara or The Lord who is sentient. Through this Lord, there is an imposed order in the universe called as ritham, there is sustenance of Dharma and there is perpetuation of knowledge of Brahman within the transactional reality. This universe being His body, The Lord has omniscience and omnipotence within the transactional reality. And, through Prakriti, He experiences the world.

Here are few excerpts from Krishna's words in Bhagawad Gita that dwells on this subject:

"purusha prakritistohi bhunkte prakritijan gunan"
"upadhrashtanumanthacha bhartha bhokta maheswarah
paramamtmetichaapyukto dehesmin purusha parah"
(B.G Chapter 13, Sloka 22 and 23)
"The purusha in association with prakriti enjoys the qualities that are born of prakriti. The Pramaatma who is a witness and same time the will propelling the universe, is The Lord, the presider as well as enjoyer of the universe; and in every individual living being, he is the soul"

"aham sarvasya prabhavah mattha eva sarvam pravartyati" (B.G Ch. 10 Sloka 8)
"I am the origin of everything and in me they exist"

"vishtabhyahamidamkrisnam ekaamsena sthitho jagat" (B.G Ch. 10 Sloka 42)
"I have brought forth everything that is here and the entire universe  stands in but one small portion of me"

"sarva bhutaani kaunteya prakritim yaanthi maamikaam
kalpakshaye punasthaani kalpadau visrijaamyaham" (B.G Chapter 9, Sloka 7)
"All beings and things return into the prakriti in me at the end of a creation cycle and are restored at the beginning of the next creation cycle"

"mattha parataram naanyath kinchidasthi dhananjaya
mayi sarvamitham protham sutre maniganaa iva" (B.G Ch 7 Sloka 7)
"There is nothing that exists beyond me. All these are stringed together in me like pearls on a necklace"

"sarvata paani paadam thad sarvatokshi siromukham
sarvata sruthimanloke sarvamavrittha thishtathi"
(B.G Chapter 13, Sloka 14)
"His hands, legs, face and head are spread everywhere and he listens to everything. In this way, He envelops everything in this universe"

'urdha mulamadha saakham aswatham prahuravyayam
chandaamsi yasya parnani yastam veda sa veda vid"
(B.G Chapter 15, Sloka 1)
"This universe is like an upside-down pepal tree with its single root above and many branches spreading downward. The  verses of Veda (that has the knowledge of truth) are its leaves. He who gets the knowledge from them attains real knowledge"

About the nature of  Ishwara, Sage Patanjali says in Yoga Sutra:
"klesa karmavipaaka aasaya aparaamrishtaa purusha visesha Iswarah:"
(Y.S Chapter 1, verse 13)
"God is that special indwelling soul who is unaffected by any torments of this world, beyond limitations of cause and effect (actions and results)  and devoid of any motives"

An attitude of surrender to this Lord is essential for every spiritual seeker while he or she seeks to achieve the absolute Nirguna state. This attitude, called as 'iswarapranidana', is foundational to spiritual practice. Hence we find philosophers like Adi Sankara who have extensively elaborated on the formless, absolute Brahman also write beautiful hymns  in praise of the Saguna Ishwara.  Again in Krishna's words, this God to the seeker is: "Gatir bharta prabhu saakshi nivassa saranam suhruth" (B.G Chapter 9, Sloka 18) "the path, goal, upholder of order, the Lord, witness of actions and thoughts, the provider of refuge and a well-wishing friend".