GITA 1.4

GITA 1.4

"Sarva dharman parityajya mamekam charanam vraja 

ahamtva sarva papeyo mokshayishyami masucha:"

This is a sloka from Sri Krishna's Gita."Surrender unto my feet, I will release you from all papas (sins) and bless you with eternal bliss. Do not worry", spoke Sri Krishna in this sloka.This sloka is the 66th sloka in the last, 18th Chapter of Gita.But before this sloka, the Lord Sri Krishna has given lofty ideas in numerous slokas.We are going to understand each and every sloka separately.Yet, should we not understand this long journey in a summary? Today we will see on the whole what message Gita wanted to convey. Elders have shown this in many ways.We can call it as Gita saram or essence of Gita.Earlier we have seen the story of Sri Alavandar.He has written a compendium called Gitarta Sangraham.In it, he has summarised the messages of Gita in simple language for us to easily memorize. In that work, he has compressed all the 700 slokas into a single sloka:

Svadhârama-Jnâna -VairAgya saadhya-bhakthyEka gOchara:

Nârâyana : Param Brahma GîtasAsthrE Sameeritha: 

This is told in the Gita.What? Sriman Narayana is the Almighty. He will bless us with all our needs.Okay, if it is understood that Sriman Narayana as the entity Supreme God,what will we desire from Him? We can ourselves think of this. For example, we go to an exhibition.Varieties of articles are exhibited.We have selected one as the best. Then we will think whether we can afford to buy it. We will find ways and means to get it.Thus, if we decide on something as best, then we try to find ways and means to attain it. So, we should know which is best and how to attain it.Similarly when we tried to know which is the Supreme entity, the Gita said that Sriman Narayana is the Almighty and Supreme. If this alone is told, then we will not know ways and means to attain It.Once we understand He is Supreme, then we search for ways and means to attain Him.The Gita would explain all those ways and means. So it tells about Sriman Narayana and the ways to attain Him, that is Bhakti (sublime love). As told by Sri Krishna to Arjuna, only through Bhakti we can attain Him.If the entire world is spread with Bhakti and if we get soaked in it, then there is no comparison to the bliss we get. All the Ten Alwars and Acharyas desired to nurture this Bhakti only. Would not the  Bhakti as seed in all minds  germinate into a plant, grow into a tree and then blossom and yield fruits?  Bhakti is the only means to understand Sri Krishna. It is the means to visualize Him and to reach Him.This means of Bhakti was explained in the Gita. Okay, but after all, all of us are Bhaktas and what fresh thing we are going to understand from the Gita? We are Bhaktas and we know the Supreme Being is Lord Sri Krishna. What else we are going to learn?But this is not so. First we should identify Bhakti. What we are doing, is it Bhakti?Are we going on the right track?Are our beliefs correct? Are we ourselves? Unless we know the answers for these, we can not decide whether we have Bhakti or not. For this the Gita came one step down. Bhakti is the means to achieve God, but to possess Bhakti we need to have something. They are Karma yoga and Gyana Yoga. Both are required, Because, if one is asked to perform only pooja (rituals) and meditation - though they alone are not Bhakti-, who is to look after the family, the country and respective jobs?Here only Karma Yoga enters. We should do our karma without fail. Karma denotes the duties and actions. From our childhood we are accustomed to doing many actions from morning till night.But we are not accustomed with Bhakti from childhood.We take food. We play and laugh and cry and sleep away. What is the relationship between Bhakti and these actions? If only by Bhakti we can attain Him, should we sleep or laugh or eat? Should we work to earn? Should we get married to raise families and maintain them? All these are necessary as also Bhakti. 

The Gita gives you directions to all these and to have Bhakti.This is called Karma Yoga in Gita. All these actions should not be done simply. Then there won't be any difference between a Karma Yogi and an ordinary person. The same actions like bathing, eating or earning, if done with some knowledge, it becomes Karma Yoga.Without that knowledge these action when done would be mechanical. Same action with some thoughts associated would make those actions as superior or, without such thoughts, inferior.Therefore, the Gita first tells Karma Yoga and actions should be done with knowledge. Unintelligent actions will never feed one. We are chanting daily God's names. Should not they be done with some knowledge? Should we not have the knowledge as to why we offer flowers to God? Thus every action should be associated with intelligence or gyana. Karma Yoga is for our daily livelihood.Gyana or knowledge is necessary to associate with these Karma or actions. Gyana is thus required as the next stage. 

Thus we have Three things to learn: Karma Yoga, Gyana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Our daily routines done with some knowledge is Karma Yoga. Intelligence, pranayamam, yoga, etc., will come under Gyana Yoga. Then thinking of the Lord, performing pooja and serving Him, will all come under Bhakti Yoga. Lord Sri Krishna tells about all these three in the Gita. If Karma Yoga and Gyana Yoga are performed continuously, Bhakti will emerge. When Bhakti is performed continuously, one can reach the Divine feet of Sri Krishna. By this we have the necessities for this worldly life and also for the Eternal Bliss. That is why the Gita is praised so much. It preaches not mere Bhakti, but all essentials for worldly life. 

But the Gita as preached by Sri Krishna did not start with all these Karma, Gyana and Bhakti Yogas. He told Arjuna to know himself first. Unless we know who we are, we will not know what to do. Unless we know who we are we will not know what to achieve. 

To cite an example, the aspersions of a primary class student would be to come out successfully in the examinations. Whereas, a student in the High school may have his visions of admission in some colleges. A student in a professional colleges may be dreaming about jobs. Thus our objectives will be in the immediate next stage in life. Therefore, we should understand ourselves as to in which stage we are and shape our aspirations and plan our actions. We should understand about ourselves first. That will define our objectives and means to achieve them. Our elders have called these as Tattva, Hita and Purushartham. Tatvam means the Reality. Hita is ways and means to realize the Reality. Purushartham means achievement and consequential benefits. Thus we should know the Reality, how to achieve and the benefits after attainment. All these are given out in the Gita.

On this basis, Sri Krishna first preaches who we are to Arjuna. Whom am "I"? Is it the body or legs or hands? Sri Krishna then tells that none of these were Arjuna and he was the indwelling soul or Atman. These limbs or body are not Arjuna, as they are temporary.These did not exist in his last birth nor would exist in the next birth. That which is constant in every birth was Arjuna and that is soul or Atman. The word "I" denotes atman. Ordinary persons will identify "I" with the body and atman together. But learned Gyanis would identify "I" only with atman. So Arjuna has to learn about the atman first. Arjuna confuses body for atman , and so is afraid of attacking Bheeshma or Drona. Because Arjuna has not understood atman. In turn Arjuna asks what would happen if he knew atman. Sri Krishna replied that then Arjuna would know that all atman were same. This is a basic concept in the Gita called sama darshanam or equality view. All atman in all living beings are same and difference such as male or female, tall or short, white or black, etc., are only manifestations of the body. Thus Gita shastra is that which preaches sama darshanam or equality view. Sri Krishna tells all are equal and there are no differences. So He is with everyone in the same way. Sri Krishna does not look at the differences like intelligent or ignorant, high status or lower status, etc. He is attainable by everyone irrespective of caste or creed. Everyone has equal rights to reach Him. 

To summarize Sri Krishna tells in the Gita, that all are equal and differences appear only on the body or intelligence because of one's past deeds. But if we look everyone at their atman, then there will not be any difference. One should know the atman and consider its superiority and its relationship with Karma Yoga, Gyana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Following these one should reach Sri Krishna and attain eternal bliss. In this life one should live honestly and should avoid looking at differences to have enmity or hatred. After preaching, the Lord gave Arjuna vision to view His Divine form.