GITA 3.28

GITA 3.28

sri rAma rAmEti ramE rAmE manOramE

sahasranAma tatulyam rAma nAmam varAnanE

This sloka is chanted by everyone at the conclusion of Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam. By chanting the name, Sri Rama, we feel sweetness in the mouth and our papas get removed. For the sake of Sri Sita and His devotees like monkeys, He performed many Super Human deeds. Even though we were not fortunate to have lived during Sri Rama's avatar on this earth, Sri Rama is gracing in many sannidhis in Srirangam temple. Among them is Sri Mela Pattabhi Rama sannidhi. There are Two Sri Pattabhi Rama sannidhis, one is Mela (West) Sri Pattabhi Rama sannidhi and the other is Keezha (East) Sri Pattabhi Rama sannidhi. We are at Mela Sri Pattabhi Rama sannidhi.  In this sannidhi, Sri Rama is gracing along with Sri Sita, Sri Bharata, Sri Lakshmana, Sri Shatrugna, Sri Hanuman and Sri Vibheeshana, as during the Pattabhishekam (Coronation). 

This idol was worshiped by Sri Ramanuja's Acharya Sri Periya Nambi (Sri Maha Poorna). This, more than 1000 years old sannidhi, is also cared for by Sri Periya Nambi sannidhi. Here, we also see a painting of Sri Rama, Sri Sita and Sri Bharata, when Sri Rama gave His Padukas. Sri Bharata comes to Chitrakoot, to plead and request Sri Rama to return to Ayodya and accept the Kingdom. But Sri Rama is firm in His exile and offers His Padukas (Sandals) to Sri Bharata and asks Sri Bharata to rule the Kingdom with them. This scene is depicted in this sannidhi.

This incident and the Gita sloka 28, we are to see have a relationship, and we will see that now. Sri Bharata accused his mother's deeds and criticized Dasarata for not correcting Kaikeyi to withdraw her two varans. Sri Rama refutes Sri Bharata's arguments and some of them are to be studied carefully. Both Kaikeyi and Dasarata behaved in their natural traits. Dasarata promised to fulfill two varans (demands) of Kaikeyi, promised to her in a battlefield, out of his rajo quality and out of love for Kaikeyi. Kaikeyi used the opportunity after a very long time. She could have forgotten those promises, but she was impelled by her rajo quality. Dasarata could have either corrected her or refused to honour the promise, but he was impelled by his quality. In all these three incidents, if satva quality was dominant, things would not have turned differently. Had he pondered carefully, Dasarata could have avoided making promise to Kaikeyi. She also if had not listened to others and was not slave to rajo quality, could have avoided in asking to fulfill the promises with evil demands. Thus everyone is impelled by the rajo and tamo qualities embedded in this body. In the last sloka we saw that because of this, the soul gets ahankaram (ego). As a continuation we will see sloka 28. We should remember that Sri Rama advised Sri Bharata to return and rule Ayodya, remembering that everyone was acting at the influence of these qualities. One who does not realize that he is impelled by these Three qualities (satva, rajo and tamo gunas), indulges more and more in such deeds. In the 28th sloka, Sri Krishna is going to praise the person who has realized that actions are impelled by the Three qualities. In 27th sloka, He talked about the ignorant person, who did not realize that deeds were due to the influence of the Three qualities. In 28th sloka, Sri Krishna talks about the person who has realized the influence of the Three qualities. Sloka 28:

tattva-vit tu maha-baho
guna-karma-vibhagayoh
guna gunesu vartantanta    

iti matva na sajjate

One who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth, O mighty-armed, does not engage himself in the senses and sense gratification, knowing well the differences between work in devotion and work for fruitive results.

Hey! Arjuna, tattva-vittu = one who has truly realized, guna-karma-vibhagayoh = (the Three) qualities and deeds (influenced by them) and their divisions, guna = (the Three) qualities, gunesu = the deeds arising out of each of them, vartanta = are established, iti matva = realizing this correctly, na sajjate = (that person) does not get involved (in those deeds). Each quality  behaves in its nature. The realized person knows this and keeps himself away from such deeds. He never assumes that he was responsible for such deeds. In the last sloka, person who thinks he was responsible for actions, was described as ignorant or foolish. In this sloka the realized person is praised. We know the Three qualities. Satva guna induces to act according to shastras, to do good things, etc. Rajo guna induces anger, passion, greed, etc. Tamo guna induces sleep, ignorance, laziness, etc. Everyone has a mixture of all these Three qualities. We observe these in our every action. We behave differently at different times. Depending upon, which quality dominates us at any given point of time,we can be branded as Sri Rama or Ravana or Kumbhakarna! Atman, by nature, does not do these actions in such ways. Its nature is to serve God. Therefore, when an action is performed, we should realize that it is not the nature of atman, but influence of the Three qualities. Therefore, when we do an action, the realization that we did not do those actions, will make us to get detached from the actions we do. We get attachment only when we think that we have done those deeds. Sri Krishna advises to do actions without thinking we are doing those actions. This way we will get detached from those deeds. 

                                                                                                             (continued)