Gita For Me

INTRODUCTION 4
GITA IS A SEARCH FOR ME 6
APPROACHING BHAGAVADGITA 8
THE BEGINNING (1:01) 11
DURYODHANA’S PERSPECTIVE (1:02-1:11) 14
DECLARATION OF WAR (1:12-1:13) 17
LET’S PLAY HARDBALL (1:14-1:19) 19
THE UNSEEN FORCES IN MAHABHARATA 22
THE UNSEEN FORCES OF MAHABHARATA (1:20-1:27): 23
ARJUNA’S PERSPECTIVE – TO KILL OR NOT TO KILL (1:28-1:39) 25
ARJUNA’S STATE OF MIND (1:40 – 1:47) 28
YOGA = CENTERIGN GROWTH 32
VISHAD-YOGA: AN ART OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT 35
CHAPTER II 37
RELATIVITY OF RIGHT AND WRONG (2:01-2:03) 37
IS EGO REALLY BAD? 40
EGO, IMAGE AND VALUE SYTEM (2:04-2:09) 45
DHARMA = VALUE SYSTEM OF THE MAYA-SPACE 50
MAYA=NETWORK OF EGO (2:10) 52
THE TURNING POINT (2:11) 55
FEAR OF DEATH 58
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE (2:12-2:13) 60
SUM-BHAVA: A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS (2:14-2:15) 63
SUM-BHAVA AND APPLIED ADWAITA (2:14-2:15) 66
MAKING OF A MEDITATIVE MAN (2:16-2:18) 68
NA HANYATE HANYAMANE SHARIRE (2:19-2:21) 71
DON’T BELIEVE, JUST LIVE (2:21-2:22) 73
ATMA AND I (2:23-2:25) 77
THAT WHICH CANNOT BE SAID MUST BE SAID (2:26-2:30) 80
IN DEFENSE OF VARNA SYSTEM (2:31) 83
SOME MEN ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS (2:32-2:37) 86
FROM PEAK EXPERIENCING TO PEAK PERFORMANCE (2:38) 89
KNOWING (GYANA) IS POWER (2:38) 92
FROM CONFUSION TO CLARITY (2:39-2:41) 95
ATTRIBUTES OF NISHKAM KARMA (2:40) 108
KARMA YOGA: EK BUDDHI (2:41) 111
HEAVEN IS NOT THE ULTIMATE GOAL (2:42-2:44) 114
A CLEAN SLATE (2:45) 116
FEAR OF LOOSING GOODNESS (2:46) 118
KARMANYEVAADHIKARASTE (2:47) 120
PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE (2:48-2:49) 121
EFFICIENT WORKING (KARMASU KAUSHALAM) 2:50-2:51 123

KNOWING YOUR TRUE SELF (2:52-2:53) 125
HOW DOES HE WALK THE WALK? (2:54) 128
ATMANYEVATMNANA TUSHTAH (2:55) 130
A BUDDHA IS A BUDDHA IS A BUDDHA (2:56-2:57) 132
WHEN IS A BUDDHA NOT A BUDDHA? (2:58-2:59) 134
WHAT IS THE WAY? (2:60-2:61) 136
DESIRE PATHWAY (2:62-2:63) 139
THE ALTERNATE PATHWAY (2:64) 145
ANTAHKARAN: THE INNER CORE (2:65) 147
A DISSOCIATED (AYUKA) PERSON (2:66) 149
GONE WITH THE WIND (2:67-68) 151
IT IS NIGHT, IT IS DARK (2:69) 152
BRAHMISTHITI (2:70) 157
FROM VISHAD TO GYANA (SANKHYA) 159
END OF SECOND CHAPTER 161
MISCELLENEOUS 162
DID KRISHNA LOVE TO FLIRT? 162
DRAUPADI: A ROLE MODEL FOR MODERN WOMEN 164
IF KRISHNA WERE WITH US TODAY! 171
BE HAPPY FOR 24 HOURS 176
KRISHNA, GITA AND TERRORISM 177

PRICE OF PEACE 187
KARMA 189
KARMA YOGA: COMMON MYTHS 194
SAKAM KARMA IS BAD 195

NISHKAM KARMA IS DOING KARMA WITHOUT EXPECTING ANY RESULTS. 196
KARMA SANYAS MEANS NO KARMA 197
KARMA YOGA: COMMON TERMINOLOGIES 197
RESULTS: EXPECT, NOT EXPECT OR ACCEPT 200
PARAMPARA 203
A TECHNIQUE FOR NON-ATTACHMENT 211
SATSANGATVE NISSANGATVAM 211
TWO STEPS TO DROPPING MOHA (DESIRE COMPLEX) 213
THREE STEPS TO DECISIVENESS 215
Four Steps To Samaadhi 217
Introduction
Gita came into existence some 5000 years ago. It is a unique shastra, unique
because it happened in the middle of a war, to be exact at the beginning of the
Mahabharata war. Pandavas and Kauravas were ready for the war, and suddenly Arjuna
sees the futility of the whole war. He was concerned and affected most by the fact that
the people he was going to fight and may have to kill were all closely related to him.
Some were his teachers the others grew up with him.
Many readers are perturbed by the whole incidence. The arguments that Arjuna
presents to Krishna are all valid arguments. Intellectuals will definitely agree with the
points made by Arjuna against the war. Krishna on the other hand tells the whole Gita
and at the end Arjuna is ready to fight. It appears that Krishna is pushing Arjuna to the
war. The question arises that is Krishna preaching Hinsa. Gandhiji was so perturbed
with the whole story that he in his interpretation of Bhagwadgita tries to deny the whole
epic of Mahabharata, as if it never really happened.
I like many others believe that Mahabharata did happen. The question that always
arises in many minds is what was going on when Krishna was saying the verses of Gita to
Arjuna. There are some 700 shlokas in Gita. It must have taken some time. Were all the
warriors just looking at the pair and wondering what is going on. Or did the
communication between Krishna and Arjuna happen at a different level.
What other level of communications are possible. Let us say that your son walks
in your room and says he wants to marry a girl. You know that the girl is not suitable for
this marriage. What happens to your body language even before you utter a single word.
When you give that look to your son he immediately knows your reaction and his look to
to you in defiance is all very clear. Actors know this very well and that is why some one
like Raj Kapoor is a great actor. They can bring that body language with what they want
to say. There is a method of communication, which can happen without words; a
communication in silence is possible.
Krishna and Arjun were long time friends. They knew each other very well.
Most likely the communication in Gita happened at a similar level as described above.
The doubts and questions arose in the mind of Arjuna, Krishna saw it and the answers
flowed through from him, the doubts were gone and Arjuna was ready to fight. Gita
came to us because there was a witness and that is Sanjay. When he started putting the
descriptions in words, it took 700 shlokas to describe it. It is as if you see a friend and it
takes you seconds to have a mental picture. You start describing this mental picture to
some one else, and by the time you have said that she was 5 feet 5 inches tall with blond
hairs and blue eyes. And so on, several words and sentences are gone.
We all have heard the saying about how Necessity is the mother of invention. A
similar relationship can be made with vishad (crisis) and kranti (revolution). A
revolution is set to happen when there comes a crisis. In Mahabharata a major crisis
happened when Arjuna had this vision of how can he kill all these close friends and
relatives. Is it worth it? The crisis happened in the presence of Krishna, the Parmatma
and out came the flowering of Gita. A crisis happened in Ramayana. Sita was abducted
and out came the epic of Ramayana. Gautama Sidhartha saw a crisis and out came a
Budha.
Yes, Gita is unique. It is a not only a story of how to deal with a crisis, but has all
the information of how to live life. All the questions raised by Arjuna are relevant to our
day-to-day life. Gita has to come into our lives, we have and can start living Gita. And
when you start that, Krishna will be a reality to you and me. The unseen, the parmatma
will be your friend too. We all have an Arjuna inside us; the one who is brave, the one
who has doubts and questions, and the one who needs a sakha (friend).
And it is a unique opportunity at our times. Through e-gita we can all share an
electronic platform and try to understand Gita and contribute to our lives and to the lives
of others in the same way as Satsang used to do in days gone by. When groups of people
start conversing about Ishwar or Parmatma (Satsang), it uplifts souls of the ones that
gather together. This is very similar to the gravitational force that pulls objects down
towards the earth. You do not have to believe in this uplifting force. Just allow this to
happen to you and you will feel it, you will know it. Give e-gita a chance. Participate in
it. Send your comments and criticisms back to us. Make it a living phenomenon.
We in this journey of e-gita will explore all these angles in detail, bit-by-bit or say byte
by byte or simply shloka by shloka. The time has come when Gita will make sense to
the people of today. Let us examine why. Firstly, the world has come closer to where
Pandavas and Kauravs were 5000 years ago. Intellectually, people are using logic for
most progresses. There are think tanks all over the world, from political parties to
religious organizations. Arjun was an intellectual and a warrior. That was the problem.
Gita did not happen to Duryodhana or Bhima. They knew that they had to fight.
Arjuna’s intellect put him in trouble. Questions arose and had to be answered.
The whole world asks questions today. People are looking for answers. If you
suggest a person to meditate, he will ask you why. What will meditation do for me? And
so on. There is a population, which will say that have faith in God and they do find
followers. But these are never the people who will understand Gita. To understand Gita,
you must have the intellect to question. And, I feel that there is a growth in the number
of persons that will like to ask questions. The days of blind faith are and will soon be
numbered.
Besides Gita is a search, and a person of any bent or aptitude will find the book
interesting to him. It suits a man of bhakti temperament and at the same time will suit a
Bill Gates who is pursuit of perfection of products. Gita can be of use to people who
want to run politics, want to increase productivity or want to manage people efficiently.
So, let us start with a weekly session on Bhagwat Gita on the forum of e-gita. Let
Gita descend in our lives. Lataji (Lata Jagtiani) on her forum invited us to bring Bhagwat
Gita on the trains, in hotel rooms and in our houses. I also invite you to come to this
forum of e-gita and bring the Gita in our lives.
Gita is a search for me
I want to highlight few other points before we enter the shlokas of Gita.
In the earlier write up, I mentioned about the uneasiness some people feel about
Krishna appearing to be pushing for Himsa in Gita. It is easy and may be morally right to
appreciate and respect some one who teaches and practices Ahimsa. It seems that Jesus
is great when he says that if some one slaps you on one cheek, then you should turn the
other cheek to him. As if himsa is not committed by turning the other cheek. In fact, by
turning the other cheek, you are making the other guy feel so small that he falls on your
feet. The himsa is subtle and can go down to his innermost existence. If this act of
turning the other cheek transforms the person in front of you then it is a different matter.
Krishna in Mahabharata refuses to choose Himsa or Ahimsa. He is willing to
accept what the life has to offer. A war has been thrust upon the Pandavas. Krishna does
not choose; he accepts what is inevitable. Krishna does not choose; he is in
choicelessness. Acceptance of whatever comes is not choosing.
If you consider deeply, Ahimsa is an ideal that is not practical in day-to-day life
even if you are a saint. We now know that as you live, many of your cells die and are
replaced. Many microorganisms live and die just on the surface of your skin. In some
deeper sense this is a sort of Himsa. In Krishna’s case it is a situation of war. Krishna
can be with it, accept and perhaps lead to minimum himsa. Many of the warriors of the
time of Mahabharata including Arjuna had capability of massive destructions by divine
ashtras; they chose not to use those ashtras (like the Brahma Ashtra). They decided to
fight a conventional battle to settle the differences.
In the same context of choicelessness, it was not an accident that Krishna was on
the Pandava side, even though the choice appears to have been given to Duryodhana and
Arjuna. The Parmatma is always on the side of the Dharma. Pandavas stood by the side
of Dharma and Krishna had to be on that side. This again is not by choice; it has to
happen. Even today, if you take a stand for Dharma, Krishna the Parmatma, the unseen
will be on your side. For the Parmatma, prevailing and upholding of Dharma is more
important than choosing between himsa and ahimsa.
The other point that I would like to bring in is how to approach discussion on
Gita. Many discourses and commentaries on Gita in the past have been imposition of
personal ideas and prejudices of the commentators. It is sometimes hard not to do that.
Some people who believed in Ahimsa went to the extent of denying the whole existence
of real Mahabharata, and made it a virtual story. Others were so drowned in Krishna
Bhakti that they saw the victory of Pandavas from the first shloka of the Gita.
What I would like to point out is that there have been many different approaches
to Gita and without appreciating or criticizing every one of them, I will like to keep an
open mind and encourage others to help me in not interjecting my personal biases.
Here is a small poem that I have tried to write to express my general approach to
eGita:

I am a seeker
Searching for truth
Searching for perfection
Most of the times

I am a worker
I am a physician; I am a doctor
I am a karma yogi
Looking for perfection
I am a seeker
Sometimes, I am a bhakta
I go to temples in devotion
I am a seeker
Searching for Him
At times I meditate
Sitting down still
Doing Nothing
I am a Gyan Yogi
Looking for Him
In my dhyana
I am a seeker
But, what I want most

O Krishna, He Parmatma is
For you to be by my side
Like you stood besides Arjuna
In happiness and in despair
I am a seeker
I need a friend, a companion
To hold my hand
Tell me to stand up
When the chips are down
I am a seeker
eGita is a search for me
Approaching Bhagavadgita
We have already examined about how Gita is a Shashtra of different perspectives. I also
mentioned that Gita is a search for me, what I should have said or what I meant is that
Gita is a search, period. It should be a search for all of us. And, soon we will find out
that Gita is book of different techniques. This has to be understood deeply before we
explore Gita further. There are several yogas in Gita starting from Vishad yoga and
going on to Karma yoga, Gyan yoga etc. Yoga means techniques, techniques to bring
you to the center. We all have a center but we live off of it. The techniques that bring
you to the center are yoga techniques. We have already examined how the yoga
techniques differ from the growth programs that we have for personal growth. The
growth programs or techniques are meant to improve certain aspects of life e.g.
performance, conflict resolution etc. Yoga is meant to grow you as a whole, as you get
centered, you also grow higher on the vertical plane. Yoga can be defined in modern
terms as means and techniques for a centering growth. Patanjali’s definition of yoga as
“Yoga is the cessation of mind (yogaschitta nirodhaya) is difficult to comprehend today.
The search starts with interest or desire of some sort. Some people have no interest in
any such centering and we do not need to discuss about them right now. The interest may
start with a simple curiosity or an inquiry. The inquiry is like a longing, which has to be
fulfilled, or like a thirst that has to be quenched. The curiosity could be just a fleeting
interest, may be genuine or may be just going with the fashion. It is obvious that
Duryodhana has no interest in centering growth while Arjuna has the longing and thirst
for the same.
The curiosity is usually purely academic. Once you have some answers or some
knowledge, you are able to take part in certain conversations and feel good about it. Now
you know what is Nishkam Karma and you can discuss it or even give a talk on it. But,
you do not have do live it. You are not going to practice it. You are not ready to let Gita
descend in your life. Some knowledge is good and that satisfies your curiosity.
An inquiry is a different phenomenon. Arjuna goes on asking. Krishna goes on

answering. Krishna is changing his level all the time. Sometimes he answers from the
peak, the peak where he is, the peak that Parmatma is, and the other times he comes down
to the level of Arjuna, a level where most of us live and exist. At times he tells Arjuna
the principles, the other times he talks about techniques and yet another times he tells
how a yogi behaves and goes on an on. It is like a flow, a continuum.
Yes Gita is fluid and there is a flow. Try to experience it. Try to get a dip in the flow.
Mr. Santhanagopal has called it a bottomless ocean and to some extent I agree with that.
I have a friend who loves sailng. He was telling me about his sailing trip in the Atlantic
Ocean to the Bahamas. He was in a race. They were so excited when they reached the
Gulf Stream. The stream is few miles wide and it is flow of warm wonderful water. You
have to jump in and enjoy this flow in the midst of this ocean. Gita may be a bottomless
ocean but I do experience a flow and warmth in it too. Let us all experience it. To
experience this you have to meditate on every word and every shloka that we go through.
What we see or read in the written words are just the waves, just the surface. Much lies
in between the words. What Sanjay could catch has been manifested as words, what
happened between Krishna and Arjuna still exists and that is that flow. I will describe
another experience that we had recently. We (me and my wife Lekha) went white water
rafting recently in the Kennebec River in Maine. The experience was so wonderful. We
had been through the roughest waters (grade 5) and were in the slower one (grade 1-2)
and at that time we jumped out of the Raft. All of us had this float around our chest.
And then we were just lying down flat on this rapid water. The sun was shining, the
water temperature was 72 degrees and the flow was beautiful. You could close your eyes
and just float. Just let yourself flow in the stream of Gita, close your eyes and just flow
with the current.
We do not read Gita like any other book. We read it again and again. We call it Paath.
It is not meant to be read like a novel or a textbook. The west may find it difficult to
understand. We do akhand path of Ramayan, no break on reading the scripture for one
week or even a month. We read Durga Shaptashati every day for nine days every year.
Thousands of people are reading it over and over again. What is going on? Are these
people mad? Or, Do they know something that we do not? I feel that this is a technique
of creating an undercurrent of the shashtra in our life. Once you start living with the
shashtra the real meaning then starts appearing in front of you. This may or may not be
true, but, it is worth the exploring further. If you find a different meaning and reasoning
behind, so be it. Try to make Gita your life’s undercurrent. Let it purify you and replace
some other undercurrents that are flowing in your system.
Bhagavad-Gita has to be imbibed, has to be lived and the flow has to be experienced. On
the path of the search, every step has two sides; the beginning of the step and the End.
The beginning will always be a conscious effort. A struggle will be there. Sometimes we
will fall, sometimes we will fall asleep, sometimes we will forget and sometimes we will
go astray. Again and again we will have to remember to come back to the path. Again
and again we will have to make more intense efforts to stay on the path. There will be
ups and there will be downs. Sometimes we will feel miserable and frustrated.
Whenever the contact with the method is lost and whenever we go astray, a frustration
and even depression may follow. There will be moments of intense happiness too
specially when you regain control of it. There is of course no limit to the intense
happiness when glimpses of the divine appear, the first time you feel the flow of the
divine, the flow of Gita, you are bound to be overjoyed. Peaks and valleys will be there
and they will disappear when the conscious effort has disappeared.
The Upanishads say that there are two kinds of non-attachment:
“There are two kinds of non-attachment: the ordinary and the sublime. That attitude of
non-attachmentto the objects of desire in which the seeker knows that he is neither the
doer nor the enjoyer, neither the restrained nor the restrainer, is called ordinary non-
attachment……………
When thoughts like: ‘I am not the doer, my past deeds are the doer, or Parmatma himself
is the doer,’ cease to worry the seeker, a state of silence, equilibrium and peace is
attained. This is called sublime non-attachment.”
In real terms this is not very different from learning to ride a bike. In the beginning you
have to make a conscious effort to learn. You fall and sometimes get hurt. At times you
get frustrated. I was teaching my daughter Nivedita how to ride a bike and I actually got
so frustrated that I gave up on her. And one day she was riding it as if there was no end
to it. The conscious effort had dropped. It is not needed any more. Now you can go on
talking and drinking and still ride your bike.
One last thing to realize in this path is that you are not alone. There are many of us
together. We all help each other in some unknown ways. We may not even know each
other and still because we are on the same path, the help is there. It is like hiking the
Grand Canyon. You do not know the other people who are hiking there. They are from
all over the world. But once they see you in trouble or even perceive that you may need a
bottle of water, the bottle of water appears. Someone who you have never known, who
you have never met comes up to you and offers this water that you so desperately need to
drink. He or she continues and so do you. There may have been no other conversation.
You may never meet them again.
But, most importantly, the divine is there with you as well. It is common saying that you
take one step towards the Parmatma and the Parmatma takes a thousand steps towards
you. This one step reduces the distance between you and Him several orders of
magnitude. We all are familiar with the forces of gravitation but there is another force
that works kind of opposite to the downward pull. This is the pull upwards and is called
Grace. The Parmatma’s forces of Grace start working on you once you start on this path
of search.
So, let’s open up to Krishna

Let us follow Arjuna on this Search
Let us flow with the current and
Let the forces of Grace work on us.
The Beginning (1:01)
Dhritrashtra said: O Sanjay, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu so desirous of
battle do after assembling in the Dharmakshetra and Kurukshetra
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gita has a simple beginning. Simplicity is the hallmark of Gita. There is great
depth in Gita, but it is obtained and attained by simple conversations. No conditions are
attached. No high sounding sermons appear. The book starts with a simple question, a
simple request, and a simple desire.
Dhritrastra is the King of Hastinapur. He is blind and has one hundred sons who
are in a battlefield about to start a war with the five cousin brothers, the Pandavas.
Sanjay is his assistant who has special powers of being able to see what is happening in
the battlefield. He is a commentatator, a reporter to the King. And the King asks Sanjay
as to what is happening in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Kruksetra happens to be
Dharmic places like what Varanasi and Mathura are today.
Let us understand a few details about Sanjay. He was endowed with the powers
of being able see what was happening in the battlefield. He is similar to what a television
or a radio station is today. If you look into the developments in the time of Ramayana
and Mahabharata, it appears that the talents and developments were individualized.
Sanjay got this gift, partly by his ability and partly from blessings of Vyasa. Similarly,
Arjuna acquired certain special weapons unique to him and Karna had ones unique to
him. Individuals who were perceived to be able to use them judiciously were allowed to
obtain weapons of mass destructions. It did sometimes fall in wrong hands and that
created problems. This happened in case of Ravana in the time of Ramayana. The
developments were more human and the man had to work for it to get there; unlike today
when most developments are mechanical. There is television and radios but there is no
Sanjay. There is nothing wrong with machines but there is something wrong in loosing
the individual developments. Coming back to Sanjay, this was a gift he had.
The simplicity of the beginning of Gita can be better appreciated if we examine

the beginnings of some other similar Shashtras. Let us see the beginning of Brahmasutra
by Badnarayan. The first sutra says:
Athato Brahma Jigysa
Now the longing of the Brahma
The first sutra puts a condition. Further reading of the book is good only for those who
are longing for the knowledge of Brahma.
The beginning to Patanjali Yog Sutra is also similar. The first sutra says:
Atha Yoganushashnam
Now the discipline of Yoga.
Patanjali puts this condition in the beginning of his book. You have to have the
discipline of Yoga (whatever that may be) before you go any further.
Upanishads do not have pre conditions but they do start with sutras that need a
deep intellect, devotion and desire to know the depths of spiritualism. For example let us
see the following verse:
Aum, may my speech be rooted in my mind, and my mind rooted in my

speech……
Profound indeed.
Gita on the other hand is so basic, yet so practical. It is as simple as this. The
cricket team of India goes to England and the match is about to start. What does an
average Indian do? He switches on the television or starts his radio. He wants to find out
what is going on. If instead of cricket commentary, Gita flows; he watches it with his
total interest. Gita does not start flowing suddenly. The toss is made. Gavaskar makes
evaluations as to who might win. Suddenly Sachin Tendulkar falls into a dilemma and
then the Gita flows. Sachin does not even know that something is flowing. In the
process he is totally transformed and refreshed. And at the end Sachin plays and makes a
triple century. He is not afraid to loose, not afraid to be out. He is not worried about the
outcome; he is totally focused in the game, plays each ball with total commitment and
stays not out in the end. The team wins; let us say victory falls in the lap of the team.
Who can deny watching something like this?
This is not exactly what happened in Gita, but the events are very close. A simple
beginning, little twists and the story continues.
I cannot over-emphasize the simple beginning of Gita. This simple beginning has
caused great problems to various commentators. They try to find special hidden meaning
in the first shloka. Osho, my Guru, says that all shashtras start with questions from blind
men, Dhritrashtra being blind. I can understand his stand. He was a Guru and to a Guru
everyone else is blind. They have to show the light. But that does not mean that the sutra
has that meaning. Prabhupad brings his utter Bhakti in this sutra. The Godhead Lord
Krishna is present and hence Dhritrastra knew that the Kauravas would be defeated. It is
easy to understand his stand but that is not there in the shloka either. Radhakrishnan, a
philosopher, takes it a little further. The whole world is Dharmakhsetra. This sounds like
the entire world is a Stage. Gandhi denied the whole existence of Mahabharata ever
happening. He describes the first shloka as a war not between Kauravas and Pandavas
but between Dharma and Adharma. He is a moral leader with Ahimsa (non-violence) as
his prime message. He could not conceive of Krishna leading anyone into a war.
Everyone you read has imposed his own views on this shloka. A Bhakta has put his
bhakti, a philosopher has hanged his philosophy, a moralist has denied the war and a
Guru has put his compassion.
But the shloka is simple. What is happening in the battlefield? This is the
question that the King is desirous to know about. He asks Sanjay, what my sons and the
sons of Pandu, both so desirous of war are doing in the Kurukshetra the place which is
also a Dharmakshetra. The war is between his sons and the sons of his brother. It is very
intimate. It is very personal. It is very intense.
Suppose there was no cricket game for two thousand years. The people at that
time read about the game and its celebrities. How will they react? A philosopher will
perhaps say that this is all made up. Wickets represent the holy trinity. The bat is your
weapon to defend against all the attacks of desires and the further you hit your desires the
more you score. If you score a hundred you get a seat in the heaven.
I have taken great pains to elaborate this point of simplicity. The reason is that I
would like to see and understand Gita from the base line. I want to approach Gita from a
seekers point of view, from the viewpoint of Arjuna if I can. So far it has been
approached and commented upon by Gurus, Bhaktas, philosophers, intellectuals,
moralists and so on. What is a seekers approach then? To be honest I do not know. I
will go with the flow. I am not writing on the Gita. Every time I sit to write, something
flows. I guess that is a seekers’ approach.
Duryodhana’s Perspective (1:02-1:11)
sanjaya uvaca
drstva tu pandavanikam
vyudham duryodhanas tada
acaryam upasangamya
raja vacanam abravit
Sanjaya said: O King, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of Pandu,
King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the following words:||
1:02||
pasyaitam pandu-putranam
acarya mahatim camum
vyudham drupada-putrena
tava sisyena dhimata
O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pandu, so expertly arranged by
your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada.||1:03||
atra sura mahesvasa

bhimarjuna-sama yudhi
yuyudhano viratas ca
drupadas ca maha-rathah
Here in this army there are many heroic bowmen equal in fighting to Bhima and
Arjuna; there are also great fighters like Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada.||1:04||
dhrstaketus cekitanah
kasirajas ca viryavan
purujit kuntibhojas ca
saibyas ca nara-pungavah
There are also great, heroic, powerful fighters like Dhrstaketu, Cekitana, Kasiraja,
Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Saibya.||1:05||
yudhamanyus ca vikranta
uttamaujas ca viryavan
saubhadro draupadeyas ca
sarva eva maha-rathah
There are the mighty Yudhamanyu, the very powerful Uttamauja, the son of
Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. All these warriors are great chariot fighters.||
1:06||
asmakam tu visista ye
tan nibodha dvijottama
nayaka mama sainyasya
samjnartham tan bravimi te
O best of the brahmanas, for your information, let me tell you about the captains
who are especially qualified to lead my military force.||1:07||
bhavan bhismas ca karnas ca

krpas ca samitim-jayah
asvatthama vikarnas ca
saumadattis tathaiva ca
There are personalities like yourself, Bhisma, Karna, Krpa, Asvatthama, Vikarna
and the son of Somadatta called Bhurisrava, who are always victorious in battle.||
1:08||
anye ca bahavah sura

mad-arthe tyakta-jivitah
nana-sastra-praharanah
sarve yuddha-visaradah
There are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake.
All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons, and all are
experienced in military science. ||1:09||
aparyaptam tad asmakam

balam bhismabhiraksitam
paryaptam tv idam etesam
balam bhimabhiraksitam
Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather

Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is
limited.||1:10||
ayanesu ca sarvesu
yatha-bhagam avasthitah
bhismam evabhiraksantu
bhavantah sarva eva hi
Now all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at your
respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.||1:11||
Duryodhana: a misguided soul
Bhagvadgita starts with the perspectives of Duryodhana. Duryodhana’s perspective is

typical of a soldier. He walks in the battlefield and sees other good soldiers. He analyzes
the strengths and weaknesses of each side and draws up a strategy. He says, “We should
protect Bhishma and that will lead us to victory.” However strong the Pandava army may
be, we shall prevail.
Duryodhana is right where he wanted to be. He had tried to get rid of the Padava
brothers before but did not succeed. He had humiliated Draupadi publicly. And
ultimately the Pandavas were dragged in to the war. It was not their choice. Duryodhana
did not leave any options to them. The last straw broke when Krishna went to
Duryodhana on behalf of the Pandavas for five villages on and the offer was totally
rejected. No piece of land was offered to the Pandavas. And, that is what led to this
gathering in the Kurukshetra. The time for showdown had come.
It is interesting to note that Duryodhana starts from acknowledging the greatness of the
individuals from his enemy camp. This is not that common in most wars. Usually, the
Chiefs start from looking at the strengths of their army and then describe the weaknesses
of the other side. Duryodhana, for whatever his downfalls may be, deserves credit for
acknowledging the merits of the Pandavas. He is not a man suffering from any sort of
inferiority complex. He knows his strengths and he acknowledges the strengths of the
opposition army.
He appears to have done a good job as a leader. He is brave and had the best of trainings
in the use of weapons. He had been trained by no other than Balram the elder brother of
Krishna in the gadayudha. He also seems to have collected a formidable and almost
invincible army. He was a baddy. There is no doubt about that. But, somehow he
managed to keep the strongest of the people of those times on his side. For one reason or
the other, Bhishma, Dronacharya, Karna and all stayed with him. There have always
been bad people in the history of mankind. There was Ravana in Ramayana times and
there is Duryodhana in Mahabharata times. But, if you examine their character and
integrity, you sometimes wonder how good strategists they might have been. They had
high standards, and had some sort of integrity too. Duryodhana has been the cause of the
Mahabharata war, but has done a good job of having an awesome army on his side. It
does take some talent to achieve that.
When it came to selecting the General, he appointed Bhishma for that position, the most
suitable warrior of the time. No wonder, he could conclude in the shloka 11 that his army
guarded by Bhishma will win over the other army guarded by Bhima.
He sees Bhima as the equivalent to be the core man of the Pandavas like Bhishma on his
side. This is so interesting. We all know that it was Arjuna who was the anchorman of
the Pandavas. But, wait a minute. We now know the whole story. Was it clear in the
beginning of the war? Let us see who was the big guy in the Pandavas? Who ate the
most? Who was the strongest physically? Who made promises of killing Dushasana and
Duryodhana to avenge the insult of Draupadi? It was Bhim. To Duryodhana he was the
obvious danger. Arjun is the anchor in retrospect. He actually did not want to fight. As
we will see later in Gita when we examine the Arjuna perspective, Arjuna is not so
interested in any of what Duryodhana is interested in. He does not even see soldiers
around. He sees relations instead. It so happens that he becomes the real hero of
Mahabharata as the battle progresses on.
What did Duryodhana miss in his analysis? How come he was proven wrong? We must
examine this. He obviously was wrong in underestimating Arjun. But more than that he
did not take into account the presence of Krishna. The unknown forces of Parmatma that
changed the whole outcome of Mahabharata appeared in Krishna. Duryodhanana would
not have thought of Krishna being able to persuade Arjuna if he did not want to fight. He
would not have imagined that Krishna would have any influence on the outcome at all.
After all Krishna had promised not to fight in the battle. He was simply a saarathi (a
chauffer). The agyat (unknown) could have so much influence was out of reach of the
understanding of Duryodhana.
Even in today’s warfare, the strengths of armies and the weapons are important. There
are some unknowns that are taken into account. The weather is accounted for. The
pressure of the world opinion is taken into account. But, besides these there are other
forces. In those days of Mahabharata, the divine forces were taken into account as well.
Krishna got Arjun to pray to Durga before the war. Rama in Ramayana worshipped
Shiva in Rameshwaram before embarking on to the final assault on Lanka. But the forces
of Parmatma especially in the form of Krishna are what Duryodhana missed completely.
And, the table turned on him.
Gita may be viewed as a shashtra of different perspectives. The typical perspective as

outlines here is that of Duryodhana. We will later examine Arjuna’s perspective and then
finally the third perspective that comes from Parmatma himself, that of Krishna’s. And,
that is what makes Gita Bhagavadgita (a song sung by Parmatma).
Declaration of War (1:12-1:13)
tasya sanjanayan harsam

kuru-vrddhah pitamahah
simha-nadam vinadyoccaih
sankham dadhmau pratapavan
Then Bhisma, the great valiant grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, the grandfather of
the fighters, blew his conchshell very loudly like the sound of a lion, giving
Duryodhana joy. ||1:12||
tatah sankhas ca bheryas ca

panavanaka-gomukhah
sahasaivabhyahanyanta
sa sabdas tumulo 'bhavat
After that, the conchshells, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all suddenly
sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous. ||1:13||
Declaration of War
As Duryodhana finished his analysis and strategy talk with Dronacharya (1:11),
Bhishma blew the concshell to declare the war. So far the war was a possibility, it was
probable; now it was official. It is understandable that Bhishma was the one to start the
declaration. He was the most respected amongst both the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
He was the General appointed by Duryodhana and most of all was an invincible warrior.
What is more interesting is the fact that Duryodhana was delighted with this
declaration of the war. This is very perturbing but is not only true in the times of
Mahabharata but it holds true even today. The moot question is, does war give pleasure
to any one? And if it does, then is there need for a reason for a given war? And, how do
you find friends and enroll others in such an act.
Obviously, Duryodhana is happy that ultimately he got the war going. As pointed
out in the last write up, this is where he wanted to be. The showdown time has come. He
has the stronger army. He has a stronger General. He thinks that his side will definitely
win. Once he wins, he will have an unopposed kingdom. There will be no one to
challenge him. All these things must be going through his head to give him the pleasure
that showed on his face when the war was declared.
Yes, there are some people who enjoy, wars. They derive some sort of pleasure
from killing. It is true even today, may be more so today than in those times. How else
can you justify the current day terrorism? How else can you explain killing of innocent
villagers? How else can you explain hijacking and blowing up of planes? There are
people who cherish violence for violence sake. They do not see the human aspect of the
war. They are so blinded by their pleasure out of the war that they forget what havoc it
causes to the people involved. And this leads them down the slippery path. Once the
desire takes over, it feeds on itself.
It is crucial to understand the phenomenon of enjoying violence, because of how

subtle the functioning of the mind is. Most of the time, we find a reason why we are
upset. Buddha or Krishna will look at it differently, they will say that you are the
problem; you are upset first and you find a reason to justify your upset mood later.
Duryodhan wanted a war; it is obvious from his happiness shown at the declaration of the
war. He kept closing all doors to peace one by one and the Pandavas were dragged to
this situation. In fact, Pandavas had many more reasons to fight when compared to
Duryodhana. But, no they did not want it; they derived no pleasure from conflicts.
People of very high caliber surrounded Duryodhana. There were wise people like
Bhishma Pitamah, Guru Dronacharya and others. But who were his close associates?
Mama Shakuni was a crook and he was the closest friend and advisor that Duryodhana
had. It is not difficult to find friends in any situation. His slippery slope started with his
mode of thinking and it accelerated with the company he kept. With the declaration of
war it just gathered more speed.
There is much to learn from these shlokas. Whenever you start enjoying a torture
or a punishment, there is something wrong. It is easy to be judgmental and say how bad
Duryodhana was in Mahabharata. But, we should not forget that every one of us has part
of that Duryodhana in us. All it takes is the start of the slippery slope. You are angry
with your son. He dares to object to what you said. You have a choice of using your
love and understanding here. You choose to hit your adult son. And the slippery slope
starts. There are several examples on individual levels and on public levels in the current
world. How do Ranbir Sena and the Naxals in Bihar survive? How come Pakistan
continues to support terrorism? The same slippery slope is evident here. And once the
slope starts, there is no stopping. It is important to understand this. Once you take this
path, you face the consequences of that path. And, there is a certain momentum that
establishes in the process. The way to get out is to change the path completely; stop and
take a fresh look at the situation.
The war has been declared from the Kaurava’s side. Some are happy and some
are unhappy. A response is expected from the Pandava side. Many in the Kurukshetra
might be still thinking as to what Pandavas will do. Will they accept the challenge or will
they decide not to fight. There had been several occasions where the Pandavas could
have picked up a fight, but they decided not to. We shall explore that in the next column.
Let’s play hardball (1:14-1:19)
tatah svetair hayair yukte

mahati syandane sthitau
madhavah pandavas caiva
divyau sankhau pradadhmatuh
pancajanyam hrsikeso
devadattam dhananjayah
paundram dadhmau maha-sankham
bhima-karma vrkodarah
On the other side, both Lord Krsna and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn
by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells.||1:14||
Then, Lord Krsna blew His conchshell, called Pancajanya; Arjuna blew his, the
Devadatta; and Bhima, the voracious eater and performer of Herculean tasks, blew
his terrific conchshell called Paundram. ||1:15||
anantavijayam raja
kunti-putro yudhisthirah
nakulah sahadevas ca
sughosa-manipuspakau
kasyas ca paramesv-asah
sikhandi ca maha-rathah
dhrstadyumno viratas ca
satyakis caparajitah
drupado draupadeyas ca
sarvasah prthivi-pate
saubhadras ca maha-bahuh
sankhan dadhmuh prthak prthak
King Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conchshell, the Ananta-vijaya, and
Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosa and Manipuspaka. That great archer the
King of Kasi, the great fighter Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna, Virata and the
unconquerable Satyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the others, O King,
such as the son of Subhadra, greatly armed, all blew their respective conchshells. ||
1:16-1:18||
sa ghoso dhartarastranam
hrdayani vyadarayat
nabhas ca prthivim caiva
tumulo 'bhyanunadayan
The blowing of these different conchshells became uproarious, and thus, vibrating
both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhrtarastra. ||
1:19||
Now it is time for the Pandavas to respond. The war has been declared by the Kauravas.
It should be clearly understood that the war has been thrust upon the Pandavas. They are
not responsible for starting the fight or even declaring the war. But, to the surprise of
others they are ready to respond. This time they are ready to respond.
The question is who will be the first to respond from the Pandava’s side. Bhishma is the
General from the Kaurava’s and he blew the concshell first. You will think that the
General from Pandava’s should respond first. If not, then one of the Pandava brothers
should respond. Yudhisthir (the eldest brother) takes a different stand. And, I think that
this was his winning strategy.
This in my opinion is the turning point in the whole of Mahabharata. Pandava brothers
were successful in getting Krishna to come to their side. Krishna had vowed that he
would only be with them as a saarathi (chauffer). The Pandavs were happy that Krishna
would be with them. They did not care in what form he would be with them. Now
Yudhisthir gets Krishna to respond to Bhishma’s call.
This is so important. It is worth meditating over. The response is given by Krishna. He

was just a driver. He is not going to fight. But, it is significant in two ways. Firstly, the
Pandavas are saying to Krishna, the Parmatma, that you got us into it, now it is up to you
to see us through. We did not want the fight; we tried to avoid it by all means. Now that
it is here, it is in your hands. They just surrendered the whole war to the Parmatma.
Now, whatever the result, whatever the end may be, Pandavas are ready to accept.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Krishna is not blowing the concshell as a
person. His concshell has been termed transcendental. For whatever that means, Krishna
the Parmatma, here represents the whole existence. It should also be clear that Krishna is
not reacting to Bhishma’s call. He is simply responding to his call and accepting for
whatever has to happen. In American terms, he is saying, “You want to play hardball,
Let us play hardball.”
I said earlier that Krishna represents the existence. Let me explore this a little further.
When President of a country (say USA) goes to another country (say India), he goes there
as a person. But, with him goes an entourage of others. He may be accompanied by his
wife or daughter, but in actual fact represents the whole country (say USA). He is
greeted as head of the state and not so much as a person. Similarly, when a celebrity
(Hema Malini) stands on a stage, she is not there so much as a person; she may be there
more as her image (eg. Basanti of Sholay). Krishna has a different representation. He is
manifest as a person, a human face and body. But he represents the cosmos. He is ocean
inside of a drop. The drop may look as a structure with boundaries and limits, but in
Krishna’s case it is vaster than the ocean. This is what I would like to call the
Krishnafield. When Krishna responds, it is really the Krishnafield responding.
And he says, “Let us play hardball.” The others in Pandava side follow and blow their
concshells and other instruments. This response was to some extent unexpected. The
Pandavas in the past have not responded in such a manner. They backed off. This time,
not only they responded, but also they responded with a resolve. This unexpected
response with all their resolve drove an element of fear in the hearts of the Kauravas.
The inevitable is here. Now they have to fight. The talk time is over.
This is the turning point in the whole of Mahabharata. So far, Krishna was just present
with the Pandavas. His presence was important. But, by blowing the concshell first on
behalf of the Pandavas in response to the Kauravas challenge Krishna just got involved.
Now, it is his responsibility to see the war through. And as a strategy, what could be a
better strategy for the Pandavas. Now, even if Arjun does not fight or even if the
Pandavas loose, it is o.k. But, Krishna can never let that happen. We also have to
remember that there were two kinds of people in those times. Those that thought Krishna
was just a human being and those that knew him as Krishnafield, the Parmatma.
The Unseen forces in Mahabharata
atha vyavasthitan drstva

dhartarastran kapi-dhvajah
pravrtte sastra-sampate
dhanur udyamya pandavah
hrsikesam tada vakyam
idam aha mahi-pate
O King, at that time Arjuna, the son of Pandu, who was seated in his chariot, his
flag marked with Hanuman, took up his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows,
looking at the sons of Dhrtarastra. O King, Arjuna then spoke to Hrsikesa [Krsna]
these words||1:20||
arjuna uvaca
senayor ubhayor madhye
ratham sthapaya me 'cyuta
yavad etan nirikse 'ham
yoddhu-kaman avasthitan
kair maya saha yoddhavyam

asmin rana-samudyame
Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so
that I may see who is present here, who is desirous of fighting, and with whom I
must contend in this great battle attempt.||1:21-1:22||
yotsyamanan avekse 'ham

ya ete 'tra samagatah
dhartarastrasya durbuddher
yuddhe priya-cikirsavah
sanjaya uvaca
evam ukto hrsikeso
gudakesena bharata
sthapayitva rathottamam
bhisma-drona-pramukhatah
sarvesam ca mahi-ksitam
uvaca partha pasyaitan
samavetan kurun iti
Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son
of Dhrtarastra. Sanjaya said: O descendant of Bharata, being thus addressed by
Arjuna, Lord Krsna drew up the fine chariot in the midst of the armies of both
parties. In the presence of Bhisma, Drona and all other chieftains of the world,
Hrsikesa, the Lord, said, Just behold, Partha, all the Kurus who are assembled
here.||1:23:1:25||
tatrapasyat sthitan parthah

pitrn atha pitamahan
acaryan matulan bhratrn
putran pautran sakhims tatha
svasuran suhrdas caiva
senayor ubhayor api
There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers,
grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also
his father-in-law and well-wishers--all present there.||1:26||
tan samiksya sa kaunteyah

sarvan bandhun avasthitan
krpaya parayavisto
visidann idam abravit
When the son of Kunti, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends and relatives, he
became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus.||1:27||
The Unseen forces of Mahabharata (1:20-1:27):
The scene is set. War has been declared by the Kauravas and it has been accepted by the
Pandavas. Arjuna gets ready. He picks up his bow and arrow and requests his saarathi
Krishna to place his chariot so that he can see the ones he has to fight. Krishna does
exactly that.
This is worth taking a note of. Arjuna is cool and collected. He is now ready to fight.
He is ready to shoot his arrows. He wants to assess and evaluate the strengths of the
people he has to fight with. If you see his statements, it is obvious that he is not angry
and is not too eager to fight. He wants to evaluate first. People who are too eager to
fight, people who fight with anger often loose. Arjuna knows that. His whole approach
of wanting to evaluate the situation without getting emotional speaks for itself that he
knows the art of winning in a battle.
But, when he goes to evaluate the scene, whom does he see? He sees relatives and
friends on both sides of the army. This war is unique in that sense. A large family as if
has been divided by an arbitrary line. For some body like Arjuns with intellectual mind it
is hard to ignore this fact. The question is not that of enemy and friend; the question is
who is less friendly and who is more friendly. Even worse, there are people on the
Duryodhana side who love Arjuna more than they love Duryodhana. Dronacharya for
example loved Arjuna so much that he asked Ekalabya’s thumb for his Gurudakshina
simply to keep Arjuna number one in the archery. Now, Dronacharya is standing in the
so-called enemy camp.
When you are obsessed with the desire to fight, when you are guided by anger and hate,
all you want to see is how you are going to win. That is what Duryodhana saw when he
looked at the two sides. When a war is thrust upon you, when you are drawn in a war
without any active participation on your part, you are prone to see what Arjuna sees. The
same scene, the same Kurukshetra, the same people; Duryodhana sees yodhas (warriors)
and Arjuna sees friends and relatives. Both judgments are true but at the same time
vastly different.
The situation is getting close to take an unexpected turn. We will explore that further in
later verses. But here I want to bring to attention some unseen factors that are mentioned
in passing in these verses. Kapidhwaj is one of them. This refers to Hanuman. It is
interesting to note that Rama and Hanuman played a different role in Ramayana when
compared to Krishna and Hanuman in Mahabharata.
In Ramayana, Ram takes up the bow and arrow in his own hands. Hanuman takes an
active role too. In Mahabharata Krishna takes the role of a saarathi (driver) and
Hanuman has the role of a stabilizer. Hanuman’s role is almost completely silent. It is
not highlighted at all. You only find some fleeting reference here and there. At the end
of the war Krishna asks Arjuna to dismount first and then he dismounts himself.
Hanuman then flies off and the chariot burn to ashes. This signifies what role Hanuman
may have played. In my mind, this Kapidhwaj although mentioned in passing has gone
deep in the psyche of many Indians. In my village, for example, many people have this
kapidhwaj in their houses and have strong feelings and respect for the flag.
A question sometimes arises as to why if Rama and Krishna represent Parmatma, do they
need the role of Hanuman? My feeling is that Rama and Krishna have a more global
approach while Hanuman can have a more focused approach. After all, both Rama and
Krishna had a human aspect as well as that of the Parmatma. Some force needs to keep a
close watch on the smaller things around them as well. In today’s’ terms, a Prime
Minister needs a Personal Assistant (PA) and a President needs a Chief of Staff.
The other question is how did Hanuman or Krishna influence the war? There are some
places where we can see what Krishna did, but we do not see what Hanuman did. We, at
least today want to see to believe. But, let us examine few things that we know about.
You see a switch; turn the switch on and the light bulb switches on. You do not see the
flow of electricity. You know the physics but you do not see it. Similarly, you see the
fruit falling on the ground, but you do not see the gravitational force. There are many
other such phenomenon that exist but we do not have an explanation yet. Similarly, the
forces of Hanuman, which were perhaps evident once, are beyond our explanation range
today. But that does not mean it did not exist.
We have used the word Parmatma several times since the eGita series started. I have
deliberately avoided using the word God or Godhead in this reference. The reason is that
to me Parmatma, God and Allah convey different meaning to different people. Gandhi
popularized the saying “Allah Ishwar Eke Naam” in his time. ‘Allah Ishwar Eke
Naam’ may have been a politically correct slogan but spiritually it is an incomplete
statement. I am not trying to say that one is inferior to the other. I am simply saying
that they are uniquely different.
Let me explain it a little further. God to an Indian may mean the same as Parmatma. He
has only known Parmatma and thinks these two words to be synonymous. But, for a
westerner, Parmatma means God unless the differences are pointed out to him. A
western mind has not yet thought of anything beyond God. It is not exposed to the
existence of Adwaita (non-duality), it is not aware of nirvichar (thoughtlessnes). The
west is already exploring all this through the techniques of yoga and meditation, but has
not yet been exposed to the concepts of Atma and Parmatma. It has been partly our fault
too. We have been translating Parmatma to God in every literature that exists. God
conveys the meaning of goodness, it reminds you of Ten Commandments, and it also
raises the possibility of the opposite that is Satan. Parmatma on the other hand is all-
inclusive. The east has been able to say that Parmatma includes the good and the bad, the
terrible things that happen as well as the magnificent ones. It blooms through the flowers
of spring and at the same time it brings destruction through the lava of volcanoes
Parmatma has to be understood in its entirety without translations and similes. We

shall do this all along through our discussions on eGita and bringing in excerpts from
Upanishads and other shashtras.
Arjuna’s Perspective – To kill or not to kill (1:28-1:39)
Arjuna said: My dear Krsna, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a
fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up. ||1:28||
My whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow Gandiva is

slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning. ||1:29||
I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling.
I foresee only evil, O killer of the Kesi demon. ||1:30||
I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can
I, my dear Krsna, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom, or happiness. ||1:31||
O Govinda, of what avail to us are kingdoms, happiness or even life itself when all those
for whom we may desire them are now arrayed in this battlefield? O Madhusudana, when
teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-
in-law and all relatives are ready to give up their lives and properties and are standing
before me, then why should I wish to kill them, though I may survive? O maintainer of
all creatures, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds,
let alone this earth. ||1:32-1:35||
Sin will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not proper for us to kill
the sons of Dhrtarastra and our friends. What should we gain, O Krsna, husband of the
goddess of fortune, and how could we be happy by killing our own kinsmen? ||1:36||
O Janardana, although these men, overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one's family
or quarreling with friends, why should we, with knowledge of the sin, engage in these
acts? ||1:37-1:38||
With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and thus the
rest of the family becomes involved in irreligious practice. ||1:39||
The same scenario is there that we analyzed in the Duryodhana’s Perspective. The
armies are facing each other. They are ready to fight. The war now has been declared.
Arjuna’s rath is facing such that he can see the two armies. And he is shocked to see his
own on both sides of the army. The effect of this goes deep inside Arjuna. This has an
impact on the whole existence of Arjuna. His body is affected profoundly by this
encounter.
Before we get further we should understand the role Arjuna is playing in the
Mahabharata. He is a soldier; literally speaking he is in a war and is trained to fight.
Now, a soldier of today is trained to take orders and not to think. If he disobeys because
of his own thinking and judgment, he is almost certain to be court-marshaled. He will
have to face the court of military law apart from being disgraced for that. William
Jefferson Clinton, the president of America, is said to have avoided going in the Draft in
his times. He still carries that baggage on his shoulders. So, we have to see Arjuna here
in this context. He is a soldier. His brothers are counting on him. Draupadi is counting
on him. Krishna is counting on him. Dharma is counting on him.
It is unique in the times of Mahabharata that Arjuna being a soldier is still allowed to
think. He is not expected to take orders either from the General or his elder brother. You
may be in the army, but you can still use your judgment. To the army of today it will
sound so dangerous. That does not mean that this is necessarily bad.
We also have to understand the difference between inquiry and curiosity. Inquiry is a
much deeper phenomenon than a curiosity. Our mind is filled with curiosity, but we
rarely inquire. Inquiry happens in one who has grown beyond curiosity. There is a
fundamental difference between curiosity and inquiry. A curious man is filled with
curiosity about everything. He does not see one thing in its entirety. Scarcely has he
glanced at one thing than ten other things distract his attention. And that is why a curious
man is never ready for a breakthrough; transformation does not happen to him. All of us
want to know who is Parmatma, How is the creation made, what happens when we die,
where are the devtas and so on. If this becomes our inquiry, a revolution will happen.
This happened to Swami Vivekananda. He went to Ramkrishna and inquired about God.
Ramkrishna instead of giving him a logical answer touched Vivekananda with his feet,
and the realization happened. Inquiry happens when one is on the verge of a
transformation. A kranti is bound to happen to such a person.
What happens here to Arjuna is a deep inquiry. He is in the dilemma of whether to kill or
not. The question is not of whether killing is bad or good, but is whether to kill or not kill
people who are or have been so close to him. This question goes so deep in Arjuna’s
existence that his body starts showing signs as well. In medical terms it is called
somatization. Some people when stressed for one reason or other develop symptoms of
Peptic ulcer disease. In Arjuna’s case he develops trembling, he cannot hold on to his
bow and is unable to continue to stand. All these symptoms happened from the
likelihood of the death of his loved ones. It is a good thing that he did not see a
psychiatrist and instead Krishna was there to handle him. Ina medical practice patients
with somatization disorders are frequently subjected to multiple diagnostic testing and
exploratory surgeries in an attempt to find their "real" illness. Such an approach is
doomed to failure and does not address the core issue. Successful treatment is best
achieved through behavior modification, in which access to the physician is tightly
regulated and adjusted to provide a sustained and predictable level of support that is less
clearly contingent on the patient's level of presenting distress.
Arjuna is an intellectual person. He is deeply moved by the possible death of his loved
ones. The inquiry takes hold of Arjuna’s deepest core. His brain comes into his help as.
Now he is coming up with all sorts of logic as to why killing of all these people has is not
required. It is worth noting the sequence here. Arjuna first picks up his bow (Gandiva)
and is ready to shoot his arrows. He then wishes to look at the enemy camp to decide
who and how he is going to fight. Then he sees his own on both side of the fence and his
body starts trembling from the possibility of death of his close ones. Mamatva takes hold
of him. Now intellectualization and rationalization arises from his mind. It is important
to understand that reasoning followed physical attributes. He does not want his friends
and relatives to fight and then he tries to rationalize that. This is the usual sequence in
our real life as well. We are angry first, an action happens next. The body acquires an
aggressive posture and the hands might be used to hit the one you are angry with. We
then give a reason why the action of hitting took place. Most of the time it appears that
the reason came first and then came the anger; but the reality is completely opposite.
To kill or not to kill is the question. Arjuna is arguing what he will gain from killing and
is it worth killing for those gains. He is not saying that I do not believe in killing.
Krishna perhaps would have left Arjuna alone if it was Arjuna’s realization. But not,
Arjuna is weighing the benefits and loss from killing; he is into profit and loss from the
killings. Arjuna is saying that the enemy is full of greed but should he also be in the same
boat. Arjuna’s logic however is all concerned about materialistic world. He is trying to
say that he would be willing to forego the highest rewards and still not kill his friends and
relatives. His logic is sound but is not the logic or language of a spiritualist. He is still
very much in the materialist realm.
This is always a problem with intellectuals in the entire universe. A civilization that
becomes advances is always in danger of being attacked. After the time of Budha and
Mahavir, India became too much interested in intellectual pursuit. There was no interest
in defending or attacking. This was great for some reasons, but not so great for the
national interests. The balance was lost. The armies from inferior civilizations were
ready to attack. They were not worried about the question of ‘to kill or not to kill.’ They
were ready to kill and so they did. This is the whole basis of the thought process of
terrorists today. They do not stop and think, they want to make a point and there goes an
airplane, up in flames.
Arjuna is deeply touched by the possibility of death to his close ones. He is in the
dilemma of “To kill or not to kill.” The inquiry has arisen. All Arjuna’s questions are
still on the materialist plane. Soon a kranti is bound to happen. We shall see how
Krishna takes Arjuna on a spiritual journey and transforms his very being.
Arjuna’s state of mind (1:40 – 1:47)
When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Krsna, the women of the family
become corrupt, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vrsni,
comes unwanted progeny.||1:40-41||
When there is increase of unwanted population, a hellish situation is created both

for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. In such corrupt
families, there is no offering of oblations of food and water to the ancestors. ||1:42||
Due to the evil deeds of the destroyers of family tradition, all kinds of community
projects and family welfare activities are devastated. ||1:43||
O Krsna, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those
who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell. ||1:44||
Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts, driven by
the desire to enjoy royal happiness. ||1:45||
I would consider it better for the sons of Dhrtarastra to kill me unarmed and
unresisting, rather than to fight with them. ||1:46||
Sanjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and
arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief. ||1:47||
Arjuna’s state of mind
Arjuna is attached to many people in the enemy camp. He grew up with many of them;
some of them were his teachers and many are his relatives. He loves them enough not to
want to kill them. This thought of their impending death in the battle is so profound that
it has impacted the very core of Arjuna’s existence. He is trembling; he is sweating and
is unable to hold on to his bow. And now his intellectual mind is giving several reasons
as to why it is better for him not to fight the war.
Before we get in the reasoning Arjuna is coming up with, we need to understand his state
of being and his state of mind. This in my mind is crucial and Gita can never be
appreciated fully unless this point is deeply understood. What Arjuna is saying is not
half as important as his state of being. Krishna, who is listening attentively to what
Arjuna is saying, is actually paying much more attention to the state of Arjuna’s being
than his spoken words. Because, he knows that to change something in Arjuna, he has to
work on changing Arjuna’s state of being. As we will find out soon, he may not address
Arjuna’s points at all. Krishna is soon going to give the whole conversation a totally
different turn. He is not going to get engaged with Arjuna in the discussion of what harms
a war can do. Krishna knows that it will be a futile discussion. This kind of discussion is
more suitable and even enjoyable for philosophers, pundits and politicians.
What is a being? I am taking a simplistic approach here. We shall build a building block
of trying to understand the Gita. Arjuna is a being and so is Duryodhana. Hitler is an
individual and so is Mahatma Gandhi. But there is a qualitative difference. This
qualitative difference creates a vast difference in how they act. This is the starting point.
I am not talking about Atma (soul) here. That is in the center. We are still on the
periphery. When an individual is born, he is a being. He carries with him a lot of
baggage; some call it samskara. In general terms he may be a bad guy or a good guy.
What is meant by state of a being? I take this to be in what mode of existence that being
is in a particular time. When you are angry, your being is in a different mode than when
you are happy. The state of being has its toll (effects) on the physical body as well.
When you are angry, your eyes become red, your nostrils get wider, your teeth get
clinched and your fists become tight. Some people start trembling and shaking and some
get violent. They kind of loose control as well. When you are happy, it is totally
different. You bring different energy with you and physical body responses are different
as well. We now know that the body secretes different hormones to support different
modes of being. In Gita, Arjuna is in a state of shock thinking about impending death of
his loved ones and his body responses reflect accordingly.
What is then meant by the state of mind? Mind is subservient to the state of the being.
Mind will draw upon the past experience and knowledge and give supporting thoughts to
the state (mode) of the being. This happens all the time in our lives. Some man falls in
love with a woman. He cannot see anything wrong with the woman. She is so beautiful.
She is so kind, and she is the right one for him. This man’s state of being is in love with
this woman and the mind is giving all the right logic to go ahead and establish a
relationship. Someone looking from outside can see what nonsense this man is doing.
The outsider can see the mismatch between the two. But the person in love almost
becomes blind to the pitfalls. The mind is supporting the loving being. They then get
married. The goal is achieved. They both got what they wanted. Now, the husband does
not wash the dishes. The wife does not do the ironing. They start hating each other. And
the mind again does its job. It supports the hating being. The mind now gives all the
reasons whey they should separate and get divorced. It is the same man and the same
woman; now they can’t stand each other. The mode of being has changed; the mind does
its job perfectly in both situations; it supports the corresponding state of being. In the
Mahabharata here, Arjuna’s mind is doing just that. He is giving all the right logic that is
against any battle. What will happen to women after the war? Family values will be
destroyed. What use is such a war? What will I gain even if I win, and so on? Some
people call this the cunningness of reasoning. Arjuna's reason for not fighting is based on
his love and attachment to friends and relatives, and he brings in all kinds of logic that
sound good. He wants to look good. All his reasoning is sound, except that those were
not the real reasons for which Arjuna did not want to fight. There are two ways to
respond to what Arjuna is saying. First is to engage with him in discussion of the
drawbacks of a war and the other is to address his state of being. It will be hard to
convince Arjuna on the first approach because what he is saying is so correct. They may
not have been his reasons; but they sound so true. First path is a difficult path and also
does not do anything to the state of being. If the state of being does not change, even if
Arjuna fights, part of him will be wondering all the time whether he is doing the right
thing. Krishna actually addresses Arjuna’s state of being and not Arjuna’s spoken words.
He treats the disease and does not just tackle the symptoms of the disease.
This point has practical applications in our day-to-day life. Many of us use thoughts and
words as weapons. The son comes home and has bad grades in his high school
examination. The father gets angry and pours down on the son his whole life’s bad
activities that the child might have done. And the father goes on to say that it would have
been better if he did not have him as his son. The son picks up on this and goes off the
handle saying that his father has disowned his only son. On the surface it all sounds
clear. That is what the father had said.
But if you take another look, it may appear different. The son has bad grades.
Something is wrong with the mode or state of being of the child. He needs to address this
and has to start studying. The father has to address the state of being rather than the piece
of paper. But, most of us live further out in the periphery, and the thoughts are further
than the state of being. Again, the father is angry and says a lot of verbage. Does he
mean all that? The expression of anger has no real words. And the son again picks up a
wording from his father and the drama continues. If one of them could pause and look at
the state of being the drama could have been curtailed to a positive and meaningful
outcome.
This brings us to the point when we can look at the expression of the mind. We have
examined the state of being and state of mind. The expression is what we see. We
already saw the expressions of state of being on the physical body; the mind has its own
way of expression. The expression of mind is mostly by expression of its contents, the
thoughts. This is what Arjuna is doing in Mahabharata and the father and son are doing
in our example given above. There are other ways of expression of mind and the
examples are planning, investments, inventions and so on. We are not going in any depth
of anger or mind here. Those topics will be touched on later.
Here we are just trying to understand ourselves as we are. There is the being and then
there are different modes or states of the being. The state of existence of the being has
effects on the physical body. The mind is subservient to the being’s mode. The
expressions of mind’s content are usually by expression of thoughts. And, sometimes the
mind gives supporting arguments and reasons that are actually far from where the truth
lies. Some people call it cunningness of reasoning.
The second thing to take note of in these verses is the relationship between Krishna and
Arjuna. Arjuna is on a roll. His mind is giving all these noble reasons against the war.
Krishna can see right through Arjuna’s thoughts, mind and examine his state of being.
He knows what Arjuna’s problem is. But, he is in no hurry to intervene. He listens
through the whole logic, he is thoroughly attentive. This is important to understand.
Most of us do not have the patience to listen through everything one has to say. We are
always ready to anticipate and intervene. Krishna here waits until Arjuna is complete.
Arjuna is complete. He sits down in grief and is ready to listen to Krishna.
The third point we have to understand in any conversation and especially here between
Arjuna and Krishna is the momentum of the thought in the mind. Arjuna is complete.
He is sitting down. But the thought process in his mind is still going on. Whatever
Krishna is going to say, Arjuna is going to follow through with the line of conversation
that he is on. As I said earlier, Arjuna is on a roll. How do you deal with that? How do
you slow down the momentum of thoughts? How do you change the trend of thoughts?
All this has been done so skillfully by Krishna that it blows my mind. We will examine
all these as it comes.
It is crucial to understand that the important thing in any conversation, crisis or

relationship management is to consider the state of being and not just the spoken words.
By understanding this simple point personal management can be a lot less traumatic and a
lot more productive.
Yoga = Centerign growth
This is a draft version only. I will post the final version after input from mathematical
experts. Thanks to everyone for their interest in this column.
In the last column we saw the role of the being, the state of the being, the state of mind
and its expression via the body. We mentioned about atma (soul) as being the center.
Let us say we all have a center; we are all born as Buddhas. We simply do not know of
this state of existence. The difference between a Buddha and us commoner is of
awareness. Buddha-hood is not in our awareness, it is our goal, and it is our destiny.
But, since we are not aware of this center we will keep it out of the discussion for now.
Can this all be expressed in some mathematical model? Should there be a mathematical
expression at all? Is there any need for this expression? What will be the advantage of
making a simple thing complicated and difficult? There are many such questions for
which I truly have no answers. I know for fact that my mind has been struggling with
this model for a long time. And the thought of putting it in black and white makes me
feel good. I have my doubts for I am not a mathematician. I talked with Dr. Sat Gupta, a
very good friend of mine, to find some support and support I got. I am going to call it
draft version until it has been seen and approved by some of these friends.
We will try to see the being, mind and body in the form of a graph. The being, the mind
and the body as a unit happens to be a dynamic phenomenon. This makes mathematical
expression. However, we will try to take the dynamism in to account as well. The
vertical axis (the Y) represents growth through knowledge and increased awareness
through realization. The ultimate goal is to get to the infinity. We will get back to this
again later.
The X-axis is a circle. The center of the circle is the atma (soul) that we are not
conscious of. Then there are three concentric circles or more like rings and these are
interconnected. The being is more towards the center, then the mind and the outermost is
the body. The outermost ring is present when we have the body and the only way the
being can express or progress higher on the vertical axis. Whatever the position is on the
X and Y-axis at the time of death is maintained in memory and when we are born again
in the physical form, we start from that point.
Most of us are born off center on the X-axis and at some distance from the bottom on the
Y-axis. All of us have the center, the atma, but this is not in our normal consciousness.
What we know of ourselves is always off center. There is possibility of movement, there
is potential for growth, there is the possibility of moving towards the center, but we are
not there. The mind is further from the center and still further is the body. Body makes it
possible to express the mind by karma (doing). Mind is the bridge between the body and
the being. Soul or Atma remains unknown to most us most of the times. Location of the
being can be at one of several possible points on the circle. Even if the radius of the
circle is the same, a surgeon can be on a point right to the axis, while a murderer may be
on the left of the axis. The positions have some latitude or range and are not static.
We can conceive of several kinds of movements possible on the circle on the X-axis and
on the vertical Y-axis. The radius of the circle can stay the same, but the individual can
move to a different degree on the circumference. A Tulsidas could overnight become a
Sant Tulsidas, A robber and killer Balmiki could write a Ramayana. The shift is
qualitative; the potential is there but was focused and located on a different degree on the
circle. Then there is the possibility of movement of the being towards the center, until it
becomes one with the center, the Atma or the Soul. Whenever the being moves towards
the center, it also moves higher on the vertical axis. This movement is related and
happens with increased awareness through realization or from the grace of Guru. Yoga
and meditation is one way to cause a shift in the state of being. We will come back to
this later.
There are two types of vertical growth. One is simple. A child goes to school and then to
college. He acquires knowledge at college, learns normal behavior pattern from home
and grows. There is a vertical growth, but there is no shift on the horizontal plane. He
becomes more knowledgeable, He may get wealthy and become very successful, but
there may have been no shift in the radius of his being. He still gets angry at the same
stimuli, he still has jealousy much the same and he still gets stressed at things that used to
stress him when he was young. This has to be understood very deeply. Success in
general terms do not bring happiness because there has been no shift in the state of being
on the horizontal axis. Success might have added ego giving the feeling of a growth of
the being on the vertical axis, but actually this may just be a virtual growth when
dissected down deeply. We will address ego in a separate column.
A growth in horizontal or the vertical axis is real only when it shows through the
outermost circle or ring in its karma (doings) and behavior. In practical terms, someone
in high school is on a lower vertical axis compared to someone in college and as the
person goes to medical school and then becomes a doctor, his or her educational
information gets higher and higher. Now, if we chart his applied aspect on a horizontal
plane we can see that as his education grows higher he is more focused and centered and
this is expressed by his confidence and other’s confidence in him. A surgeon is and
should be able to do surgery successfully in the field he is trained in. A person who has
passed a driving test should be able to drive a car. This should also apply to the
movement of the being towards the center on the X-axis and upwards on the vertical Y-
axis. He should appear more centered and his behavior should change accordingly. This
has been addressed very beautifully by Krishna as we explore Gita further.
The other kind of growth in the vertical Y-axis is also related to the movement of the
being on the horizontal X-axis. As the being moves higher, it also moves closer to the
circle. This shift in the state of the being happens usually by realization through
increased awareness via the techniques of yoga, meditation, and other related techniques
of mantra chanting, tantric techniques and energy transfers etc. As the off center being
moves towards the center, it also moves higher on the vertical axis. This relationship has
to be understood clearly. The movement happens in both the horizontal and the vertical
axis. When Gautam Siddhartha left his princely palace he was off center and was on a
lower plane in the vertical axis. He went looking for his center. He moved up on the
vertical axis as he moved closer to the center. When he attained Buddha-hood he was
centered on the horizontal axis and also was at infinity on the vertical axis.
It gets a little complicated here at this point as to how to express the rest of the story in a
mathematical format. When a Buddha reaches the center and is at the peak on the
vertical Y-axis, he also realizes that this is the same center for every individual (being).
He also finds out that his center is also the center of the whole universe. And at this point
both the X-axis and the Y-axis disappear. Everything has come to a center, there is no up
and down and there is no right and left, call it Shunya (nothing) or call it Purna (Whole).
This brings us to the formula mentioned in the Ishavashyopanishad:
Aum
That is the Whole.
This is the Whole.
From Wholeness emerges Wholeness.
Wholeness coming from Wholeness,
Wholeness still remains.
We have to try to understand the difficulties of communications that can happen between
people of two different planes. In Gita, Arjuna’s state of being is at a different level
compared to Krishna. He is well trained in warfare; he is intelligent and has a
conscience. He is convinced that he should not fight or is he? His mind comes out with
wonderful supporting logic. Krishna is on a different plane; he is at the penultimate
possible state of existence. If Arjuna was talking to a psychologist or a psychiatrist, he
would have been given a prescription of anti anxiety drug along with may be an
antidepressant and advised to take it easy for a few days when psychoanalysis may be
done. If he were to talk to his brothers, they would have all gone into panic and would
have tried to remind him of what atrocities the Kauravas had caused to Draupadi and
them. It may or may not have worked. Krishna takes a totally different approach and a
very daring and brave approach. He does not try to persuade Arjuna to fight. He first
breaks the momentum of Arjuna’s thought process and then starts working on the state of
Arjuna’s being. The dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna starts at the level of Arjuna.
If Krishna spoke from his level it may not have been possible for Arjuna to grasp
everything. Arjuna asks questions and Krishna clarifies, but only when the thought
process has changed towards Krishna’s line of thinking. A transformation in Arjuna’s
being is bound to happen.
Another thing worth noting is that the real change in ones life is the change in the state of
the being. This is not to say that a growth through knowledge and acquired behavior is
not important, but a side-by-side growth in the state of being is paramount in today’s
society. We need to be more meditative; we ought to be more centered. Science has
come to a point where we can destroy ourselves if we are not balanced people. If we do
not develop a more loving and compassionate society, may be all our scientific progress
will simply bring disaster to us. But, there is the potential of bringing heaven on earth.
There is wealth and prosperity in the society and there is possibility of more. If we can
bring peace and prosperity through growth in the state of being of most of us, then what
more can we ask for?
Vishad-yoga: An art of crisis management
Bhagvadgita is unique in many respects. One of them is the ending of each

chapter. We are used to giving a title to topics that is subject of discussion similar to one
that I have done here. The title gives some clue as to what the content is going to be.
The Gita does this at the end of each topic as to what has been the content there in. At
the end of each chapter, there is a descriptive ending of the chapter and each chapter ends
in some form of yoga e.g. Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga etc. All of these endings have other
parts in common including the fact that they are all conversations between Krishna and
Arjuna (Krishnarjuna samvade). The first chapter ends with the title of Arjuna’s
vishadyoga. The closest English word to vishad is despair. Depression and crisis come
close too.
Krishna has not spoken a single word in the first chapter. And still the Gita calls
it a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. It is so very interesting that only Arjuna talks
and it is called a dialogue and not a monologue. How does Krishna’s presence make it a
dialogue? There are two things that come to mind. First, Arjuna is in despair; some sort
of crisis has happened, but there is some sort of reassurance that Krishna can make it
right. Arjuna has this trust in Krishna that he will guide him to the right path. Arjuna is
in a dilemma, but he believes that he will get the right directions from Krishna. This
deep trust allows Arjuna to express and act fully out of the core of his being. If some one
else was in his company, things might have been totally different.
Second issue has to do with how Krishna listens to what Arjuna has to say. We
are not aware of a total attention and being totally with a person. When Krishna is
listening to Arjuna, Krishna’s total being is present and attentive. This point has to be
mulled over. Most of us do five things at a time, and we feel proud of this quality. But,
then we are not able to give total attention to any one person. If you have been in the
company of an authentic Guru, you might have felt this phenomenon. Even for one
moment, if the presence is total, the effects are astounding. Words do not mean much in
these situations. When Vivekananda goes to Ram Krishna enquiring about God, it is this
total cosmic presence of Ram Krishna that sends Vivekananda in a trans. So, it appears
that all the talk is coming from Arjuna, but Krishna’s total presence is affecting every
word he is speaking. And that is why this chapter like every other chapter of Gita is a
dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna.
What I find more interesting is the fact that vishad can be a yoga. Really, can
vishad, despair, depression and crisis be yoga? Let us first analyze what yoga means.
Classically yoga means union. You get different answers as to what unites with what
depending on whom you talk to. So, I am going to be a little innovative here about that.
You do not have to agree with what I am going to conjecture. We all know that different
words are used in different times and that Sanskrit words usually have composite
meanings. The Sanskrit language has words that are like rainbow. Words like Dharma,
yoga, purna are some of them. Today we use the words like management, growth,
centering for what they used the word yoga in the past. There are zillion of growth
programs going on for stress management, relaxation and growth and what not. Yoga
believes that there is no growth without centering, and management is a byproduct of a
centering growth. In our previous column we have discussed how if a being moves
towards the center, it also goes higher on the vertical plane. When one grows on these
two planes as described, it has to reflect in what they do outside. Yoga does not talk
about performance, it does not talk about quality improvement and it does not address
how to reduce stress. It is not because yoga does not believe in these things. Yoga does
not address these because it knows that if you address the being, and the state of being
changes then the performance of the being will also change. The quality will also
improve and stress will not need to be managed; there will be no stress.
Now, our question comes back. Can vishad be yoga? The more I think of it the
more I feel that perhaps this is the best way to manage a crisis. If you really look at the
situation at the end of chapter I, it is quite dismal. There is a crisis inside of a crisis. War
is a crisis itself. The Pandavas and the Kauravas are at the beginning of a war. The
formalities have been completed. The war has been declared by blowing of the
concshells. And, Arjuna goes numb. He does not want to fight. He has put down his
bow and is prepared to die if that comes of it. How bad can it get? And the Bhagvadgita
says it is a yoga.
What makes it yoga? The view that Gita is presenting here is that every crisis has
a hidden opportunity for growth. A crisis has occurred. If you have come across a crisis,
you can relate to it as well. And who has not had a crisis of some sort or the other. Let
us start with a simple example. We were going on a vacation to the Caribbean. The
destination was St. Johns. The flight from Boston was late and we got to St. Thomas at
around 7 p.m. Our luggage did not make it. After completing the formalities, we took a
cab and went to the other side of the island to catch a ferry to cross to St. Johns. We ttok
some snacks and went on the ferry. All this time I was trying to figure out where our
hotel was on the St. Johns Island. No body seemed to know of the name. Yet here we
were about to cross and find the place. The others in the family, my wife Lekha, son
Amit and daughter Nivedita were busy working at the snacks. Every one was so tired. It
suddenly dawned on me that we may be on the wrong island, and so we were. We were
supposed to be on St. Johns in Antigua. Once I broke this news, there was a panic.
What, are we on the wrong island? was the question that came from every one. But it
was true. Suddenly every one had more energy and we all started working on what we
can make of the situation. We ended up having a great vacation on St. Thomas. It was a
minor crisis. But the noticeable point was the response, support and energy that a crisis
can create.
We all know what happened recently in the Kargil was between India and
Pakistan. As if India woke up. Yes a crisis does create opportunities, and here although
the situation at the end of the first chapter looks dismal, the writer sees a tremendous
opportunity for Arjuna. Arjuna is in a state of being as low as it can get for him. He is
shaking, he can’t hold on to his bow, but his receptivity is heightened. His awareness is
razor sharp. And above all, all this is happening in the presence of Krishna’s divine
presence. Arjuna has the choice of giving up or prepares himself for the battle. He is in a
dilemma. These are not theoretical discussions. This is real life. Things are right in his
face. He knows what the rest of the world was expecting of him. He had the hero image.
He could not just quit. His awareness is heightened, his readiness is still present and a
fresh look is possible. Arjuna is fully ready for a Kranti (revolution) to happen.
What happens in any crisis is that the comfort zone is lost. I have a friend and I
was talking to him recently. He was thirteen years old when his father died. Father was a
successful lawyer and did leave behind means to take care of his family. But his absence
created a crisis. My friend was saying how they had a totally different level of awareness
for several years that was so much needed to deal with that crisis. The comfort zone was
lost. There was no father figure for him and his brothers. Crisis is not hard to find. It
happens all around us. Sometimes it is a car accident and sometimes it is death in the
family. Sometimes one is fired from a job and sometimes a business goes bankrupt. We
live and die through multitude of crisis situations. And if you remember this first chapter
of Gita, then it is possible to see the opportunities and means for growth. There are some
sadhus and tapaswis that try to create a situation of crisis to have an increased awareness.
Fasting is a simple technique. When you are hungry, some parts of your body become
more aware. If you lie down on a bed of thorns, your total body awareness is heightened.
Yes, vishad can be an opportunity for growth. And this can only happen if you
can keep your awareness and alertness fully ready. Normally, when a crisis happens, we
loose our mind and create another crisis and so on. Why me? What did I do wrong in
my past life? God is angry with me. If we can get past these approaches, then anything
is possible. Even sky is not the limit. If you can keep your cool and deal with the crisis
as a situation and not as a problem, vishad can lead to yoga, it can become the path to
wards the center. Crisis is a situation. Crisis is easy to find and it can bring kranti in
ones life.
CHAPTER II
Relativity of right and wrong (2:01-2:03)
sanjaya uvaca
tam tatha krpayavistam
asru-purnakuleksanam
visidantam idam vakyam
uvaca madhusudanah
.
Sanjaya said: Seeing Arjuna full of kindness and very sorrowful, his eyes brimming
with tears, Madhusudana, Krsna, spoke the following words.
sri-bhagavan uvaca
kutas tva kasmalam idam
visame samupasthitam
anarya-justam asvargyam
akirti-karam arjuna
The Bhagavan said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you in
such a wrong time? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the progressive
values of life. They do not lead to higher planets, but to infamy.
klaibyam ma sma gamah partha

naitat tvayy upapadyate
ksudram hrdaya-daurbalyam
tyaktvottistha parantapa
O son of Prtha, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not become you.
Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O chastiser of the enemy.
Second chapter starts with the description of state of Arjuna. He is full of kindness and
tears in his eyes. We should remember that Krishna was against war when every one in
Pandava side including Arjuna were ready for war. Krishna even went himself to the
Kauravas to negotiate. He wanted the bare minimum in return. And, that did not
materialize; the war thus followed. Now the situation is that the war has been officially
declared and Arjuna’s love for peace takes over. Arjuna comes up with all the right logic
for not going to fight. It is very difficult to say that Arjuna is wrong on any of the points
he makes. Moreover, Arjuna is expecting Krishna to agree with him since Krishna had
been saying the same kind of wordings before the two sides gathered in the battlefield.
What is right and what is wrong is the question.
Sanjay is describing Arjuna’s state of being; he says that Arjuna is full of kindness.
Sanjay does not use the word compassion. This difference should be understood. For
kindness to happen there should be some one to feel kindness for. The other is required.
It is closer to the word pity. A rich person feels pity for a beggar and he gives him
money. A beggar is a requirement for the rich person to feel pity for. The other important
difference is that kindness and pity fulfill your ego, however subtle the ego may be. If it
makes you feel good, your ego has to be touched somewhere. It is easy to understand
that Duryodhana is full of ego because he wants the war and he is enjoying the whole
scene. It is harder to realize the ego of Arjuna, because he is talking the language of a
saint, a language of sacrifice. But, a deeper level this is still satisfying ego. We will
explore the equation of ego further as Gita progresses further. (verses). Compassion on
the other hand is an inner flowering and will be there even when there is nobody around.
Earlier on in the column in Duryodhana’s perspective I mentioned that Gita might be

viewed as a Shashtra of different perspectives. We have discussed Duryodhana’s and
Arjuna’s perspective. Now we are entering the perspectives of Krishna. Krishna does
not have one perspective; he has a multitude of perspectives. That is unique; it makes it
harder to really understand Krishna. By the time you grasp the perspective of Karma
yoga, he is talking about Gyan yoga and so on.
It is time for a prayer,

Not just in written words
But a song from the heart
For now I am at a loss
As to how I would be able to understand you
How can I interpret your words
And how can I truly convey your message
So, Krishna, Hey Bhagwan

Help me understand you
Help me describe your words
And help me express you to all
Help me help me help me
I will urge all readers to pray for me. The reason is simple. Sanjay calls it Bhagwan
speaks. Sanjay does not say Krishna speaks; he is deliberately using the word Bhagwan.
I feel that the only way I can try to explain Bhagwan’s words is if I have His compassion
and his company. I am truly convinced he is with us.
So, now let us try to understand what Sanjay means when he says Bhagwan uwach
(Bhagwan speaks). It is easier to understand by common example. I am a doctor. I
sometimes go and play golf and talk to players there. They see me as a person, Krishna
Bhatta. The same player has a medical problem and comes to see me in my office. What
does he say when he goes back and talks to his wife? He says to her, “The doctor said, I
should take it easy.” This is a simplistic example of a professional talking. Krishna has
been Arjuna’s friend for a long time and may have talked with him, played with him and
done many things together. He may have been just a true friend and talked to Arjuna as a
friend. But here in Gita when Krishna speaks, it is not just a friend talking it is the
Parmatma talking. And that is why Gita became Bhagvadgita (a song sung by Bhagwan).
Krishna starts at the base level. He starts at the level of Arjuna. Arjuna’s level is close to
our level. We all want to do what is right and not do what is wrong. Duryodhana thinks
he is right in fighting the war and Arjuna thinks he is right in abandoning the war. The
other thing we all want is to look good, be appreciated by others and go to heaven if there
is one.
Krishna does not say to Arjuna that he is wrong nor does he say that Arjuna is right.
Krishna does not even get in to any discussion with Arjuna regarding the points he raised.
He simply brings another dimension in the whole equation. This dimension is so
important, so practical and so simple. We have talked about how Simplicity is the
hallmark of Gita. This statement is so true here. Krishna says to Arjuna how the timing
is wrong. Timing is so important. The same logic that Arjuna is giving might have been
right when the effort for peace was going on and yet it is so wrong when the war is going
on.
If we understand this simple technique and importance of timing, we can lead our lives
much more effectively. This can be very useful in our day-to-day life. A child needs
guidance and help in growing up. He needs independence when he grows up. There are
many people who do not want to give the independence when it comes to the child
growing up. They still want to keep the control. Timing is important in politics, it is
important in war, it is important in office and it is important at home. Many of the
domestic struggles are nothing but wrong timing of right argumentative logic. Lekha my
wife has a simple technique that works all the time. When I am down or on a track of
being down, she will simply say why don’t you come out from where you are. It works.
There is no point trying to answer all the points that the mind raises, the main point is to
come out of that mode of being. It can be done easier than to satisfy an unsatisfiable
mind. Krishna is similarly asking Arjuna to get out of his state of being and arise to the
occasion.
All our actions and thinking happen in the realm of time. And as we know now time and
space are related, in fact time-space may be treated as one. Krishna starts making his
point in the domain of this time and space. Soon he will take Arjuna beyond the confines
of time and space. By bringing the time in the equation he has also slowed down the
momentum of Arjuna’s thought process. It is an important technique. Arjuna is
obviously on a wrong track. His mind is giving his all the supporting logic on the wrong
track. Krishna has to slow Arjuna down before he takes him on a different track.
Krishna also picks up on the subtle ego of Arjuna and further says that such an act is
unbecoming to Arjuna and that he would not go to heaven. Krishna appears to be talking
about mundane things but to me he is also preparing the grounds for further journey
where a take off would be appropriate.
In two simple verses, Krishna has decreased the momentum of Arjuna’s thought process,
touched his ego and brought in an important point of timing of thoughts. Rather than
talking about right and wrong, Krishna talks about right timing and wrong timing. We
can loosely call it relativity of right and wrong.
Is Ego Really Bad?

Before we go on further with the next set of shlokas, it is essential to understand
certain basic facts. We know that Gita is conversation between Krishna and Arjuna
(Krishnaarjunsamvad). This point has been highlighted at the end of each chapter of the
Bhagvadgita. We need to explore this further. Is it a conversation like a student has with
another student or is it a conversation between two prominent surgeons or two eminent
professors? Who is talking to whom? What is the stature of these two individuals? That
will give us some idea as to what was important for Arjuna.
But before we get into the question of stature of Arjuna and Krishna further we
need to know some basics of ego. Is ego necessarily bad? Why do we always talk about
dropping ego? Why do we emphasize Tyag (renunciation) so much? I have so far
resisted from getting into this topic, but it will be difficult to understand the next set of
Shlokas and the rest of Gita without first looking into this important point of ego. The
reason I resisted so far is because there is inherent danger in misinterpretation in what I
have to say. The words have limitations, and I have my limitations in the use of my
vocabulary. If I say that it is essential to develop ego to be able to drop it, someone can
tell his father that I am in the stage of developing my ego. What is wrong with that? I
will drop it one day when I am ready. In fact to be able to drop something you should
first have it. It is true but smart people can definitely get a meaning that suits them. If I
say that your ego is bad and you should drop iteven before you develop it then you do not
progress much in this world. Indifference may arise and then you have to pay the price
of Indifference. So let me start this column with a prayer of a Rishi in the Kaivalya
Upanishad. This is the first shloka of the Kaivalya Upanishad:
AUM
May the different limb of my body-my voice,
My nose, my eyes, my ears, and my strength,
And also all the other sense organs be nourished,
And become intelligent (Kavailya Upanishad)
The rishi (Saint) starts the Upanishad with fairly mundane aspects of life. He asks
his senses to be strong, he is asking for nourishment of his senses and he asks for his
senses to be intelligent. These are in so much contrast to what we ask for and teach.
When we go on a spiritual journey we start with giving up, we talk about how ego and
desires need to be dropped.
What is in a name? We are all born without any identity. A name is given to us
and we grow up with and around that name. Eventually that name becomes our identity.
We leave home and start going to school. The comfort of home is lost, a new set of
friends develop in the early school. A bond starts developing with peers that are outside
of our home. Then there is the high school and then the college and so on. In the process
there may be relocation to different places, which is related to movements of the parents.
I spent a year in class 8 in Bangalore in India away from my home Ara in Bihar. One
year later we moved. I had so much attachment developed with that city and some of the
colleagues there. For many years I used to imagine and dream that one-day I will meet
those friends somewhere in Timbuktu and have a good time. I still cherish those
moments and memories. My parents did not even know what was going on with me.
They had their own agenda and aspirations to take care of. It is important to realize that
all these years as you move on from home to school to high school to college, something
has been being dropped. When you go to high school you drop the primary school, when
you go to college, the high school is dropped. If you never left home there is nothing to
drop.
Let us try to take it one step further. You are out of College and are working in
real life. Now you are applying the knowledge you gained from the school and college in
real life. You are gaining experience. The college has been dropped now. You may still
read but by and large this is your past time or reference reading. The books have been
dropped too. That does not mean that the schools, colleges and the books have lost their
meaning. They should not be thrown in trash. They are still valuable and they still have
a role. They are not trash; they are not bad.
I went to Patna Medical School and did my MBBS after which I stayed there and
finished Masters of Surgery (M.S). Then I came to England. I had developed quite a bit
of ego of being not only a doctor but a surgeon too. I knew the core books of surgery and
was pretty proud of myself. One day I was assisting a consultant surgeon and I kind of
pointed out to him that the surgical test book says differently than what he was doing. I
felt that the surgeon, Mr. Gibbins (In England once you do FRCS and become a surgeon,
you are called Mr.) would explain to me why he was doing it differently. I also expected
some appreciation of my knowledge of the books. Instead I was shocked with his reply.
He paused for a moment, looked at me and simply said, “Dr. Bhatta, I stopped reading
text books 20 years ago.” I do not know if he meant it or not, but there is a time you have
to drop you attachment to books. The surgical textbook is still important, but not in the
same way as it is for a medical student. This needs some close examination. We need to
understand the source of these books. The sources of these textbooks are surgeons. You
cannot create anything new if you are not prepared to drop your attachment with these
books. You need to have them, you need to read them, but you do not need to be
enslaved by them. A tyag is needed to stop being dependent on these books. Then a new
can flow out of you. Inventions are then possible. You then become the source for these
books.
So far so good. It is easy to understand tyag or dropping or letting go of your

school to go to college and you can also understand dropping of the books to become the
source. It gets a little harder when you start talking about dropping of scriptures. You
can imagine what will be the reaction be if you ask a Christian to drop Bible, or ask a
Moslem to drop Koran or ask a Sikh to drop the Granth Saheb or ask a Hindu to drop the
Vedas. The attachment here is not only of the individual but there is a group attachment
as well. The attachment goes still deeper and also transcends the time-space of an
individual. The roots are quite deep. How can you drop these deep roots?
We come back to Arjuna and Krishna. Arjuna is conversing with Krishna. He

has been to school, college and has graduated from the highest possible school of
education of his times. He has read the Vedas, has achieved the heights of archery and is
a lion heart of his times. He is at the pinnacle of his fame. He is talking to Krishna who
is a long time friend and buddy. Krishna is equally qualified and more. Arjuna respects
his friend Krishna but does not really know the extent of this ‘more.’
What is this ‘more?’ Krishna is manifest as a person with a human face and a
human body. But, he represents the cosmos. He is the whole Ocean contained inside a
drop. The drop may appear to have boundaries and limitations, but in Krishna’s case it is
vaster than the Ocean. This is what I would call the Krishnafield Krishna is unique.
There is a qualitative difference between Krishna and others. This is important to realize.
Einstein was a great scientist. He was genius. His contribution was tremendous. Yet the
difference between a regular physicist and an Einstein is quantitative. It can be
measured. The thought patterns are essentially the same. The brain may have certain
parts more developed. In fact, recently I happened to see the difference in the brain of
Einstein and a regular scientist. Certain parts of the brain near the temporal lobe in
Einstein’s case were larger and more developed. In case of Krishna or Buddha it is not
merely a difference of size but of the entire vision. They have a totally different vision, a
holistic vision of perfect clarity, and a vision from the state of no mind.
Arjuna starts by showing off his knowledge. His ego is quite refined and subtle.
Arjuna is willing to die rather than kill. And he is waiting for Krishna to agree with him.
How can Krishna not agree with his arguments, which are rooted in the Sahshtras and
high moral standards? Arjuna must have been shocked with the reply of Krishna (2:1-2:2
last column). He is in for more shock in the coming shlokas.
The Vedas have a source too. We believe they came directly from the Parmatma.
The problem arises when Parmatma is right in front of you in the form of Krishna.
Krishna is sooner or later going to tell Arjuna to drop his knowledge, including the
knowledge of the shashtras like those of Vedas. That will not mean that those books are
useless, it simply means that when you reach the source, you do not need the books. Any
book has limitations; the limitations are not of the book, but that of written or spoken
words. Certain experiences cannot be expressed through medium of words, you have to
experience it, and for that the attachments of the books or scriptures have to be dropped.
It gets more interesting and intriguing. We talked about attachments to books.

Let us talk about attachment to beings. It is easy to understand when a child drops
playing with toys as he grows up. They (the toys) are not alive to the child any more. He
knows that they are just toys. As we grow up and move we drop our old friends and
folks. Some of them are far away and some of them are dead. The attachments linger
and the memories survive. And if you meet them 20 years later, every thing comes alive.
It is another matter if you have to fight then in an election. You can deal with that but
what Arjuna is facing in the war of Mahabharata is chilling. He has to fight them and
possibly kill them. These are his Gurus, his friends and his relatives. We will analyze it
further later. But, I would like to mention here that the closer the attachment, the intense
the situation the harder it becomes for us to understand Tyag (dropping or letting go).
It is important to realize that there is need to develop the ego before you can
decide to drop it. You need a name for identity. You need to get contemporary
education and be the best you can be. Then you can talk about dropping your ego to go
further in your life. Tyag (dropping) usually happens it is not an active process. When
you go to College you do not drop School, the school drops and you move on. Ego can
become subtle and there is need to realize it. Arjuna’s problem is not so much how he
will kill his Gurus but more so with the fact that how can Arjuna who is so nice think of
killing his Guru. Krishna is going to deal with all this later in the Bhagvadgita.
We have the custom of Durga puja and Saraswati puja in our country. We make
these beautiful murthis (statues), decorate them and worship them with develop so much
attachment to them over a course of few days. And then, we immerse them in water and
move on. Ego and attachment development is part of our lives, dropping happens when
you want to go further. The last thing to drop is of course your attachment to yourself.
Even the desire to go further has to be dropped. Once you drop this, the forces of Grace
and here the forces of Krishna start working on you and you are lifted up.
When a Dr. Rao or Mr. Patel (computer engineer) leave his home in India and
goes to the U.K. or USA, we feel he is going to a place. We do not see him leaving
home, he is not a Tyagi; he is not renouncing anything. What he is going for is in our
grasp. He will become a famous doctor or will become a famous dot.com company
owner. We can still be proud of his achievements, achievements we can measure with
our criterion. When a Gautam Siddhartha leaves his palace and goes in search of truth
we see what he is leaving. We can see what he is leaving because we can measure that
with our measuring tools and standards. We cannot see what he is going for. We
definitely do not see what he achieved; when he attains Buddhahood there is nothing to
show for in our eyes. But, for him he lost nothing and gained everything. Tyag is
obvious to us; what Buddha obtains is not.
Let me end this column with another shloka from the Upanishad:
AUM
Shrotrasya shrotram manaso mano yad
Vaacham sa uu pranasya pranah
Chakshushashchakshuratimuchya dheegah
Pretyasmaallokaadamritaa bhavanti
It is the Ear of the ear, the Mind of the mind,

The tongue of the tongue, and also Life of life
And Eye of the eye.
Having abandoned the sense of Self or ‘I-ness in these

And rising above sense life,
The Wise becomes immortal (Talvakaropanishada)
Ego, Image and Value sytem (2:04-2:09)
arjuna uvaca
katham bhismam aham sankhye
dronam ca madhusudana
isubhih pratiyotsyami
pujarhav ari-sudana
Arjuna said: O killer of Madhu [Krsna], how can I counterattack with arrows in
battle men like Bhisma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship? ||2:4||
gurun ahatva hi mahanubhavan

sreyo bhoktum bhaiksyam apiha loke
hatvartha-kamams tu gurun ihaiva
bhunjiya bhogan rudhira-pradigdhan
It is better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost of the lives of
great souls who are my teachers. Even though they are avaricious, they are
nonetheless superiors. If they are killed, our spoils will be tainted with blood. ||
2:5||
na caitad vidmah kataran no gariyo
yad va jayema yadi va no jayeyuh
yan eva hatva na jijivisamas
te 'vasthitah pramukhe dhartarastrah
Nor do we know which is better--conquering them or being conquered by them.

The sons of Dhrtarastra, whom if we kill we should not care to live, are now
standing before us on this battlefield. ||2:6||
karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah
prcchami tvam dharma-sammudha-cetah
yac chreyah syan niscitam bruhi tan me
sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam
Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of
weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me.
Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me. ||
2:7||
na hi prapasyami mamapanudyad
yac chokam ucchosanam indriyanam
avapya bhumav asapatnam rddham
rajyam suranam api cadhipatyam
I can find no means to drive away this grief, which is drying up my senses. I will
not be able to destroy it even if I win an unrivaled kingdom on earth with
sovereignty like the demigods in heaven. ||2:8||
sanjaya uvaca
evam uktva hrsikesam
gudakesah parantapah
na yotsya iti govindam
uktva tusnim babhuva ha
Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus, Arjuna, chastiser of enemies, told Krsna,
"Govinda, I shall not fight," and fell silent. ||2:9||
------------------------------------------------------------
The war has been declared. Arjuna is affected deeply by the possibility of
impending death of his loved ones and narrates to Krishna why he does not want
to fight. He talks with command and confidence. Krishna, on the other hand, has
a very affectionate yet very blunt reply to all what Arjuna had to say. As we noted
already, Krishna’s reply was short and precise. Krishna pointed out that Arjuna’s
timing was wrong; he further says that this line of thinking and action does not
befit him, will not take him to heaven and may be downright disgraceful for
Arjuna. He asks Arjuna to give up coward like thinking and arise for the occasion
and fight.
We examined developing of ego in the last column,Is Ego really bad. Let us
examine it a little further to understand image building and developing value
system. We are given a name when we are born. Arjuna got a name and so did
Duryodhana. They went to schooling and training. While learning they also
interacted together. While one person’s ego was building there were other
individuals whose ego was developing as well. Everyone is getting identified with
his or her achievements and failures. A net image of an individual is thus created.
The society develops an image about such a person and the individual develops
somewhat similar image about himself as well. While Arjuna is developing his
image Karna is also developing his own image. Arjuna is son of Indra and Karna
is son of Sun. They are both awesome warriors. Karna is famous for giving;
Arjuna is famous for his righteousness.
Who can better understand anything about image building more than the people
of today? Image building is a big industry today. There are professionals who will
train you how to look authentic on a television appearance. These image-building
professionals advise all the presidential election in the USA and the
parliamentary elections in India. There is also the development of collective
images. India has its own image and Australia its own. Pandavas had one
image while Kauravas had another
While several people are developing the ego of their own and creating different
images, conflicts are bound to happen. To deal with this every society down the
ages has developed value system. Dharma is one such value system. When
there is conflict there are ways and means for resolution. If there is no agreement
on resolution then there is war.
Image in some ways is collective ego added to an individual’s identity over

time. Interestingly, when two individuals meet, there is never a meeting of the
two beings; it is the images of the two people with two different value systems
that meet. As if they both are wearing a mask. The real person is kind of
unknown not only to the onlookers but also to the individuals themselves. The
mask has become the reality. When Arjuna meets Duryodhana they both meet
with a baggage of images and their different value systems. Similarly when two
countries meet they meet with a similar baggage of images + values.
Krishna is a different story. He does not have any ego or any image about
himself. Others have an image about him; many believed he was Parmatma
himself. But, even Krishna operates within the framework of that image. He
goes to Duryodhana with a peace proposal knowing fully well that Duryodhana
will not accept his proposal. Krishna mentions the reason for this to Draupadi in a
conversation where he tells her that he has to do it because others down in the
history will accuse Krishna of not having tried for peace before the war broke out.
We all have an image of ourselves of who and what we are. Arjuna also had an
image of himself; he must have been right to think that he was a nice man, a man
who respected the elders, Gurus and the Shastras; he was intelligent and an
awesome warrior. Arjuna always operated within the framework of Dharma.
Arjuna would never have thought himself to be anywhere close to being a
coward; instead he was the brave heart of his times. If we can see that Arjuna,
then we can understand how shocked he must have been with the reply of
Krishna To understand the current shlokas and the Gita as a whole we have to
not only understand what Arjuna is saying but also experience Arjuna’s pain, his
anguish, his despondency and his despair.
Arjuna is stunned by Krishna’s reply. It has certainly made him think again. The
momentum of his thought process is definitely stalling. But, still Arjuna’s intellect
has been hurt; his pride, however subtle, has been touched. His mind in the
background is wondering if there is truth in what Krishna is saying. After all he
had great respect for his long time friend Krishna and Krishna had never said
anything in the past that has not been true.
Krishna had mentioned that the timing of Arjuna’s thinking was wrong. Arjuna
questions that by saying that there are some principles that are outside of the
realm of relativity of right and wrong. A Guru in his times and even today is
revered, respected and killing a Guru is unthinkable. There is no right and wrong
timing for this thinking pattern. You do not kill a respectable Guru. Arjuna is
saying that it won’t be worth living after he kills respectable grandfather Bhisma
and Guru Dronacharya. How Krishna deals with this will be discussed in future
columns. Let me say here that the plane of discussion will change.
Arjuna then picks up the point of coward like action (2:7). He is definitely hurt by
that statement. Who will not be? How can anyone even imagine Arjuna to be a
coward? He had won Draupadi in a competition. He had single handedly
defeated the Kauravas in battle at the end of guptavas, he had fought valiantly
with the gandharvas to protect the Kauravas and had even fought bravely with
Shiva himself. Arjuna considered himself beyond even the shadow of a coward
like action and hence takes a special note to mention that he is not thinking like a
coward or acting like one; he is just confused about what his Dharma should be.
In the same shloka Arjuna appears to be surrendering to Krishna calling upon

Krishna to guide him to do the right thing. Krishna has already asked Arjuna to
arise for the occasion and fight (2:3), but it appears that Arjuna did not hear that
part. I am not questioning the sincerity of Arjuna in this shloka, but at the same
time it is obvious that Arjuna is not surrendered as yet to Krishna. If he were,
then this would have been the end of Gita. There is no need to go any further.
We have examined the difference between curiosity and inquiry in our earlier
column, To kill or not to kill. Surrendering is another entity that needs to be
appreciated. Surrendering is a quality of the heart; when surrendering happens
no questions arise. Arjuna still has many questions. He is looking for answers.
This shloka is symbolizing the deep inquiry of Arjuna; he wants clarity and knows
that Krishna is the only one who can take him to the place of clarity. Arjuna
knows that only Krishna can quench his thirst of knowledge that will bring him to
a state of being that will have no doubts as to what he needs to do. He will get
his answers and in the process he will be able to surrender and reach a point
when he will have no more questions. A simple prayer is all that remains when
one is truly surrendered.
The next shloka is so beautiful. It deals with the basic question and that is, “Can
desires be fulfilled.” Arjuna is saying that even if he is the ruler of the entire earth
and heaven, his sense of despair will not be satisfied. Arjuna is unaware of the
fact that desires can never be satisfied. No sooner than one desire is satisfied,
another one arises. You want to own a blue Mercedes. As long as you do not
have it, it has great value and meaning. You call your Mercedes garage every
day as to when it is being delivered. The first day it comes on your door, you are
so happy. After a few days, it is business as usual. For motorboats there is a
saying and that is you are happy twice, “once when you buy it and the second
time when you sell it.” Desires can never be fulfilled. And that is the problem. We
go on believing that happiness comes from fulfilling desires and desires can
never be fulfilled. So, what is the way? We will get into the whole topic in later
columns.
We also need to understand here that we are actually slaves of our desires as
expressed by the indriyas (senses) and the sad part is that most of us do not
know it. We feel that we are the source of what we do. When I am sad or
depressed, I rationalize it by giving a reason for the depression. I do not
acknowledge that grief, sadness and depression have their own existence and
there is very little I can do to change that. Let us examine that a little further.
Someone is going through a divorce. The wife is unhappy or found out that she
married the wrong man. In the beginning you go through a phase of denial. You
think you will patch up. But then the patch up does not work. A sense of grief and
despair follows and you get depressed. The divorce goes through and in time
you find a new wife and are happy ever after. The question is that could you have
changed your feelings at any stage of this progression? We accept all these
responses to be normal, but at the same time when the depression comes, you
are actually enslaved by that. You cannot simply come out of it. There are
techniques to come out of such a place and we shall explore those later. For the
starter, one must first recognize where he stands. And that is what Arjuna is
saying to Krishna. He is admitting the state of being where he is stuck at present.
He is recognizing that unless he comes out of this dark place, he wont be able to
act appropriately and until then he wont be able to fight. In the ninth shloka he
makes it very clear that he is not going to fight. Arjuna knows that as long he is
enslaved by his indriyas (senses) regarding this despair, he is in no state to be
able to fight and hence he declares to Krishna that he has decided not to fight.
Arjuna has raised some questions and is asking Krishna to guide him like a
Guru and then admits that he is enslaved by his indriyas (senses) and
cannot fight as he is. Although, Arjuna seems to have decided not to fight,
he has opened himself for further guidance from Krishna.
===========================================
Dear Dr.Krishna Bhatta,

Every time you write on Bhagavad-Gita, I learn a little more than what I know. and I
have already confessed that what I do know is precious little. The shlokas you have
chosen and the conclusions and surmises that you have drawn from them reveal a totally
fascinating aspect, which I had not noticed earlier. Nor have I come across this line of
thinking earlier. After reading your conclusions however I do have to agree that these
conclusions can also be drawn. Your exposition is yet another proof to the fact that
Bhagavad Gita is a bottomless ocean of knowledge and wisdom. Every time you take a
dip you know more and it is different and relevant. Please keep up the good work.
Santhanagopal
Student of Indias Ageless Heritage &
Philosophy. email;santhanam68@yahoo.com
Mumbai 400 007

India.
Phone 3634462
Dharma = Value system of the Maya-space
I was visiting India recently and I met a scholar friend Bharat Bhushan Pandey in
Ara (my hometown). He mentioned to me that in Purva Mimansha there is this mention
of “Athato Dharma jigyasa (Now the desire to know Dharma).” Much, much later came
the sutra of Vadnarayna which says, “Athato Brahma Jigyasa (Now the desire to know
Brahmma).”
Before we get further in Gita, we need to develop some understanding about the
concept of Dharma. Dharma is a word with multiple meanings and it depends upon
which context it is used in. However, we will explore here what Dharma means in most
contexts.
In the last column we explored the concept of Maya and how it really is a network
of ego systems. For further understanding we will examine three words, cyberspace,
mayaspace and brahmaspace. Cyberspace actually belongs to the mayaspace but I am
bringing it here to develop the understanding of the other spaces. Cyberspace is a new
happening to our society. Suddenly everyone is on the Internet using email for
communication and e-commerce for trading. With all this activity there comes the
problems, the problems of viruses, the problems of cyber pornography and the problems
of security. A value system of what is right and wrong and how to deal with it has to be
developed.
Similarly, there are the problems of mayaspace. It is not only the network of ego
system of one individual human being; it is a network of ego system of multiple beings,
societies, nations and the whole lot. This mayaspace does not only deal with what we
see, but also what we do not see. It includes the journey from life to life. Anything that
has an element of I-ness is included. This mayaspace includes the physical beings and
also expands to the incorporeal beings, be it gods, or be it pretas. A value system for
sustenance of this mayaspace has to be developed, was developed and is called Dharma.
This has to be deeply understood. When the Vedas talk about how to develop together as
given below, they are still talking about the mayaspace.
Common be our prayer, common be our purpose, and common be our

desires. We offer each other our gifts. Common be our intentions,
common be our wishes, and common be our thoughts. May there be
unity among us. Come let us grow together."
Rig Veda, 10.12.40
This word maya (which is translated in English as illusion) has created a lot of problems
in understanding of the whole eastern concepts. Many people use this word to create
some sort of indifference in their life. If the whole world is illusion then why bother
living life fully. This world is not real. The real is atma and so let us talk about atma and
Parmatma and forget about our unreal life. This gives the notion that Indian thinking is
negative. This of course is far from truth. Let us explore it a little further. You are
walking in a desert. The temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Life is tough. You are
sweating, have limited supply of water and you have miles to go. Tired and exhausted
you see a tree. You run there with whatever limited energy you have and lie down under
the shadow of the tree. The shadow is cool, there is this mild lovely breeze and you fall
asleep. You then get up refreshed and are ready to proceed further. The shadow of the
tree is not real. The tree is real but the shadow is not. If there is no tree there is no
shadow. In the views of mayaspace even the tree is not real. But, one thing is sure and
that is you got relief in the shadow. We can also see it slightly differently and that is
shadow is real and the tree is more real than the shadow. The shadow has a value and so
does Maya.
Yes mayaspace is a valuable space. No one will ever know the existence of the
Brahmaspace unless he or she has been through the mayaspace. This is crucial to
understand for everyone who trivializes the mayaspace. The physical body is necessary
to grow to the Brahma-space. The journey cannot be accomplished with the incorporeal
being, even the devas have to take the form of a physical body to accomplish their
journey to the Brahma-space. The means of the mayaspace are Dharma (the value
system), artha (economic system) kama (the desire system) and moksha (growth system).
The dynamic part underlying all this four means is the Karma yoga. We will explore all
these as we progress further in Gita.
Bhagavadgita starts with these words:
Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre…….
The place where the Dharma yudha (the war with the value system) is going to take place
in the area where Dharma is to be upheld and it will be achieved by Karma in an area
where the soldiers have to do what they know best, fight. Yudhisthir is known as
Dharmaraj, he knew all the details of the value system of those times and hence he was
termed Dharmaraj; he not only knew the details but also followed it to the fullest.
Sometimes, value systems (dharma here) can become bondage as well. Yudhisthir had
such a trouble when he had to announce to Dronacharya that an Elephant named
Aswathama (also name of Guru Drona’s son) has been killed. Krishna did not have so
much trouble here because he saw further than what Yudhisthir could see. He saw the
need of Dronacharya being out of the way which is going to help re-establish the
Dharma. Krishna in Gita later on says himself:
Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavati bharata………….

I will come back whenever there is the downfall of dharma for the sake of re-
establishing the Dharma…………….
It is important for us to understand this Mayaspace and its value system Dharma before
we go further. Krishna is going to talk from different levels. One moment he talks about
the Brahmaspace and the next moment he comes back to the mayaspace. When he says
that no weapon can penetrate the atma he is talking from outside of the mayaspace, but
when he says to Arjuna to arise and fight like a Kshatriya (soldier), he is talking about the
mayspace. Krishna is going to shuttle back and forth from one space to the other. He has
no choice. He knows both sides and he is going to talk about what he knows. We are so
lucky that we heave this Gita with us. Let us use it as a bridge to understand the two
important spaces. Mayaspace is important; it is the only means to get to the
Brahmaspace. Whether you talk about vishad yoga, gyan yoga or karma yoga, you are
still in the mayaspace. Any language belongs to the maya loka; silence is the language of
the Brama loka; Aum is the soundless sound that pervades the Brahma loka.
Hari Om Tat Sat
Maya=Network of Ego (2:10)
tam uvaca hrsikesah

prahasann iva bharata
visidantam, idam vacah
O descendant of Bharata, at that time Krsna, smiling, in the midst of both the
armies, spoke the following words to the grief-stricken Arjuna.||2:10||
Pandavas and Kauravas are facing each other in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Both
sides have declared the war by blowing of their respective concshells. And, at this stage
Arjuna comes to a definite decision that he is not going to fight. Situation is pretty grim
for the Pandavas. Krishna is on their side and he simply smiles.
Why did Krishna smile will always remain a mystery? There can be many speculations,
but why did he really smile, to my understanding, will remain a question. Therefore,
instead of pretending that I know why Krishna smiled I am going to propose more than
one reason he could have smiled. There may be many more reasons that I do not know,
but one thing is sure that now Krishna is about to take the conversation on a different
plane. A friend of ours, Padmakant Khambati, who has aired the Gita on a Houston radio
station more than once, believes that the real Bhagavadgita starts after this smile. His
view is base not only on what he feelas and thinks but is also substantiated by Adi Guru
Shankaracharya’s and Swami Ramanujacharya’s interpretations.
But before we get into our speculations about the smile, let us examine if a smile or even
laughter in the situation of crisis, can help. May be it will lighten the whole conversation.
May be it will allow little time to think by giving a break in the intensity of the gravity of
the situation. A break in the momentum of the thought process is sometimes very
important. May be during that break the answer is going to be revealed. My feeling is
that a smile in a desperate situation can be very healthy and also very helpful. The only
way to find that out is to practice it. Try to smile when all your chips are down. Take a
break, however momentary it may be, and see if that works for you. I must say it works
for me. The only problem I have faced is that other people around sometimes do not like
it. They seem to say, “It is not funny, and you should not be laughing.” I usually smile
again and say to them showing my sincerity and seriousness that I am not laughing
because it is funny.
Was Krishna being sarcastic to Arjuna? A better question is, Could Krishna be sarcastic?
I do not believe so. He loved Arjuna as a long time friend. Krishna knew Arjuna very
well. If it were a conversation with anyone else, I would believe that sarcasm might be a
factor. But, Krishna being sarcastic goes against his own teaching. I think that Krishna
can only be a realist. It should be really understood very well. When Krishna says to
Arjuna that:
Sarva Dharman Parityjya mamekam sharanam vraja
Leave all other paths and come to me.
He is not being egoistic. If his smile and the following shloka are interpreted as sarcastic
then the above shloka can be interpreted as egoistic. No, Krishna is beyond sarcasm and
is certainly beyond ego, and that is what he is trying to teach. But he has to be a realist.
When Krishna smiles, he just smiles. When Krishna says that he is the ultimate, he is the
ultimate. There is no need to impose our values on Krishna.
Did Krishna smile because he could see what is happening to Arjuna? Let us see what
really is happening to Arjuna. His mind is wavering. At one time he mentions that he is
surrendered to Krishna and wants Krishna to guide him as a Guru and two shlokas later
he declares that he definitely is not going to fight. That was his final decision. Arjuna
does not have the clarity. Krishna can see that much clearer than what I can describe here
and this definitely is worth the smile.
Krishna perhaps could see a little deeper as to what was happening to Arjuna. Arjuna’s
love for his friends and relatives got very intense. As if Arjuna’s whole being has been
abducted by this desire. Duryodhan’s being has been abducted by his desire for the
kingdom; Arjuna’s being has been hijacked by the desire of saving the lives of his dear
ones. This again is worth the smile.
Krishna also knows not only what is going on with Arjuna but also what is going on
overall. If I have to speculate the reason of Krishna’s smile, I would like to think that his
smile had nothing to do with Arjuna’s statement. We have used an interesting adjective
to Krishna’s life. There is no autobiography of Krishna. There is no life story of
Krishna. Actually, we call his life story Krishna Leela. It was just a drama on a stage.
Krishna was just acting out.
And who else could understand the theory of Maya more than Krishna? Krishna smiles
at this whole Maya that was going on at the time. To Krishna every thing was a drama on
a stage. And, Krishna definitely took his role very seriously. For others it was a question
of life and death. For Krishna, what is life and what is death. He knows what is life and
what is death, and that explanation follows his smile.
There are differences in view points as to where did Gita really start, 2:11 or 2:12. I can
say it started from 2:10 but does it matter. The real issue is when does Gita start in our
lives? When do we start practicing the techniques outlined by Krishna? When does Gita
start flowing for us?
So, what is Maya? We examined development and dropping of ego in our column, ‘Is
Ego really bad.’ We also looked briefly into image building and value system. Here we
will try to understand what is Maya. To understand Tyag (renunciation) we have to
understand the dropping of ego, to understand Maya we need to understand the
accumulation and holding on to the ego. When we say Sansar (the world) is Maya
(illusion), whose Sansar are we talking about? We are not talking about the trees and the
rivers and the Oceans of the world. We are talking about the network of ego that an
individual has developed and calls it his own, that is his Sansar, and that is Maya.
When you are born, you get a name. This name becomes you and you start accumulating
a range of ego around this name. You leave your home and go to school. You drop your
school and go to college. And then you go to start work in a corporation. Perhaps you
leave yur country to go to another country to work. You have dropped your house, your
shchool, your college and your country to get to where you are. But, you still call it your
home, your school and so forth. The attachment is still there. The feeling that it is your
hometown is still there. You have created a network around you and so has every one
else. The trees grow, the rivers flow, the sun shines and the birds chirp. They are all
natural. They are unaware of what ego is, leave alone the network of ego. A man is a
different story. He builds this network of the ego system. When he dies, the network is
suddenly gone from him. The dead man is gone but we still keep our network with him
going. My father is dead. His sansar is gone but we cling on to him with our network of
ego system. Man is born again and starts building another fresh network and life
continues. The nature has this mechanism whereby; the memory of the network of one
life is not carried at conscious level to the other life.
The network is not only individual but also social. I used to live in my small village
Balbandh in Bihar. The ego system of my village, now looking from outside, was
amazing. The village has small sections called tolas. And people from these different
tolas were and to some extent still are willing to kill each other for some trivial matter.
They are not rich economically but are very rich in collection of their ego. Let me make
it clear that I am not saying that ego system and value system are bad or good. I am
examining as they are. This has to be understood. Once you can stand outside, you can
see the network. Once you can see the network, you can still live within the framework
of the network, but a certain clarity will be there. We shall be examining that clarity
further as we go deeper in the Gita.
You go on the cyberspace. You use it and then switch the computer off. The space is
still there. Millions of people are accessing it and using it. But, you can still be outside
of it. Network of ego that we call Maya can be taken similarly for understanding
purposes. The question is, “Can you stand outside of this network?” The answers
including the techniques are there in Gita and we shall explore it as we go along. But
surely, when I go to my village now and see those tolas talking about their what I feel as
petty matters, I can smile too. That is in no way sarcasm or an insult to them. My
horizons have widened, I have seen more of the world and I can see them from outside. I
am not as involved as they are. If you are in it, you cannot see it. You have to be
standing outside of it to be able to see it.
Krishna is always standing outside of the network of Ego. He can see the whole picture.
If you are inside a house and look from a window on the east side you can see the sun
rising while if you look from a window in the west you can see shadows. Krishna is
standing outside on the peak of the mountain. And he can smile on what he sees.
Krishna is going to take Arjuna out from the house and bring him on this peak. We shall
try to follow the happenings in our future columns.
The Turning Point (2:11)

sri-bhagavan uvaca
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for
what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor
the dead.||2:11||
------------------------------------------------------------
Arjuna is gripped with grief. He cannot hold on to his Gandiva (bow) and he has
tears in his eyes. He surrenders to Krishna to guide him through and admits that
he is in no state to fight the war. Krishna had tried to tell Arjuna that his timing
was wrong but this did not convince Arjuna at all. He came in with a counter
argument about how can killing respected ones like Bhishma Pitamah and Guru
Dronacharya be considered wrong or right timing. According to the shashtras
killing of Guru is wrong and it has nothing to do with time. I must say this
argument is quite strong.
Krishna was blunt then when he said about the timing issue (covered in my
article, “relativity of right and wrong”) and comes out more blunt this time when
he says to Arjuna that his whole line of thinking is wrong. Arjuna is disturbed with
possibility of killing his loved ones and Krishna comes out, smiles and says that
Arjuna, you are on the wrong track. In one sentence (asocyan anvasocas
tvam) Krishna discounts all the arguments that Arjuna has presented so far
not forgetting that Krishna does not console Arjuna about the grief he is
going through. This is a very brave step.
There is difference between being blunt and straightforward and being rude and
sarcastic. To my opinion Krishna is not rude to Arjuna and neither is he sarcastic.
He is not chastising Artjuna either as expressed by Prabhupad in his version of
Gita As It is. Being blunt and firm is sometimes necessary in our day-to-day life. It
often is harder to do this than just to say things that satisfy the ego of the other
person. A great love and compassion is needed to be able to be so
straightforward. You can remember this from your life too. Most of the times you
are politically correct at work and do not bother getting into a conflict. You do not
risk saying what you mean. But you may be a different person at home with your
son. You will call a spade a spade when it comes to your son whom you
love dearly. Krishna has been a long time friend of Arjuna and he loves the guy
and therefore he can be so firm with him in this moment in time. Krishna wants to
stop the thought process of Arjuna’s mind and is in the process of replacing
Arjuna’s thought process with his own. Krishna is going to take Arjuna on a
different tract.
What follows is still harsher a statement than the ones so far. He tells Arjuna that
he is on the wrong track and is talking like an expert (prajna-vadams ca bhasase)
in that field. Arjuna has taken a stand that he is not going to fight and then
requests Krishna to guide him. Arjuna is hoping that Krishna will agree
with his stand. Arjuna is talking like a pundit, he is quoting shashtras to
support his stand. This is so significant. Arjuna is quoting shashtras to
Krishna who is the very source of all the shashtras. Krishna had to smile
on this contradictory statement and stand of Arjuna. What Arjuna did then is
done by all of us most of the time. We take our stand and then rationalize it by
quoting from one shashtra or the other. It is interesting to note that we as
docotors often see patients that do this as well. There are many patients who go
to the internet and acquire a great deal of information about their illness. And
then the person will make up his mind as to what the treatment should be for his
illness. The next step is to do doctor shopping and find the one who agrees with
him. I had one patient recently who was diagnosed with prostate cancer two
years ago and since has seen three urologists who have all advised him to have
a treatment. But, he is still looking for someone to tell him that he does not need
any treatment. He is taking all the information that he has gathered and is trying
to find support for what he has already decided. Me or any doctor has to smile
and be firm with such a patient to be able to provide him with the correct
treatment.
There are enough information in our shashtras that you can find support for any
stand you take. And in Krishna’s view, Arjuna is doing just that. The problem is
that it is not going to work with Krishna. Krishna can see right through to the core
of Arjuna’s being, and he is going to work on the being and is simply going to
ignore the Arjuna’s spoken words.
It must have been very hard for Arjuna to take it. In just two simple yet blunt and
harsh sentences Krishna turns the whole argument to a different track. This to
me is the turning point in the Gita and from here on it is the poetry of
Parmatma, the gita from the Bhagawan and hence it is appropriately called
Bhagvadgita.
So what is Krishna referring to when he says to Arjuna that he is on the wrong

thinking track. Arjuna is concerned about death; death of his loved ones. His
whole state of being is affected by the possibility of impending death of his
friends, relatives and respected ones, for which he may be responsible. When he
is talking about death of others, I am sure the possibility of his own death must
have crossed his mind. If he believes that Drona or Bhishma could be killed, he
must believe by default that Arjuna could be killed as well. The root cause of the
thinking process of Arjuna is the fear of Death. We shall explore this in our next
column, "Fear of Death."
Krishna is saying to Arjuna that the thinking about death is the wrong
thinking because no one really dies. Death of the essence in Bhishma or
Drona or anyone else is not possible. Krishna is changing the whole focus of
thinking. He is going to talk about life, about the life energy and convince Arjuna
that no one can ever be killed. When Bhishma’s body dies the essence in
Bhishma (Atma) lives on. Krishna is going to elaborate on this further in Gita as
we go along.
The next question is, "so what?" What is the connection? Even if it is granted
that the essence is beyond killing, why should Arjuna fight? Why should he kill
the bodies in front of him? Why is Krishna encouraging Arjuna to fight? This
brings us to the importance of Mayaspace. Even though the Mayaspace is all
a stage for drama, it is an important stage. It is important because every one
has to go through this space to get past to the Brahmaspace. If this space is
full of people like Duryodhana, Chengiz Khan and Hitler, it will be impossible for
Gautam Siddharth or Mahavir to take birth and flourish. Even today one has to
take a firm stand against the cropping up of terrorism. We cannot allow the whole
mayaspace to be filled with terrorists. The whole cycle of life-to-life journey will be
disturbed. The value system of the Mayaspace, Dharma has to be
maintained and upheld. Arjuna has to be encouraged to fight for upholding
the Dharma.
Tad idam geetashashtram samastvedarthsar-sangahabhutam durvigyeyartham.

Shankarabhashya.
Fear of Death
The glory of death
The reality of death
The secrets of death
The mystery of death
Taking the bull by the horn
What you do if you fear something swimming etc
Adventure is coming close to death
Importance of mayaspace
Upholding of dharma
Bluntness rude vs sarcasm
Death vs life
Worth not thinking
sri-bhagavan uvaca
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is
not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead.||
2:11||
Fear of Death
In our last column, “The turning point,” we examined the verse and mentioned the fact
that the origin of Arjuna’s despair was the fear of death. Krishna in the first two
mentions of the verse clarifies that Arjuna is on the wrong thinking tract. In the next two
he clarifies what the wrong track is. The ones who are gone (gatasum) or the ones who
are still here (agatasum) do not need to be worried for (nanusochanti panditah). Krishna
can see what the root cause of Arjuna’s thinking is; Arjuna believes like many of us that
Bhishma, Drona and others can be killed; he believes that the war he is going to fight is
going to be won by killing of the enemy. To Krishna killing does not happen, not body
can be killed; even if the body dies, the essence lives on. We shall explore that further in
later columns. Let us examine this fear of death in this column.
Centuries ago this question did not arise in every one’s mind, it happened to Arjuna and
Arjuna alone. Today, this question is real only to a few. Why is that? Because we do
not like to talk about death. The reason commonly given is that it is a negative talk or let
us deal with life now and we will deal with death later. We live and we die. I met a
doctor friend of mine recently and we were talking about what might happen after life or
better expressed after death. We talked a little, we speculated a little and then she said, “I
am a pragmatic person, I will deal with my life and not worry about what happens after
death.” And the conversation ended. Why bother about finding out?
There is a deep-seated fear in all of us about dying. Death is so real. It happens all
around us all the time. And we like to close our eyes to it. The fear is so deep rooted that
we do not even want to think about it. Death is the only certainty in life. Some will like
to include death and taxes but I would include death, crisis and taxes as the certainties of
life. Every one has in his or her life some sort of crisis, minor or major. They have a
divorce or a car accident or they get fired from a job; the crisis is part of life. We do talk
about crisis management but often turn the other side when we start talking about death
management. Death does not happen in one moment, it is happening every day. We are
all slowly heading towards death and it does make sense to talk about death management.
Yes, it is a very courageous step for us to talk about the issue of Death Management
(DM). Because to me DM is the ultimate challenge we will ever face, it is the
ultimate adventure man can undertake. Let us explore it a little. For a child who does
not know how to ride a bike or how to swim, it is an adventure to learn that. The first
time he goes under water in a swimming pool, he panics, but once he learns how to float,
he becomes comfortable with it and water never intimidates him. I learned swimming late
in my life. And I can tell you that water still intimidates me. It took me a long time
before I could gather courage to go for white water rafting, all because I was afraid of
“what if.” And having done it, I feel so happy I did it. This fear of “what if” is actually
deep down a fear of death. It should be deeply understood. This point that all fear has
its origin in the fear of death is significant. Once you master swimming you are not
afraid of it. Knowing swimming or skiing or any such adventurous sport, familiarity with
the situation gives you a comfort zone. It allays your fear. And that is the point, let us
know death, let us talk about death management. This will help us understand death
and will at the same time take the fear out of it. We are afraid of the unknown; once
it becomes known, it becomes a friend. We always talk about conquering death. Death
is not an enemy. There is no reason to fight it. But, we can definitely know it better.
And how do we know it better. The only way to know death better is to know it through
our day-to-day life. Awareness is the key. We were talking about adventure and we also
talked about crisis. Crisis is a term we give to untoward things that happens to us in a
natural course of life. Basically it is just a situation that we interpret as adverse to us.
Adventure is a crisis that we bring upon ourselves. We plan it, go to great pains and
bring it upon ourselves. The mountaineering team going to the Mt. Everest has to go
through rigorous training for months. Even then it is not certain that it will make the
peak. All because Mt. Everest is there and it provides a challenge. . So, what is common
in crisis and adventure? It is the awareness. The awareness is heightened in all sorts of
crisis. Suddenly you become aware of yourself. Most of the times your energy is
going outside of you. You are thinking about campaigning or you are busy thinking
about what your secretary said to a client today. You and I do not have time to be with
ourselves. An adventure or crisis suddenly raises the level of awareness. And in this
heightened awareness, you have a different feeling.
There is another important point to note as well. The most thrilling adventures are the
ones that bring you closest to death. Whether it is the feeling of drowning in the water
(the panic we talked above) or the chill of the peak of Mt. Everest, death is only round the
corner. You come back feeling thrilled and overjoyed; you just had a close encounter
with Death. If you can bring the same awareness in your day to day life, you can
experience life in its fullest. And then it will be easier to face death; it will be easier for
you and I to talk about death management.
Death is a difficult topic to talk about. It is believed by some that just before death
(maybe five minutes or maybe 30 minutes) all diseases leave the body. The reason being
the fact that life wants you to go unto death with a full awareness. This allows you to
know death in its full glory. Now, not every one has to believe in that. But the fact
remains that if you live your life with full awareness, if you have taken risks in life with
full awareness, if you have participated in crisis (be it natural or planned adventure), you
will die with full awareness too. Most of us become unconscious before dying because of
the fear we talked about and not experience the ultimate adventure at all. There is a
beautiful story about Socrates. We all know he was poisoned. His friends were crying
and mourning. Socrates was telling them not to cry. He asked them to take it as an
opportunity to know what was happening to Socrates in that process of dying. Socrates
kept describing to his disciples detailed events until he could no longer speak.
Yes, the process of dying ultimately is an opportunity to know what death is all
about. But awareness is the key. You have to be aware throughout your life to be able
to be aware in the last moment. But, there are other techniques to know about death
during life. And these techniques have something to do with using awareness as the light
to travel into your unconscious levels. We all know the power of hypnosis. You may
have heard about people who were fully conscious during a general anesthesia (having
some sort of surgery). There are also techniques available to be aware during sleep. The
deepest level of sleep takes you to the same level as death. You touch death every night
when you fall asleep, you simply do not know in your conscious level about it.
I am not going in detail about these techniques nor am I going to get into any discussion
whether these techniques or concepts are correct or not. But the point is that it is time we
do talk and think about death. Death after all is the ultimate surgery. The surgeon is the
nature or to many, Parmatma. Life energy is removed from the physical body during this
final surgery. What happens to it after is a different issue. People will differ about the
next step. Whether it is a surgery like appendix or like a heart transplant will remain to
be known. To me, being a scientist, energy cannot be destroyed, and hence it probably is
more like a transplant. This forms the basis of life after life where the life energy is
transplanted to another physical body.
Om Shantih Shantih shantih

Some things never change (2:12-2:13)
na tv evaham jatu nasam

na tvam neme janadhipah
na caiva na bhavisyamah
sarve vayam atah param
Never was there a time when I did not exist, or you, or all these kings; nor in the future shall any
of us cease to be. ||2:12||
dehino 'smin yatha dehe

kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati
As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the
soul similarly passes into another body at death. A self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a
change. ||2:13||
============================================================
Arjuna is distressed because of his attachments to the relatives, friends and Gurus who he might
have to kill during the course of the war. To kill or not to kill is his question. He puts his bow
Gandiva down and says to Krishna that he is not going to fight.
How Krishna handles it is amazing; he is so pragmatic, so methodical and yet so concise. First he
remarks to Arjuna about his being on the wrong track. This must have hurt Arjuna but at the same
time must he be wondering what Krishna means by that. Then Krishna virtually takes Arjuna, who
is wathing through a window, out of the house and shows him what he can see from the
boundless space of the outside.
First Krishna points out to Arjuna that there is something in every one that is eternal and never
changes and then he talks about that which is changing all the time. Before we get into what
Krishna is saying, we should also examine what Krishna is not saying or most of us would have
said in a similar situation. Remember, this is not a conversation between Satyakam Jabal and
Rishi Gopal as happens in the Upanishad. The stakes are much higher here. If Arjuna does not
fight, the outcome is clear; Pandavas will loose. But, for Krishna it is more than that. He is not
attached to Pandava or Kaurava loosing. He is more interested in the prevailing of Dharma. If
Duryodhana won, now he will have a free reign and he would not hesitate in doing whatever he
wants to do. One thing is sure and that is Duryodhana is not going to care for Dharma.
The response of most of us would have been to tell Arjuna to drop his attachments however
subtle they were. We might have told him some quotations from Shastras to support that. But,
this is not what Krishna is saying to start with. He may imply that, but he is not saying that.
Krishna knows that no body ever drops attachment because he is told to do so. Attachments do
not drop even if you say to yourself to drop it one hundred times a day. It may become subtle but
it does not drop. Attachments only drop by understanding, by knowing something higher. And that
is what Krishna starts trying to do. He is trying to show Arjuna something higher.
Attachments are also of two kinds, material attachments and value attachments. Value
attachments are difficult to comprehend. Arjuna has dropped his material attachments. He says it
clearly that he would be willing to forego the kingdom and all the riches. He is even willing to die,
but he would not kill his loved and respected ones. Now this is the ultimate of value attachment
that can be present in any one, leave aside Arjuna. Krishna is trying to take him beyond this and
he starts with by showing Arjuna the global view. Arjuna’s thinking is like searching in a dark
forest with a flashlight. Krishna shows him the whole forest by the light of a lightning. Lightning is
momentary but it does illuminate the whole area.
The other approach Krishna is not taking is the approach of a regular teacher or even of many
approaches seen in the Upanishad. He is not saying to Arjuna, “Now I shall describe to you four
kinds of yoga, because once you will understand this you will achieve the Brahman.” No, that is
not his style and it will not work. The usual style of scriptures will not work here; Arjuna knows
scriptures too well for that to work. I do understand that Gita is also an Upanishad in the sense
that Arjuna learns by sitting beside Krishna, but its approach is entirely different. In two words,
Gita is simple and it is practical. It deals with issues that we encounter in our real life, yet it
is so profound.
Coming back to the shlokas (2:12-2:13), Krishna starts with statements regarding a wider
perspective of life. Arjuna is disturbed because he sees the possibility of death; Krishna says that
there is no death. Krishna speaks with so much confidence, so much clarity and so much
conviction, “Never was there a time when you and me were not there and never will be such a
time in future when we shall not be there.” The essence in Krishna, Arjuna and us all lives on, the
form may change but it does continue. Behind this simple statement lies the whole science of life
after life. We will explore the details as we go along with Krishna and Arjuna.
Krishna sees that Arjuna’s despair was because of the fear of death and therefore he starts with
the statement of the permanence of life. He is telling Arjuna that here is your mistake. Rather than
looking at few frames of life, look at the whole collection. Krishna wants Arjuna to look at the
whole gallery of life. This has often been explained by giving an example of the vast ocean and its
waves. Arjuna is just looking at the waves, which appear and disappear, while Krishna is pointing
to the whole ocean. This wave and ocean example does explain the vastness of life and the
insignificance of death but it does not touch the attachment issue so much. Let me try to explain it
differently. Let us say that a lady has a gold bangle and wants to change it to a gold chain. It is so
simple. She goes to the jeweler and asks him to change the shape and he does it. If she does not
trust the jeweler, she sits through the entire process while the form is changed from the bangle to
the chain. Now here the lady has no attachment to the form of gold, she does not start crying as
the shape of the gold changes. The gold bangle had become dirty and misshaped, the chain is
shiny, new and bright, and it is spotless. She is happy.
But she is attached to the gold and that is why she is willing to sit through the entire process of
the change of form of gold to make sure that the gold does not disappear. She is definitely
attached to her gold. The attachment is always relative; the same lady, who loves her daughter
more than gold, will give the bangle or the chain to the daughter. The attachment is still there; it
has changed its location. When Arjuna says he will not fight, the attachment has shifted from that
of winning to the love of life for friends and relatives. Krishan's effort is to show Arjuna the futility
of this attachment and he is going to do that.
In case of our gold story above it is apparent and obvious that the gold does not disappear and
only the form changes; in our real life once the body disappears, we do not see what happens.
Krishna is saying that this essence never disappears. It simply changes the form. It might as well
be good that we do not know details about this change of form from life to life, otherwise we might
start interfering with this process the same way as we do with gold bangles.
Once Krishna makes this statement he comes to the form, the physical body. His approach is
from global to the individual. If you watch movies, the director first gives you the panoramic view
and then shows Harrison Ford clinging on to a rock or a rope underneath which are the multitude
of dangers. Similarly, Krishna zooms out first and then slowly zooms in. His initial statement
about the physical body is that it is always changing. The physical body is never static; just
because it is there does not mean it is not changing. The journey from birth to death has always
been a flow of changes. We grow from a baby to a young man. We mature and then transition to
middle age, and then get on to the golden age of being old. Krishna is saying that the essence
then moves on to another body as simply as it moves from childhood onwards. The problem is
that this part is not in our grasp. It is not a matter of belief or faith. It is so. Krishna can see it, we
cannot. It is so simple. I grew up in a village of India. We had cows and we used to milk the cow
and drink the milk. We simply knew where the milk came from. If you ask a child in New York or
Boston where and how milk comes from, there is a good possibility that he does not know. If he
knows, he knows so because he has read about it or his parents have told him. It is not his
experience. Krishna is telling Arjuna that it is so; Arjuna does not know it and we do not know it,
really.
Krishna has started from a panoramic view. He first talks about the continuum of flow of the
essence, the atma. He then focuses on the ever-changing nature of the physical body and then
talks about the feelings of the physical body. We shall cover that in our next column. But in two
simple verses, he has pointed out to Arjuna that he ought to switch his thinking mode to a global
perspective. There are some things that never change and there are some that do.
Sum-bhava: a formula for success (2:14-2:15)
matra-sparsas tu kaunteya
sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah
agamapayino 'nityas
tams titiksasva bharata
O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their
disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer
seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to accept
(tolerate) them without being disturbed. ||2:14||
yam hi na vyathayanty ete

purusam purusarsabha
sama-duhkha-sukham dhiram
so 'mrtatvaya kalpate
O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is
steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation. ||2:15||
------------------------------------------------------------
Krishna has already talked about the formless that has never ceased to be and then he talks
about the form that is always changing. Now he talks about two other parameters without which
the form will be similar to a simple bio-machine. There is a difference between a car and the living
body. The car has a body that cannot regenerate. Human body on the other hand is always
changing. Different cells in our body have a different life span. The platelets in our blood for
example live for only 6 hours whereas the red blood cells live for 120 days. By the time these die
fresh ones are ready to take its place. The human body is ever changing and that is what Krishna
has emphasized in the last shloka (2:13). Now he is talking about the monitoring system of the
body; how our senses work and sense different perceptions around us and he also adds to that a
very important parameter of Bhavana (state of being).
Before we explore these two important parameters, let us once again look at Krishna’s approach.
Krishna unlike many others has a different and unique approach. He is starting from the formless
and comes down to where we are and gives us the technology to live life in the mainstream
world. There is no need to focus on nirvana or moksha; just live life as Krishna shows us and
moksha or nirvana will follow.
Let us say that most of us represent a raindrop, which is about to fall on the mountaintop. Many
religious leaders will point out to the drop how helpless the drop is and will tell the drop to loose
and drop its identity (ego) and merge with the river. Being a drop is the misery, and this
understanding will lead to so many other problems. The feeling of the drop is that it is a ‘poor
drop,’ a drop that will be sad; and if it can’t drop its ego it will be always tense as to what is going
on. The drop has a goal to reach the ocean. It is a long journey. The poor drop crashes against a
rock, and sometimes looses its way and goes through canals to irrigate the land. The poor drop
does not know when it will reach the ocean and the story continues.
Krishna has a different approach. He talks to the drop and tells the drop that yes there is an
ocean and yes you are a drop. He stresses that qualitatively there is no difference between the
vast ocean and the drop. This makes the drop a "divine drop. The drop will loose its form; the
ocean is its ultimate journey. Whether the drop likes it or not, it is destined to reach the ocean.
And therefore, Krishna will argue, the drop should enjoy its journey as much as possible. Make
the journey an adventure, rejoice it for there is only one end and that is the ocean.
The bhavana of the drop is so important. The journey of the drop may be the same, but bhavana
inside makes the journey such that it may be a sad journey or a happy and joyous journey. A
poor drop's journey has one meaning for the whole travel while the journey of Krishna's divine
drop is another. The journey of the Krishna's divine drop is a journey that does not mind whether
it goes and jumps over a rock or goes underground in darkness or goes astray. It is a journey with
sum-bhava. The bhavana of its divinity gives the journey a totally different quality. And that is
what Krishna is stressing here and will stress all along Gita. The sum-bhava is Krishna's key to
success in life.
With the exception of Krishna, all the remarkable people of the earth stood for some other world,
for a life somewhere else. Where as the moksha or nirvana of Buddha and Mahavira lies
somewhere beyond this world and this time, Krishna’s freedom is here and now. Krishna
starts from the formless, mentions about the ever-changing form (human body) and then
talks about our every day feelings and gives us an amazing yet simple technique of sum-
bhava (pronounced as ‘some bhava’).
This sum-bhava has been utterly misunderstood so far. There is cold and there is heat. There is
happiness and there is sorrow. Krishna advises Arjuna to get to sum-bhava and tells him that this
sum-bhava will liberate him.
And here is where misinterpretations abound. I am bringing in the misinterpretations to make a

point and not merely to criticize other commentators. One interpretation is that we have to
tolerate the heat and cold or happiness and sorrow. I do not feel that tolerance is the right
meaning of what Krishna is implying. Krishna is a very positive person. He is not going to teach
something that will promote suffering. I live in Maine, USA. The temperature gets to –40 degrees.
And if I want to wear the same clothes as I wear in summer and try to tolerate that, I might not live
very long. No, tolerate can never be what Krishna wants us to even think about. The other
reason I am against this word ‘tolerate’ is that it has done so much harm to whole of India.
Indians have been branded the “tolerant Hindu.” To some it is a complement; to me it is an
insult. Wherever it came from, it sure could not have come from Gita.
The other meaning given to sum-bhava is that of ignoring the happiness and sorrow. It is like
becoming indifferent to it. Turn away from both. Kill your sensitivity. This again is so far from truth.
Krishna never turned away from anything. Even when he ran away from a fight (Ranachoddas), it
had a purpose. He was a happy person all his life. He smiles even when Arjuna is saying that he
will not fight, leave alone when he picks up his flute.
The closest English word given by Chinmayananda of mental equipoise also does not really
explain it fully either. Krishna is not really talking of a mental state; he is talking about the state of
the being. He is not talking about mental equilibrium; Krishna is talking about the state of the
core. That is why I would rather use the word sum-bhava without any attempt to translate. I will
simply try to explain what I think it means.
Let us take the example that Krishna has given and that is of cold and hot. We all know that our
body temperature is around 37°C. Our body feels cold if the outside temperature is lower than the
body temperature and hot when it is higher. Now if it is snowing and is cold, it makes sense to
dress in warm clothes. If it is hot, there is need to find a colder place. In a village in India in the
month of June, sleeping under a banyan tree can be so soothing. There is nothing good or bad
about it. You know that temperatures vary and you act accordingly. The difference is quantitative
and there is no reason to feel one-way or the other (good or bad) about cold or heat. We do not
even know about it, and that is sum-bhava. The moment you say, “I hate this cold,” your sum-
bhava is lost. You can enjoy it. People in Quebec have winter festival in the middle of winter.
Skiing is fun on the slopes of mountains. There is no need to tolerate and suffer and there is
no need to ignore and become indifferent. Sum-bhava comes from knowing, understanding
and imbibing the whole picture, it is a positive phenomenon.
One also has to understand the non-permanence of happiness and sorrow. They come and go;
they are bound to. Half of the problem in our lives is trying to convert all relationship in to a
permanent relationship. Krishna is pointing out to Arjuna that everything that is in the
perception of the indriyas (senses) is going to perish; it is by default non-permanent.
Marriage for example is one such attempt by us to create a permanent relationship. Once
married, there is a feeling that now we shall live forever together. And if something goes wrong in
the relationship, the first threat is that of divorce. The mention of this simple word by one partner
sends chills through the spine of the other. This happens because this word divorce signifies the
possibility of break of the relationship that we are all trying to make permanent. We are all
spending all our energy in what might happen in the future in our relationships, and are missing
the present moment. Krishna will argue totally differently. He will say that because the only
relationship that counts is the one that you have at the moment, live it out fully. There is no point
thinking about the future and the whole life that is yet to come, because that is not in your hands.
You have to live it to believe it. Live in the moment. Live here and now. Life will suddenly
have a different meaning, a life more joyful, a life more full of satisfaction, a life
established in sum-bhava.
Sum-bhava is a positive phenomenon. You have to know that happiness and sorrow come and
go. You have to know and accept that happiness and sorrow are points on the same scale. Some
one hugs you. It is pleasure. He squeezes you hard. It is pain. You can have sum-bhava for both,
but that does not mean that you do not deal with it. If some one hugs you with happiness, you
respond with joy. If some one wants to hurt you, then you protect yourself by whatever means
possible. But, the bhavana (the feeling) does not change. There is no need to. Krishna also feels
cold and hot. He also knows beauty and he also can smell roses. His awarenes and sensitivity is
probably much higher than us. But, this does not bring pain and suffering to him. Normally
outside events affect the inside. For some one who has attained the sum-bhava the
outside stays outside; the inner core remains untouched.
Krishna has brought the bhavana (state of being) concept here before he is going to ask Arjuna
again to arise and fight. This is very significant. When Krishna says that there is nothing wrong in
killing because it is never possible to kill the essence in any one, what can prevent some one in
arguing that Hitler was right in killing 6 million people? The essence in all of them did not die. And
here is where the bhavana comes into picture. The bhavana inside Krishna and Mahavira is
essentially the same. Krishna’s sum-bhava is very close to the ahimsa-bhava of Mahavira. Their
playing field is different. When Mahavira walks around protecting ants, the ants do not live
forever. They die their natural death. It is the bhavana, the feeling Mahavira has inside him that
manifests like that. When Krishna picks up arms to kill some one in the battlefield, his bhavana
inside does not change. He is not enjoying himsa. There is no question of his enjoying the killing.
Hitler on the other hand is killing for a whole different reason. He only knows himsa and is
deriving some sort of pleasure out of it. He is not aware of Krishna's sum-bhava and he does not
care about Mahavir’s Ahimsa.
Krishna’s sum-bhava is a revolutionary technique. I call it a technique and not a concept because
a simple intellectual understanding will not do. To understand it fully one has to live with the word,
one has to meditate on it and then the meaning of this sum-bhava will appear itself. Sum-bhava
is one of those key words without which Gita can never be fully grasped. And that is why
Krishna goes on to say that one who understands the sum-bhava is liberated.
Sum-bhava and applied adwaita (2:14-2:15)
How many times you have heard some one ask you which side of the bed you woke up
today. You go to your office or wherever you work and are grouchy on one day. And you
face this question of what mood are you in today. The point I am trying to make is that
what you do or how you act depends to a large extent on your state of being (your
bhavana). We all know that most of us have good days and also share the bad days.
Tulsidas, the famous poet who wrote the epic Ramayana also acknowledges this truth by
saying:
Ja ki rahi bhaavana jaisi

Prabhu muurat dekhi tin aisi
That is one reason Krishna refrains from telling Arjuna what to do and tells him the importance of
bhavana. Krishna is not interested in issuing ten or twenty commandments. He knows that the
state of being (bhavana) of Arjuna has to be right for Arjuna to be able to fight with full vigor. He
wants Arjuna to act out of Sum-bhava. State of being is important to him.
Krishna is talking of what is there beyond life, how the essence inside of Krishna, Arjuna and the
whole lot has always been around and will continue to be there in future and eternity. He then
talks about the ever-changing nature of the physical body of Arjuna and all, which one-day is
bound to disappear. Krishna then descends to the practical aspect of feelings and bhavana. He
tries to touch the principle of adwaita, heat and cold are not two, sorrow and happiness is not two.
They are not one and they are not the same. Adwaita simply means they are not two.
So what? And this is where comes in the applied part. So far is the theory. Knowing of this,
experiencing of this is necessary, but how do we really apply it in our day-to-day life? Krishna
says have a sum-bhava to the duality. Know it but when you go to act out, have a sum-bhava.
And this I call a revolutionary technique. Many people have known it, and they have given
different formulas for application. I will try to explain that here. It is not fair to compare great
people, but we have to try that to understand sum-bhava and other bhavas. I by no means have
any criticism for any one I mention here. I am simply putting it as I see it.
It is easy to understand an average person. He is angry some days and is a loving being other
days. He is not bothered in finding out what guides his life and what forces are working behind
the scenes. He sometimes may go to the temple and think that he has paid his dues. Life goes on
and he is content. There is a standard deviation of this normal person but within a range
these are happy or unhappy category of people.
Then there are the good people. Their limitation is their goodness. They choose goodness over
evil. They usually have high moral standards and expect such standards from all others. Gandhi
was a great person who was in this category. He lived a high moral standard. He followed and
preached Ahimsa (non-violence). His Ahimsa was different when compared to Mahavir’s Ahimsa
and that of Krishna’s sum-bhava. We will come to that later. Jesus is another example of the
extreme of such a good person. Jesus favored holy indifference. But, in spite of this indifference,
he held on to the good, so much so that he created a whole separate and parallel existence of
Satan who is responsible for all the bad things that happen around us. It is not only the Christians
who are God centric, there are others too, which include the Islam as well. The bhavana here is
that of service, service to God and service to others. Things are black and white. There is no gray
and there is no thought process of non-duality.
Buddha and Mahavira are different. They do realize the non-duality (adwaita) and are indifferent
to both good and bad. There is difference in the indifference of Buddha and Mahavira but by and
large they are both indifferent to the mundane world. They are both born in royal family and leave
home and wander around in the wilderness. Buddha has talked about majjham nikaya (middle
path) as his applied aspect of adwaita. Both of them still choose moksha and nirvana. The
emphasis is on the achievement of enlightenment. The sansara is maya (illusion) and is
meaningless in their eyes. It is not possible to imagine Mahavira or Buddha in the middle of
Kurukshetra. It does not interest them.
Rama is unique. He is in some respects similar to Krishna, but they have more differences than
they have similarities. Rama is an ideal person. He has the sum-bhava but acts in the larger
interst of the social guidelines. There is a story in Ramayana where Rama is praying to the
samudra devata (the ocean) for a safe passage to Lanka. The Ocean ignores Rama and does not
respond. Now Rama picks up his bow and uses his anger (watch the word uses his anger)…and
the ocean helps him out of fear. Rama's steady state defaults to peace and love but he does
not hesitate to use his anger when it is needed. Another touching event in Ramayana is a time
when Rama’s younger brother Laxaman has been shot with a shakti and is lying listless. The
whole of Rama’s side is waiting for Hanumana to bring the booti (herb). And Rama started
lamenting and crying. Rama is not afraid to show emotions. These are clear examples that avatar
or no avatar, sum-bhava does not mean death of emotions or death of sensitivity. Sum-bhava
allows one to use and express the emotions as appropriate after knowing, experiencing and
imbibing the whole truth, the truth of adwaita.
Rama is different from Krishna. There is a saying about the ancesters of Rama and Rama will live
up to that.
Raghukul reet sada chali aayii

Pran jaye per bachan na jaahii
Krishna on the other hand is sum-bhava in that as well. He makes the promise that he will not
pick up arms in the Mahabharata war, but is willing to break it as well. There are reasons given
for that, but all the same he does break it. Krishna is willing to run away from a fight and is also
not hesitant in breaking social norms of the time. He has no hesitation in dancing with gopis,
something you can not imagine Rama doing even in dreams.
Coming back to Ahimsa of Gandhi. Gandhi’s Ahimsa is one sided. He will do no harm to others,
even if it meant harm to himself or his own people. His bhavana inside was that the other will
inevitably see the truth when he sees suffering of Gandhi. So Gandhi is willing to go on fast until
death until the love of people for Gandhi stopped them from killing each other. And it did work.
Hindus and Moslems ultimately stopped the riot in Calcutta when he fasted. This was his applied
Ahimsa. He used his Ahimsa to change the heart of other people. To some his Ahimsa was used
to manipulate the sentiment of others.
Mahavir’s Ahimsa is another story. It is absolute. There is nothing else inside Mahavira, it is the
purest form of Ahimsa. There is no manipulation of others. Also, you cannot hurt Mahavira. There
is no possibility of that. He is not ready to accept your hurt, and believe it or not, you can only hurt
someone who is ready to accept it. He says:
Dhammo mangalmukkitam, ahimsa, sanjamo, tapo
Mahavira’s ahimsa is a total acceptability of status quo. He is not willing to interfere. If the ant is
going on its path, who am I to disturb it. Mahavira’s inner core will give room for the ant to exist
unperturbed. It is said that Mahavira touched the heart of animals in his sermons. If ones’ state of
being is so much in harmony with nature, then it is possible to communicate with one and all.
Krishna’s sum-bhava is harder to understand because it comes from the ultimate of

choicelessness. He refuses to be indifferent. Krishna will not be indifferent and will not be neutral
or non-aligned. Krishna has talked about anasakti (non-attachment) and we will touch it when the
time comes. But for now, when Krishna is trying to avert the war he is working for every possibility
of peace between Pandavas and Kauravas. He gets the Pandavas ready for mere token place to
live in turn for a peaceful existence. When all roads to peace are closed Krishna is willing to
take part in the unavoidable war that follows. His bhavana inside does not change. He still
has sum-bhava. Arjuna and Duryodhana both go to Krishna for help, and Krishna obliges both.
He keeps his sum-bhava for both of them. If Krishna has a weakness it is towards Dharma, he is
there to protect Dharma. And this most likely is also coming from his sum-bhava. There are
certain default values in sum-bhava.
It is important to understand that sum-bhava has default values. The default value of sum-bhava
between ahimsa and himsa is that of ahimsa. Krishna will have a steady state of ahimsa, which is
similar to the Mahiavir's always state of ahimsa. Krishna will have to make an effort to do himsa.
For most of us himsa is a natural state of being and that is why we have to make an effort even to
understand ahimsa. For many of us anger is the steady state of being. It may only show
sporadically, but the fire of anger is burning constantly inside. For Krishna love and compassion is
the default status of sum-bhava. Krishna knows that if Arjuna understands and gets to sum-
bhava, he will be prudent and will not act out of himsa or hate and that is why the whole
emphasis on the state of being.
We saw the applied aspect of Adwaita and and also how bhavana can affect the outcome so
much. Adwaita is the knowledge base where as bhavanas help make the expressions. It is
somewhat comparable to becoming a doctor or a lawyer. Studying medicine does not make you a
good doctor and studying law does not produce a good lawyer. It is important, but there is more
to it than just going to school. The applied part has to be learned by being involved in patient care
or by being in the court. Studying about adwaita or brahma is one thing. The applied part is
another story. Krishna talks both the theoretical aspect and the applied. He soon will ask Arjuna
again to arise and fight with sum-bhava. And, Gita continues.
Making of a meditative man (2:16-2:18)
nasato vidyate bhavo

nabhavo vidyate satah
ubhayor api drsto 'ntas
tv anayos tattva-darsibhih
Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent there is no endurance,
and of the existent there is no cessation. These seers have concluded by studying the nature of
both. ||2:16||
avinasi tu tad viddhi

yena sarvam idam tatam
vinasam avyayasyasya
na kascit kartum arhati
Know that which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one is able to destroy the
imperishable soul.||2:17||
antavanta ime deha

nityasyoktah saririnah
anasino 'prameyasya
tasmad yudhyasva bharata
Only the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is subject to
destruction; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata.||2:18||
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Before we analyze the shlokas let us understand few basic points. Gita is an applied Upanishad
and that is so clear in these set of shlokas. Krishna is talking about making of a meditative man,
even in the face of a war. This aspect of Krishna has not been fully appreciated at all. I think that
there are many people who feel that Gita would have been a great book if it did not have the
inferences that Krishna arrives to after saying his golden words. What Gita has in 2:16 and 2:17 is
marvelous, it is so wonderful, it is so true but why should therefore Arjuna fight as inferred in 2:18.
That troubles many people and they are either willing to say that Gita never really happened or
that Gita should be ignored or focus should be directed towards the other Upanishads.
Let us try to understand Krishna’s stand. Krishna is talking about a working sanyas. He wants to
bring the superior knowledge and achievements of Brahmaloka to one’s day-to-day working life.
Krishna brings the concept of a meditative man in the real world who is driving his car,
goes to work and plays his game of cricket, soccer or basketball. Whatever he does he
does it meditatively. That is what he is trying to tell Arjuna, “Arise and fight and fight with sum-
bhava.”
It is not an accident that Krishna talks about Sat and Asat and asks Arjuna to arise and fight after
he has talked about sum-bhava. Krishna instills the bhavana of sum-bhava in Arjuna before he
talks of the real and unreal or his invitation to Arjuna to fight. Krishna implies that Arjuna keep
sum-bhava to sat and asat as well. Before we get into the details of sat and asat, this is Krishna’s
condition. The reason is simple. Krishna knows the pitfalls of understanding sat; you start
choosing sat over asat. That is the very nature of a man, especially so of a moral and ethical
man. Krishna says be a meditative man, know the difference but stay in choicelessness, stay in
sum-bhava.
Let us analyze a conventional sanyas so that we can then understand what Krishna’s working
sanyas may mean. The basis of a normal concept of sanyas is rooted in Karma sanyas. A
conventional sanyas begins by the understanding that there is no point in doing mundane karmas
and therefore one should take sanyas from the every day karma. A conventional sanyasi does
not see the point of getting married or gathering any wealth for him. He realizes that such karmas
that he has done in many past lives have not brought anything significant to him. He always died
empty handed and hence there is no point repeating the same karmas again in this life. This
conventional sanyasi in some respects is a life negative person; at least he appears to be that
way. He becomes very much indifferent to what goes on in our real world. He sees our world as
Maya and disconnects himself from this illusory world. This sanyasi is however not choiceless, he
chooses the other life instead of this life in the mayaspace. This was the concept of a sanyasi in
those days before Krishna brought in the concept of a working sanyas. Even in todays’s world
this conventional sanyasi’s concept is deep rooted. Aadi Shankaracharya and Buddha as well are
some glaring examples of this conventional sanyas. There is nothing wrong with it and one
sanyas is not superior or inferior to the other.
Krishna’s sanyas is different and has a different basic understanding. He wants everybody to be
able to experience the concept of sanyas. It is not only for those who can see the futility of the
usual mundane karma. There is no need to take sanyas from karma (work). Krishna wants us to
bring the sanyas to work. Actually, Krishna is more interested in the bhavana behind whatever we
do than the actual karma. We may be in the jungle physically, but our mind may be thinking of
what beauty is there in the nightclub of Manhattan in New York. Krishna will say that if you are
centered then it does not matter whether you are in the forest, middle of ocean or in a nightclub.
What is important is your state of being. But, his condition is sum-bhava, which we have
discussed in our previous column.
Soon after he talks about sum-bhava, Krishna divides the existence in to two parts, sat (the real)
and asat (unrealor say maya). Again, I want to emphasize that before Krishna starts talking about
duality, he has pointed out to Arjuna about the sum-bhava to prevent Arjuna from taking the side
of Sat. If Sat is what is real then why bother about Asat which is not going to last at all. Before we
get into it let us first understand the concept of Sat and Asat (the real and the unreal). Asat does
not mean non-existence. Unreal does not mean that it does not exist at all. Asat is unreal
in the sense that it appears to be there, but in fact, it is not there or it is soon not going to
be there. Krishna’s test for Asat or Unreal is that something, which has a beginning and an end, it
was not there at some time, it is there now and will not be there at some time in future. In other
words whatever appears in the domain of time/space is Asat. Krishna also implies that Sat is
the sustaining force, which is always already present. This understanding comes very close
to the search that Einstein always had, “a theory of everything.” Some force or energy has to be
there which can explain every thing.
Krishna says it very simply. To him Sat and Asat are so clear. He says that Asat has no
independent existence, meaning thereby that Asat can only exist on the shoulders of the Sat. Let
us try to understand by example. A 2 or 3-year-old child in Boston goes with his parents to the
grocery store where the mom buys milk, and takes out money from the ATM machine. The same
mother or father may go to hospital and bring a baby. The little young child comprehends that
milk comes from the grocery store, money comes from the ATM machine and baby comes from
the Hospital. We know it differently. The question is of knowing.
Krishna is saying that there is some energy source (Sat) that sustains whatever we are able to
perceive, the unreal (the Asat). It is like the light decorations of Christmas. You drive around and
see different shapes of lights on the street; the real is actually the electricity that is not in the
visual range. The science of today knows that the electricity is the underlying energy and Krishna
knew then that Sat (the unseen or the real) is the underlying energy of the Asat (the one that we
can see). The bulbs shining the street by its light has a duration of life and the Asat with its glory
has a duration too.
We can stretch the similarity a little more. Electricity can be used to heat the house in winter and
cool the house in summer. There is a utility value of the manifestation of electricity. We know that
if we switch off the electricity, we cant find comfort in either of the seasons. Similarly Sat as
energy force is there but its manifestation is what we see. Although it is Asat or say unreal, that is
the part in our grasp and that is what is valuable in our every day life. There is an applied part of
electricity and there is an applied part of the Sat energy as well. We know that electricity is the
underlying energy, but unless we convert it into utility it is just energy. [purple} It is good to know
about the electrical energy and that understanding has advanced our lives. Similarly, it is good to
know that forces of Sat sustain whatever we comprehend, but the applied part is only in the
unreal world, what I have called in previous columns as Mayaspace.
Stretching the similarity a little further we can try to understand the concept of Adwaita. Electrical
energy and the manifestation thereof appear to be two different concepts. The streetlight and
electrical energy appear to be two different facets, one travels through the wires and the other
shows up through the light bulbs. A heater and an air conditioner are poles apart. This is Dwaita
which means theory of two; there is distinction between the two. But, we know that it is the same
electrical energy. This is Adwaita. When it manifests through different modalities, it always
manifests as two or more different objects. Similarly, Sat and Asat appear two but Asat
cannot exist without Sat, Sat is the sustaining force and that knowledge is Adwaita.
Whernever we apply Adwaita, it has to be in duality.
There are of course dissimilarities between electrical forces and the forces of Sat. There is no
element of ahamkar (ego), mind (mun) or Buddhi (wisdom) in the case of electrical energy. The
electrical energy does not have to deal with jealousy and ambitions. The Sat is a vibrant living
energy; we can call it Consciousness or simply Parmatma.
Krishna always comes down to the bottom line. Arjuna’s main problem is the possibility of death
of his loved ones. Krishna is saying that these physical bodies are going to die, but the essence,
the atma inside of these bodies have no way of dying. It has never died or better expressed it has
always already been there. Therefore, Arjuna should fight for the cause and he should fight with
sum-bhava. The cause is the sustenance of Dharma.
The same forces of Sat are sustaining both Duryodhana and Arjuna in the Mayaspace. And here
lies the dilemma. As we discussed earlier about how Dharma is the value system of the
Mayaspace, Dharma has to be upheld. And this to me is the reason, Krishna infers in 2:18 that
Arjuna should arise and fight. What were the choices with Krishna when Arjuna wanted not to
fight? Arjuna was not talking of Ahimsa (non-violence). Arjuna was simply worried about
impending death of his loved ones. He would not have had any problem killing anyone who he
saw as an enemy. Arjuna was looking at his friends and that bothered him so much. Krishna had
the choice letting Arjuna do what he wanted, or remind Arjuna of all the atrocities that were done
by the Kauravas or do what Krishna did.
Krishna took this opportunity to make a meditative warrior out of Arjuna. We have so far
only covered few basic points of Krishna in his approach of making this meditative man. As we go
further there are many other techniques that Krishna talks about and these techniques can help
us all become meditative people. The problem is that we will all not become Arjuna. We all can
be meditative workers in our own fields and that is what the whole approach of Gita is. It
gives us the opportunity to become authentic individuals and one day we may be able to
say, arise and do our jobs and do it meditatively.
Na hanyate hanyamane sharire (2:19-2:21)
ya enam vetti hantaram

yas cainam manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijanito
nayam hanti na hanyate
He who thinks that the living entity is the slayer or that he is slain, does not understand. One who
is in knowledge knows that the self slays not nor is slain.||2:19||
na jayate mriyate va kadacin
nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah
ajo nityah sasvato 'yam purano
na hanyate hanyamane sharire
For the soul there is never birth nor is there any death. Nor, having once been, does that ever
cease to be. That is unborn, eternal, ever existing, undying and primeval. That does not die with
the death of the body. ||2:20||
vedavinasinam nityam
ya enam ajam avyayam
katham sa purusah partha
kam ghatayati hanti kam
O Partha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, unborn, eternal and
immutable, kill anyone or cause anyone to kill? ||2:21||
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Arjuna’s problem is the same as do many of us. How can he kill people whom he loves? What are
his gains? Are those gains worth the killings? Arjuna views death of the physical body as the
death of that individual. The body is so important to Arjuna and so it is to most of us. We define
Himsa as hurting a physical body and Ahimsa as not hurting or protecting a physical
being. Gandhi's Ahimsa allows the possibility of hurting oneself to protect others. We shall
get back to this issue later.
Krishna knows this very well and therefore he addresses the whole concept of killing and dying
early in the Gita. As I said before, Krishna is systematic and methodical. He first talks about Sat
and Asat and then applies to an individual’s existence. Body is the Asat which is sustained by the
Sat, the essence, the Atma. And he goes on to say that there is no way to destroy the essence,
the Atma. Those who think that Atma kills or can be killed do not know, and those who know,
know that it is not possible to kill the Atma. That essence is outside of the cycle of birth and death
and does not die with the death of the body.
Let us explore the death of the body a little further. What happens? Why is there so much pain
when someone dear to us dies? It is important for us to comprehend our ignorance about death.
We view death when a body stops functioning. As a Doctor we certify that a person is dead when
the heart stops beating. Recently, when the modern medicine learned to keep the heart and lung
going, the concept of brain death was brought in. And sometimes we do not know if that is real
death. In any case, for most of us death is real. Death to some is the only certainty in life.
But, that is our inference. Someone is walking and talking one day and the other day he meets an
accident. He may sustain an injury to the neck and become quadriplegic. Now he can not move
his legs or hands. This happened to Christopher Reeves, the one who used to be in the movies,
“Superman.” Talk to some one like this. Inside they still feel as a complete being. There is no
injury to their inner core. Death is an inference based on seeing others die. It is not our
knowledge and is not based on our experience of dying. Our death is always seen by
those who live on and are there to draw a conclusion of what happened. People always are
dying around us. We do not know what happens to them. We know that we cannot relate to
them in the same way as we used to before. And therefore, we conclude that they must be
dead. The pain that we feel for them is not so much because they are gone. It is more so
because they had become a part of our being, and when they are gone we have lost that
part of our being. That part dies and it hurts.
Anyway, death is our inference and so it was for Arjuna. He has this anguish that some people
close to him are likely to die in the war. And that attachment, the possibility of them dying caused
all this grief to Arjuna. But, the question here is as to what dies? If body is the whole story, then
death is certain. Krishna’s stance is totally different. He knows clearly that body has to die
anyway, but the essence therin (the Atma) never dies. There is no way. And that is what he is
trying to convey to Arjuna. Krishna here is saying that for the essence, the Atma, death is an
impossibility.
“Na hanyate hanymane sharire” is a dangerous statement if it is not qualified. Krishna already
talked about Bhavana (state of being) before he gave this statement. He talked about the sum-
bhava before he even mentions about this statement that the essence Atma does not die with the
death of the body. Why is Bhavana so important? If it is okay to kill because Atma never dies then
the proponents of Himsa can use this statement to justify the killing of 6 million Jews by Hitler, the
killing of 13 million fellow Russians by Stalin and the killing of some 80 million or so Hindus by
several Muslim invaders and rulers. What is wrong? Hitler even designed ingenious methods to
do it. It was economical and fast as well. But there comes the whole equation of bhavana.
Krishna’s sum-bhava deserves better understanding.
Krishna redefines Himsa and Ahimsa which is more practical (and applicable) in our main stream
lives. At a deeper level, the enjoyment of the killing (maarane ka ras) is Himsa. Language has a
problem. If this definition is made hard and fast, there will appear people on earth who will kill and
say I killed without enjoyment. Professional killers can say that all the time. But, the fact remains
and that is the pleasure in killing (maarane ka ras) is Himsa.
Krishna’s sum-bhava goes one step further. We have covered it before, but will try to
understand it again from a different angle. You want to travel from Boston to New York. You have
the choice of traveling by car, fly, catch a train or take a bus. You decide to go by car and go to
mapquest.com and get directions from door to door. The computer calculates the shortest route
and prints out the details. Now what bhava the computer has in giving those directions. Perhaps
none, so that is no-bhava to my understanding. As a person, you have the option of following
those directions or change according to your needs. You may want to avoid toll charges (on Mass
Pike Rt.90) and take Route 95 all the way. You might want to meet a friend in Hartford on the way
and take the appropriate road. And eventually you reach the friend in New York. You then discard
the directions that you had printed out and pick up the map of New York so that you can go
places. You do not have any special feelings or attachment to Route 95 or Route 90. You would
have never thought about getting attached to these routes. You might even think it to be stupid to
keep log of all the directions of the USA. The map can always be referred to. This is truly close to
sum-bhava. Ahimsa and Himsa are the two major roads of life. A man with sum-bhava will default
to the road of Ahimsa but is not afraid to take the road of Himsa. He, however, remains choice
less and unattached to both, Ahimsa or Himsa.
We are coming close to making such difficult decisions in our times too. We as a international
society, cannot just be bystanders to what the terrorists are attempting to do. We could not have
let Saddam Hussain run his own course. Krishna wants to establish some normalcy in the
society. The value system of the maya-space, Dharma, has been eroded and the road to
Ahimsa is closed. Instead of seeing the Dharma erode further Krishna is willing to take the
path of Himsa, knowing fully well that the Sat is never disturbed and the Atma never dies.
Don’t believe, Just live (2:21-2:22)
vedavinasinam nityam
ya enam ajam avyayam
katham sa purusah partha
kam ghatayati hanti kam
O Partha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, unborn, eternal and
immutable, kill anyone or cause anyone to kill? ||2:21||
vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya

navani grhnati naro 'parani
tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany
anyani samyati navani dehi
As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material
bodies, giving up the old and useless ones. ||2:22||
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Krishna is talking from his level. He is simply stating the characteristics of Atma. No reasoning or
logic is presented. He simply says Atma is like this or Atma is like that. He starts his story from
the description of Sat and Asat (2:16). This Sat and Asat as we analyzed earlier has nothing to do
with truth and untruth, it is a classification of the whole existence into the essence and non-
essence; non-essence in the sense that it appears to be the essence but is not the essence.
Then he comes down and applies it a human being and says that the body, which has a time
bound existence, is the Asat and the Atma, which is the eternal, is the essence. The non-essence
Asat is the sustained by the Essence, Sat.
But, at the same time Krishna does not want Arjuna to take his word for it. Krishna says that
these are the facts as Krishna knows it and Arjuna has to know it for himself as his own truth.
Krishna emphasizes the process of knowing in 2:21 and then repeats it in 2:25. Why does he do
that? It is quite significant. Krishna sees two dangers of these statements. These are truths
spoken from Krishna’s level; these are facts from the peaks of existence.
It is easy to start believing it because the words are spoken from Krishna, the Parmatma and stop
there. Faith can be used as a technology. Instead of debating about whether God is there or not,
one can just believe that there is God. Now the journey of who is God may start. There is
possibility that the man has stopped debating and will now go on the journey to find God. But
there is also the possibility, that he will stop the journey altogether. The worst possible response
is that this may lead to Fanaticism. My God is the only God and now it is my responsibility to
make others believe in this “My God.”
Krishna is taking more of a scientific approach. He says to Arjuna that here is the truth, but be
careful. You have to know the truth as yours. This knowledge of truth is not transferable. This
truth cannot and should not be part of any one’s inheritance. Knowledge can come from
Shashtras or books but knowing can only happen by living it. This has to be understood. It
happens in our everyday life as well. You can read a book on how to swim. You can remember it
as well. You can even recite it over and over again. But we all know that if thrown in water, there
is a good chance that you will not be able to swim. Reading a book does not teach you
swimming. You have the knowledge but no personal learning experience.
Krishna is careful. He knows the inherent dangers in Arjuna accepting his words. Krishna is also
aware that in future, if others read Gita they may accept the words because it came from
Parmatma himself. Therefore, he puts this disclaimer before and after he utters this wonderful
description of the Atma. Don’t believe; live life. Learn from what life has to offer is his message.
I want tot share a story about Osho, my Guru. Only Rajneesh “Osho” could have done it. When
invited by a well-known religious organisation to speak, Rajneesh, on the spur of the moment,
decided to play a practical joke on the organisers and the audience. He began talking about a
strange and highly advanced society called “Sitnalta”. The truth of the matter is that before
delievering his speech he was reading about the mythical continent called “Atlantis”. He just
reversed the order to make it “Sitnalta” He told the gathering that in our body we had 17 chakras,
not seven as mentioned in ancient Indian scriptures. The great ancient knowledge is lost, but a
secret society of enlightened masters called “Sitnalta” still exists, and this society knew well all
the mysteries of life. As people listened with rapt attention, Rajneesh went on and on with all sorts
of nonsense he could come up with. He was surprised by the gullibility of his listeners. But an
even greater surprise was yet to come. At the end of the session, the president of the society,
who was totally floored, came up to him and said, that he had heard about that society and its
activities. Then letters started pouring in, says Rajneesh. One man went so far as to say that he
was a member of the “Sitnalta” society. “I can vouch that whatsoever you have said is absolutely
true,” he averred.
Such are the uses of “belief”. It is very comforting, it is so reassuring, and it makes us feel so
secure. The more absurd the notion, the more illogical and unscientific the reasoning, the
stronger is the belief. People are out there eager to believe anything. Anything, so long as it is
reassuring. If you proposed something logical, and if you could prove it scientifically, the question
of believing it or not believing it would not arise, because the statement is true, irrespective of
anyone’s opinion. If 2+2 make four, they will do so, whether you are a Sikh, a Hindu, a Jew, or an
atheist.
Krishna is putting down what he knows about the Atma and suggests to Arjuna that you should
not just believe what I am saying. Arjuna has to know it as his own truth. This is such a scientific
approach. I have repeated it several times and say it again, Krishna is systematic, Krishna is
methodical and Krishna is scientific. He does not leave room for misunderstanding. Once Arjuna
knows it his own truth, there is no possibility of confusion, there is no room for fanaticism and
there is no compulsion to teach others.
Krishna has some of his points about the indestructibility of Atma, the essence. Now he talks
about the relationship of the Atma to the physical body. Krishna says that as a person puts on
new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the
old and useless ones. Krishna makes this similarity of clothes and the physical body. Some
people question this statement on the fact that what happens when some one dies young. The
physical body is not old and useless yet. This I think is stretching the slimily too far. All these
examples have limitations and are meant to give a broader perspective. And the fact is, that the
physical body is the manifested part of the soul and that it is temporary and destructible by
default.
Outer appearance is changeable. Clothes that are old do not have a value in our eyes and can be
discarded. In today’s time of affluence they do not have to be old to be discarded. The can be
donated to others as well. The point here is that we are not our clothes. Krishna argues that
similarly we are not this physical body either. The physical body will also be discarded by the
inner being when it looses its purpose. We are all used to seeing the body from outside.
Krishna is trying to make us look at our body from inside. Once you start looking at the body from
inside, it is a different experience. Almost all the meditations change the direction of looking
inwards rather thanoutwords. There is this beautiful story in the Svetasvatara Upanisad.
samane vrkse puruso nimagno

'nisaya socati muhyamanah
justam yada pasyaty anyam isam asya
mahimanam iti vita-sokah
"Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and
moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to
his witnessing friend--at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties."
One of the birds is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird is simply watching His friend. Of
these two birds, although they are the same in quality, the fruits of the material tree captivate one,
while the other is simply witnessing the activities of His friend. Witnessing is the key. This
witnessing will lead to knowing the essence inside of the physical body. Buddha makes this
witnessing the core of his meditation technique that is so popular these days; the word vipassana
actually means the witnessing.
Let us explore this a little further. Does Atma travel from one life to another? What happens at the
time of birth? When Krishna talks about the sharira (body), he is not talking about one physical
body, there actually is layers of bodies. We are familiar with the physical body, but there are other
bodies. We will explore three of the seven bodies here for our understanding purposes. The first
body is the physical body. It has its limitations but the most important role of this body is the
experiencing and expression of different vasanas of the individual. We can taste what is sweet
and what is sour. We can express our anger by hitting some one.
The physical body is the manifested body and photographs can be taken and kept in an album.
The next body close to the physical body is the etheric body. This is more like collection of
vapors. All emotions arise from the etheric body. Therefore it can also be termed the emotional
body (bhava sharira). This body can expand or shrink depending on different situations. Once you
start the inward journey and become aware of the movements of the physical body, then it
becomes easier to see the movements of the second body, the etheric body.
Let us examine anger. When you are angry with a certain person, most of the times you realize it
after you have hit the other person. It is usually termed as going out of control. It is not so much
going out of control; we simply do not know about it unless it is already manifested. Once the
witnessing starts, it is possible to see that there is anger that is surrounding the whole body. But,
before the anger surrounds the physical body, it spreads throughout the etheric body. Some
people can suppress this anger before it spreads to the physical body. They have mastered this
art well. They can even smile at the person with whom they are angry, but anger is spread allover
the etheric body. The repression at etheric body is not necessarily healthy, but practically it may
reduce reverberations. In repression what happens is that we hold back the emotion on the plane
of manifestation, but is really present at its original source.
In fear the etheric body shrinksThe process of shrinking we feel in fear is not that of the physical
body. The physical body stays the same size. It happens quite often in medical practice. A patient
comes in the room to find result of his test. He is anxious. He sits in the chair. The moment he
hears the word cancer, he goes pale. This is not so obvious in all people but happens to most.
The second body shrinks and becomes ready to leave the first body. He tries to pull himself
together which takes variable time. In medical terms this reaction is called denial. It can also be
seen in breaking an bad news to a person. The physical body remains the same but something
happens at a deeper level. The etheric body can expand and contract. Expansion is its innate
nature. This body usually expands in happiness or in company of someone who we like. If the
meditator starts living in those conditions where the etheric body expands, a harmony is created.
Then there is the astral body. It is more like vibrations and its movements are subtler. Osho
describes it as neighbor of a neighbor. We hear the clatter of the pots or crying of a child from the
neighbor but do not hear any sound from neighbor of the neighbor. We can sometimes see the
anger arising in the etheric body and see it manifested by action on the level of the physical body.
If this anger is traced to the level of astral body, it is seen more as vibrations, vibrations that have
both the anger and forgiveness. The same vibration can become anger or forgiveness. The
duality starts loosing its hold as it is traced towards the astral body.
The astral body is the one that journeys from life to life. Samskaras are bundled in with the astral
body and at the time of birth astral body enters the new body with all the samskaras. The role of
Atma is more like a catalyst; it does not journey from anywhere to anywhere. It is simply there.
When the desires, which form the samskaras, drop the astral body dies as well and Atma is then
realized.
Krishna makes the point here that the death of physical body is not the death of the soul; it is just
changing of the body. Krishna emphasizes that Arjuna or we should know this by our experience
and experiments rather than just accept what he has to say. There is no reasoning or logic
needed to prove what he is saying. He wants us to live and find out. He says very clearly, “Don’t
believe, just live” and find out.
Atma and I (2:23-2:25)

nainam chindanti sastrani
nainam dahati pavakah
na cainam kledayanty apo
na sosayati marutah
The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor
moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.||2:23||
acchedyo 'yam adahyo 'yam

akledyo 'sosya eva ca
nityah sarva-gatah sthanur
acalo 'yam sanatanah
This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried.
He is everlasting, all-pervading, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.||2:24||
avyakto 'yam acintyo 'yam

avikaryo 'yam ucyate
tasmad evam viditvainam
nanusocitum arhasi
It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable, immutable, and unchangeable. Knowing
this, you should not grieve for the body.||2:25||
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Krishna is laying down the foundations here. He has talked about Sat and Asat and then
he came down to talking about the physical body. Now he is talking about the basics of
the Atma. Krishna as we explored before is talking the language of a scientist. He is
describing what Asat and Sat are, what the properties of body are and now he gets into
the essentials of the Atma. He is not speculating or trying to answer why Atma is like this
or that. He is simply saying what Atma is like or what Atma is not like. We shall come
back to this but let me first explain few important points that will assist in understanding
the shlokas better.
We explored in our last column the non-permanent nature of the physical body. Once the
physical body dies the astral body with all its sanskaras travels in the non-corporeal
world and then at an opportune time enters another physical body, and thus the
journey from life to life continues. We also addressed the issue that Atma is not
involved in the process of this journey. The question then is as to what the role of this
Atma is in this journey or what is the relationship of Atma with the body?
The role of Atma is that of a catalyst. There is a definite co-operation of the Atma in this
journey from life to life. The body may not notice it, but Atma is there. Otherwise there is
no possibility of the journey. There is no real example to understand this phenomenon,
but we can try to get close. It is the month of January in Maine and the ground is frozen
and covered with snow. By the month of May and June the snow melts and the sun shines
on the grass. The grass grows and the flowers bloom. Little do they know that the rays of
sun have something to do with their growing and blooming? Atma’s co-operation is very
similar. It is just there. Atma does not work, it is in a state of inaction, and its role is
somewhat akin to a catalyst in the process of this journey. This inaction of Atma should
be understood. The atma has no need to work. Actually desire at level of Atma and result
are not seperate. Atma desires to get lost and it is lost. It desires to find itself and the
journey starts. We shall explore this in future more fully.
What then is Atma? The difficulty in understanding Atma is mainly because we try to
understand it as a deeper level of I. I am not the physical body, I am not the etheric body
and I am not the astral body. I am ultimately the Atma. This is our common
understanding. In real sense to understand Atma we have to somehow get away from this
I. I is more a part of the Ahamkar (ego) and has nothing to do with the existence of Atma.
Once we get away from I-ness and try to understand Atma as existence itself, then it
becomes a little easier. Atma is like existence, which has no beginning and no end. By
definition (Sat and Asat) any thing that has a beginning and an end is Asat, and Atma is
not part of Asat, it is a part of Sat. I should say Atma is Sat. Now, it may be said that
Atma is the existence and the waves that are seen on the existence is the ‘I’. Atma is not I
and I is not Atma.
But if the Atma is not I and I is not Atma, then, how does the technique of Koham (who
am I?) work? This is a technique that was popularized by Ramana Maharshi. The idea is
to keep asking and enquiring with this question, “Who am I.” On the way the ‘I’ is
dropped and only the Atma remains. And at that moment the Atma can proclaim Soham
(I am that). Here the quality of ‘I’ has changed and it is the limitation of the language that
makes both ‘I’ to sound similar. When a Rishi declares that Aham Brahmasmi, he simply
means, “Only the Brahma remains,” and it is the limitation of the language that makes
him use the word ‘Aham.’
Now, let us analyze the shlokas. Krishna is taking a negation approach here. He tells
Arjuna that Atma is not penetrable, it cannot be burnt nor can it be drowned. Arjuna is
worried about the possible death of his loved ones. And Krishna tells him that the essence
in them cannot be destroyed. When Krishna says that the Atma cannot be destroyed, he
implies that Atma is not like a thing. Instead of saying that it is not a thing, he is saying
that it does not have the properties of a thing. A thing can normally be destroyed by
buring, cutting or drowning in one solution or the other. The definition of Atma is similar
to that of energy. We all know that Energy cannot be destroyed. Similarly Atma cannot
be destroyed by any means.
Krishna then goes on to say that not only that Atma cannot be destroyed, it cannot be
altered either. Atma is all pervading, unchangeable and eternal. It is invisible and
inconceivable. But then Krishna says that knowing this you should not grieve for the
body. This word ‘knowing’ is important. Atma is invisible and inconceivable but it can
be known, it can be experienced. And once you know it, it is not possible to lament for
the body.
Let us analyze this a little. How can knowing something liberate you or me? Krishna is
not saying that body is not important. This is the commonest mistake in understanding of
these shlokas. We all feel that Atma is important and the physical body is not. Krishna
appears to be saying that physical body is disposable and Atma is not. No, Krishna is
simply telling Arjuna to know spade as spade. The physical body has certain properties
and Atma has certain others. There is a relationship between Atma and the physical body
and Krishna wants Arjuna to understand that fully. But, at no point does Krishna say that
the body is not important. If the body were not important, Krishna would not have asked
Arjuna to arise and fight. Krishna would not have been the saarathi if the body were not
important. In our example of the light bulb and electricity, we know that the bulb will not
work if we do not have the electricity. But, at the same time if there is no bulb, there will
be no light. The light bulb is important for the electricity to manifest into the light. The
body is similarly important for the Atma to manifest in its full glory. We would perhaps
not have understood Parmatma so well, had there been no Krishna, Rama, Buddha or
Nanak.
Krishna has laid down the foundations by talking about the Sat, Asat, the body and the
Atma and is going to build further on these fundamentals. We will be now going on to
understand karma yoga, and sooner or later Krishna is going to talk about mun, buddhi
and ahamkar (mind, intellect and ego) and the indriyas (senses) and much more.
Atma and I are separate. Atma is not the deeper core of the body or I. Atma is akin to
existence and the waves on the surface of this Atma are the ‘I’. Atma is not confined to
any time or space, is not a thing and is not comprehendible by our mind or intellect. It
can, however, be known by experiencing through meditation. Once the 'I' drops and Atma
is known, then clarity sets in about the relationship of the body to the Atma. The
significance of the body is then obvious and so is the fact that there is no need to worry
about the death of the physical body. Because one then knows that there is really no
death, it is merely changing of the body.
Let me quote from Mandukya Upanishad which describes this as follows:
”It is not knowing
It is not unknowing
Nor is it knowingness it self
It can neither be seen not understood
It cannot be given boundaries
It is ineffiable and beyond thought
It is indefinable
It is known only through becoming it (Ekatmapratyayasaram)
It above all should be known (Sah Atma Sah Vigyeyah)”
Atma cannot be expressed through thoughts, words or language. Should anyone or me try
to express it? I think yes, because there starts the seed of trying to start the journey to
know by becoming it.
That which cannot be said must be said (2:26-2:30)
atha cainam nitya-jatam

nityam va manyase mrtam
tathapi tvam maha-baho
nainam socitum arhasi
If, however, you think that the soul is perpetually born and always dies, still you still
have no reason to lament, O mighty-armed.||2:26||
jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyur

dhruvam janma mrtasya ca
tasmad apariharye 'rthe
na tvam socitum arhasi
For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is
certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not
lament.||2:27||
avyaktadini bhutani
vyakta-madhyani bharata
avyakta-nidhanany eva
tatra ka paridevana
All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state,
and unmanifest again when they are annihilated. So what need is there for
lamentation? ||2:28||
ascarya-vat pasyati kascid enam

ascarya-vad vadati tathaiva canyah
ascarya-vac cainam anyah srnoti
srutvapy enam veda na caiva kascit
Some look at the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of
him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him
at all.||2:29||
dehi nityam avadhyo 'yam
dehe sarvasya bharata
tasmat sarvani bhutani
na tvam socitum arhasi
O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body is eternal and can never be
slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any creature.||2:30||
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Arjuna was concerned and worried. He was worried about the possibility of death of
his loved ones. He was concerned about what will happen to the society as a whole
after the great Mahabharata. All these clouded his judgement so much so that he
could not hold on to his bow and was in no state to fight. His questions and concerns
were like all of us have. A friend of mine sent an e-mail recently. The email reads as
follows:
“But my worry is: Granting all this, what are we going to do in India with its
enormous Muslim population and their continuing intransigence, the Pakistan
menace, and the Islamic watchdogs beyond? It is as if we have a wild beast in the
house which cannot be driven out or killed. Do we have an alternative to try to tame
it? And how can this taming be done? These are the thoughts that keep troubling me
at this age of my life. These are difficult problems for the India we all love, far more
difficult than metaphysics or philosophy. What do you think?”
We are all worried and concerned like what Arjuna was 5000 years ago. Arjuna did
not ask Krishna about Atma or Parmatma. Arjuna’s question was not about death
and life. He was convinced that people die. He most likely wanted an escape out of
the war. Many people in India would have loved Arjuna’s argument. It so happened
that Arjuna asked these questions to Krishna who had a totally different and
unexpected answer for Arjuna.
Krishna has so far explained to Arjuna that death per se does not exist. The essence
in Bhishma, Drona and all lives on. Krishna so far has been speaking from a
peak, a height that he is at. Now he comes down to Arjuna’s level and talks
to him like a friend. When Krishna talks from his peak, he has rebuked Arjuna and
has told him bluntly that he was on the wrong track. But, when Krishna talks to
Arjuna like a friend, he addresses him as Mahabaho (great warrior) and such great
adjectives that Arjuna really deserves.
Krishna goes on to say that even if you do not believe in the eternity of Atma, the
physical body is definitely going to die. It is inevitable and when it is inevitable, there
is nothing to worry. Krishna basically is telling Arjuna not to worry. In the above five
shlokas, Krishna has emphasized to Arjuna not to worry. This is so important. We all
feel that if we do not worry or if we are not concerned how will we act. In our
common view, worry and concern are requirements for purposeful action. But,
Krishna views it differently. He can see that this concern and worry has paralyzed
Arjuna. Now even if Krishna makes Arjuna to fight, this worry will be eating him
away. And, it will be impossible for Arjuna to fihgt at his best. The Arjuna who could
not see anything but the eye of the bird which he had to target in a competition, will
now be seeing dead friends and relatives all around in the Mahabharata war. Krishna
can sense it and hence he is addressing this question here in these shlokas. He says
to Arjuna all about Sat and Asat and then says to him that even if you do not believe
in that and believe in the theory that this body is the end, the end is inevitable and
therefore you should stop worrying.
Krishna is not against Arjuna planning and deliberating about how to fight; he surely
is against a worried and concerned Arjuna fighting this important and decisive war.
Krishna goes on to say that we all are unmanifest before and after our temporary
manifest form of the physical body. It is as if you are sitting by a winding river.
A jet ski comes around the corner. It makes the noise in the air and ripples
in the water and then disappears round the corner. All the noise and ripples
then disappear and so does the Jet Ski. Our life in the time of Brahma is no
more than the Jet Ski going from one corner to the other. When we are here
we cause noise and ripple and feel so important. Sometimes we do feel like the
center of the universe. But we are not. And that is what Krishna is pointing out to
Arjuna. Arjuna was unmanifest before is manifest now and will be unmanifest again.
The existence will continue. The Jet Ski is out of sight but is not gone. And again
knowing this as such there is no need to worry. Bhishma, Drona or Arjuna are not
going to become non-existent, they will simply become unmanifest.
What Krishna says next is so beautiful. Most of us are busy and engaged in the
material world. We have a house, a car and a boat and we feel so attached to it.
Somebody hits the car and it hurts inside. We are all surrounded by the material
world. Somebody wants his or her son to get married and others want the father or
mother to get better. Most of our needs are for the material world. Most of our
relationship is with this outer world. When we come closer to ourselves or say when
we go inside of us, we find the thoughts. However, even the thoughts are really
outside. I can be without thoughts but thoughts cannot be without the ‘I’. When you
are in deep sleep or deep meditation, you can reach to this thoughtlessness.
However, as long as we are looking outside, we cannot find the Atma. This has been
already discussed in our last column, “Atma and I.”
Krishna is saying here that it is a miracle that some one starts looking inside of him.
It is a miracle that once in a while a Buddha or Ramakrishna decides to look inside.
The outside can keep most people involved for a number of lives that it truly is a
wonder that someone starts the journey of inside. And the next wonder or miracle is
that such a person decides to talk about this Atma. The movements and
understanding of Atma is so subtle that it really cannot be comprehended by intellect
or any such means. It can only be realized by becoming it. Yet some people amongst
those who have known do decide to talk about it. It cannot be expressed, yet an
attempt to express it is made. There is a saying that “What cannot be said
should not be said.” But a Buddha or a Krishna defy that saying and start
saying about that which cannot be said.
The third wonder or miracle is that someone amongst millions decides to listen to it.
It is so true. You only find a few who are truly interested in listening to what is being
said. There may be a crowd listening to Buddha but only few were Bodhidharma.
Ramakrishna said his sermons to many but there was only one Vivekananda. Krishna
talked to many but there was only one Arjuna. Why is that? Actually there are many
people who will go to a Mahatma who can promise to give material things. A saint
who cures cancer will have a big draw. Who really wants to know about Atma and
Parmatma? Atma is not our necessity. It can wait. We can talk about Atma when
we are ready. I am busy right now. I have my practice. I have to serve the poor and
the sick. I will learn about Atma another day. And, Krishna warns Arjuna that there
are many who hear about this truth but do nothing about it. He wants to make sure
that Arjuna understands that before he goes too far. Arjuna has to develop the right
kind of listening. Arjuna must be saying, “wow.” What is going on? Arjuna had simple
questions. He did not ask about gyan yoga and karma yoga. Now, Krishna prepares
him for further travel. He says to Arjuna to fasten his seat belts.
Krishna reiterates the fact that the essence in the body does not die. There is no
possibility of that and hence he strongly suggests Arjuna not to worry about the
whole mankind. Krishna wants Arjuna to be fearless (all fear originate from
fear of death) and he wants Arjuna not to be worried or concerned. Krishna is
ready to take Arjuna further on the road to further awareness from here.
In defense of Varna system (2:31)

sva-dharmam api caveksya
na vikampitum arhasi
dharmyad dhi yuddhac chreyo 'nyat
ksatriyasya na vidyate
Considering your specific duty as a ksatriya, you should know that there is no better
engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for
hesitation.||2:31||
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It is interesting that soon after Kishna puts forward his insights of Gyan Yoga, he
starts talking about very mundane aspects of the life of maya loka. He has just
talked about Sat, Asat and Atma and suddenly changes gear and is talking about the
Swadharma of a Kshatriya. This to my mind is the applied aspect. As I have pointed
out in my earlier writings, the schooling is over, now it is time to practice. There is a
real patient in front of the doctor. The patient has an acute illness. The doctor has to
decide whether to operate or not. Discussions of options of management will not do,
management has to be done right now. The enemy is in front of Arjuna; Arjuna is a
soldier and he has to make his decision now.
Krishna is not going to run away from the inevitable nor is he going to become
indifferent. He understands the heights of the Brahmaloka and shares that with
Arjuna, but the playing field right now is the maya-loka and the actions (be it drama
or real) is going to take place in this space and in this time. So, the question is how
do you apply the higher experience and knowledge to this playing field. From
outside, there may be no difference between Duryodhana and Yudhistir, but the
bhavana (state of being) of the two is entirely different.
When Krishna talks about Sum-Bhava, he is talking about the bhavana, when he
talks about swadharma of a Kshatriya he is talking about actions. He talks about
more mundane things in the follow up shlokas, but there lies the importance and
understanding of the higher principles. Most readers of Gita will skip these few
verses and jump on to the verses on Karma yoga. But to me these few verses
sandwiched between the gyan yoga and karma yoga are crucial to understanding
Krishna. Mayaloka is not trivial; it does not need to be trivialized. We all have our
potentials, we all come face to face with opportunities and we all pay a social price if
we do not live up to expectations. We will take these issues in our next column, but
will focus our discussion here on the issue addressed in this shloka, the issue of
Arjuna being a Kshatriya. This shloka is seen by many to support the varna system
which forms the basis of the caste system.
Krishna in the verse 2:31 is talking to Arjuna in the language of Mayaspace and at
Arjuna’s level. This is not a spiritual talk. Krishna is doing a very practical talking to
Arjuna. Krishna and Gita has been criticized much because of this and some
subsequent verses mainly because Krishna appears to be supporting the caste
system. Caste system is under the attack not only from the outside but also from
educated world of India. While some believe that it is the root cause of all evils in the
Hindu system, the others feel that Varnashram is the core of Hindu Dharma. And the
debate continues.
Let me start with a quote from Marvin Minsky:
"It often does more harm than good to force definitions on things we don’t
understand. Besides, only in logic and mathematics do definitions ever capture
concepts perfectly. The things we deal with in practical life are usually too
complicated to be represented by neat, compact expressions. Especially when it
comes to understanding minds, we still know so little that we can't be sure our ideas
about psychology are even aimed in the right directions. In any case, one must not
mistake defining things for knowing what they are."
Having thus said, it is difficult to explain, understand or criticize a system (varna

system) with what limited understanding we have of our universe and the cycles of
births and rebirths associated with it. While some schools believe that this life is a
one-chance deal the others understand it as a never-ending cycles of births and
rebirths, which is self regulated by the karmic theory. While the former system
believes that we start with a clean slate the latter insists that we carry with us a
collection of virtual baggage (samskaras) from one life to the other. While the
physical body dies the astral body along with this fresh virtual baggage starts on the
journey of looking for another physical body. This astral body although un-manifest
to our senses is indeed a reality that science is as yet to find means to recognize.
This journey from life to life, which sounds mystical and unrealistic today to many of
us, was a well-known fact to Krishna.
In Krishna’s time (and before that) the cycle of incorporeal being (unmanifest to our
senses) to physical being (manifest) to incorporeal bodies again was a much more
obvious happening than what it is today. When devising a social system, those
people did not only take into account the manifest, but also had to consider
the unmanifest. Otherwise, it could have been a social injustice. In fact, not
considering the whole picture would not have occurred to them. Because, they could
see the problems an incorporeal being was facing in how to take a corporeal
existence. It has to be fully comprehended because without understanding this,
varna system will never make sense.
The science of psychology is coming to a point where it may be possible to narrow

the gap between the western thinking and the eastern understanding of psychology.
The cognitive science is already looking at the study of intellect while cognitive
psychology is trying to understand the information-processing phenomenon. There
are interesting experiments and conclusions being drawn every day. There are
debates whether consciousness is a construct or whether it should be studied at all
by the science of psychology. Evolutionary psychology (EP) is an emerging branch of
anthropology and psychology, which have been gaining ground lately. A fundamental
tenet of EP is that large part of psychology is innate, as opposed to learned, to the
point of rejecting the concept of "learning" altogether. Where does this innate
learning come from? Is it on the genes or does it come from past lives? There are
more questions raised than there are answers, all the same, an effort is being made
in understanding the human psychology in a newer framework.
What Krishna is saying is based on the basic understanding that all humans
are born with different potentials. People are not similar to each other. They
should have equal rights, but they are inherently different. The second part
that follows is that broadly speaking there are four categories of people, the
intellectuals, the warriors, the business class and the working class. This broad
classification holds true even in the west.
In the east they are respectively called Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and shudra.
The system was based on facts and not meant to be relative. The varna
system was not meant to be comparative, no one was meant to be superior
to the other. Every one played a role in the social structure. The day the
varna system became comparative, it lost its meaning. Exploitation began
and the whole sytem became distorted. A higherarchy was developed and
the fight began as to who is superior to whom.
The question then does arise as to how the varna system became associated with
birth. I speculate that the thinkers of those times in consideration of the incorporeal
beings being channelized appropriately developed this system. Crossovers did
happen in those days as well. A Parashuram or a Vishwamitra did happen in those
times too. To increase the probability of equal and opportune access to appropriate
births for incorporeal beings, this bold experiment was initiated. It might have
worked well for a long time, until exploitations began. And any system can be and is
liable to be exploited. That is not so much the falut of the system as is of the people
who it is meant for.
Krishna’s whole psychology is based on the fact that every one’s road to success,
fulfillment and journey to Parmatma goes through his own swadharma (potential).
Arjuna is a soldier and his success, personal fulfillment and liberation is through his
bravery.
I came across an interesting research paper by Mathew J. Cook performed at the

Fairfield University in Connecticut. Seven hundred and thirty-nine Fairfield University
freshmen from the Class of 2000 volunteered to participate as part of their
orientation program. Kolb's learning style inventory (LSI) was used to evaluate an
individual’s learning style type. In this exploratory study, the learning styles of the
members of the Fairfield University Class of 2000 were quite diverse. Such diversity
in learning styles at the University suggests that it is important for administrators
and professors to consider this diversity to more fully harness each student’s
learning potential.
The data regarding major and learning style were particularly interesting. Various
disciplines and fields have preferred learning styles (Kolb, 1993) that match what is
expected in the particular profession. For instance, research suggests that natural
science majors in the fields of medicine, biology, physical science, and mathematics
should be either a converger or an assimilator (Kolb, 1993; Stice, 1987; Wolfe and
Kolb, 1979), yet half of students in these majors were pursuing professions
where their learning style was not preferred. Perhaps the large proportion
of students who dropped out of the biology and premed/dental program
were mismatched with the desired learning styles of the profession that
they were pursuing. A similar mismatch was found for declared business
majors.
One thing is clear from this studies. People differ in their learning abilities. One-day
the Universities may come up with a testing standard that will suit a particular career
and mismatch between learning ability and what they want to be will be reduced.
The probability that a psychological instrument could test a person’s
swadharma is quite interesting.
Here Krishna is reminding Arjuna of his swadharma as a kshatriya and urging him to
act according to his true self. There are certain expectations from Arjuna. He should
not run away from his responsibilities. But, Krishna has already put the condition of
Sum-bhava and that Arjuna should not fight with hatred or anger; he should act out
of Sum-bhava. The act of fighting will be the same for Arjuna and Duryodhana, but
the bhavana (state of being) will be different. Krishna is so amazing.
Some men are more equal than others (2:32-2:37)
yadrcchaya copapannam
svarga-dvaram apavrtam
sukhinah ksatriyah partha
labhante yuddham idrsam
O Partha, happy are the ksatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities come
unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets. ||2:32||
atha cet tvam imam dharmyam

sangramam na karisyasi
tatah sva-dharmam kirtim ca
hitva papam avapsyasi
If, however, you do not fight this religious war, then you will certainly incur sins for
neglecting your duties and thus lose your reputation as a fighter. ||2:33||
akirtim capi bhutani

kathayisyanti te 'vyayam
sambhavitasya cakirtir
maranad atiricyate
People will always speak of your infamy, and for one who has been honored,
dishonor is worse than death. ||2:34||
bhayad ranad uparatam

mamsyante tvam maha-rathah
yesam ca tvam bahu-mato
bhutva yasyasi laghavam
The great generals who have highly esteemed your name and fame will think that
you have left the battlefield out of fear only, and thus they will consider you a
coward. ||2:35||
avacya-vadams ca bahun
vadisyanti tavahitah
nindantas tava samarthyam
tato duhkhataram nu kim
Your enemies will describe you in many unkind words and scorn your ability. What
could be more painful for you? ||2:36||
hato va prapsyasi svargam
jitva va bhoksyase mahim
tasmad uttistha kaunteya
yuddhaya krta-niscayah
O son of Kunti, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain the heavenly
planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly kingdom. Therefore get up and
fight with determination. ||2:37||
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There is a common saying that all men and women were created equal. But this
is far from truth in real life situation. It costs nearly twenty million dollars to run a
campaign for the Presidency of United States and how many equal men and women
can really raise this amount of money. So, in real life all men and women may
be equal, but some are more equal than others.
This is one of the important points that we discussed in our last column. Krishna's
principle in these shlokas is to highlight this issue of inherent differences in people.
And he also emphasizes that each individual has his own innate possibilities
(swadharma). While broadly speaking there are four categories of people (brahmana,
kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras) on this planet earth, the ultimate flowering
depends on the innate properties of that individual (swadharma).
Krishna is talking some very practical points, things that people talk in motivational
seminars. But, there is a difference. The difference is what Krishna has talked about
before he comes to the practical points. He has discussed about the gyan yoga,
about sum-bhava and he has mentioned how important knowing all this is. Now, he
is ready to talk about the mundane regular stuff. He is making sure that Arjuna
understands that this mayaspace is the only playing field. Knowing of Atma and
Brahmaspace is important, but then it has to be played out in this regular world.
Buddha goes on a long journey and finds out the truth of Brahmaspace. What does
he do then? He walks around in this space of maya world for forty years and plays
the game the same way as others. Krishna has been there but abides by all the rules
of the mayaspace as well.
That again is an important point to understand. While Krishna, Rama, Buddha,

Mahavira or Ramakrishna know the same truth, they interact totally differently in
this world. Buddha and Mahavira were contemporary. They walked through the same
villages in Bihar. They had different messages. But they never met each other. No
attempt to change the other or debate on issues was made. What makes this
difference? Why do they have different expressions, although they have come to the
same realization? And Krishna would acknowledge that there is difference in
expressions because of inherent individual differences. It may be easier to
understand albeit on a different level as to what happens to medical students who go
to say the Harvard Medical School. They all go to the same type of teaching and
experience; yet have vast differences when they become doctors and start
practicing. There is no need of carbon copies in this world. We would get bored
if every enlightened person behaved like Buddha or any one else.
The other important point that Krishna is making here is to live with the rules of the
world. Although Krishna does not need to do any karma, he continues to do what he
has to do all the time. He is going to become a role model; his life is no more a
private life. He is pointing this out to Arjuna as well. Arjuna no more has a private
life. What he does is important and has long lasting implications.
Any karma that is done is a journey in itself. It is going to produce its repercussions.
If Arjuna leaves the battlefield and does not fight, there will be appropriate and
inappropriate reactions. Krishna is enumerating few of them here. What the
supporters and fans are going to think about Arjuna? They may even ridicule him for
his actions. This is not only true for Arjuna but is still true for today. When a
President Clinton of the USA does karmas that are not expected of him, he is openly
criticized and ridiculed. Arjuna is not a no body. He is a hero of his time and any
action by him that is not the norm or expected of him is bound to produce criticism
similar to what happens to any public figure today.
Moreover, this is an opportunity for Arjuna to shine. He is in the middle of a battle of

his lifetime. His Guru is on the other side. Bhishma is fighting against him and so is
Karna. This is the time for showdown. If he wins, which is not what was expected, he
will be full of glory. And, opportunities like this do not come every day. It is so true
for any successful strategy. Krishna is apprising Arjuna of this opportunity that
Arjuna should recognize and go for it. We all have to grab opportunities and keep
looking for them, for that gives us the opportunity to show us what we have got.
There are two paths that people of distinction can take. It is the path of the jungle or
the path of power. Duryodhana is on the path of the power while Arjuna wants to
take the path of the Jungle. Neither of them can live without doing karma. Krishna is
laying the ground works for describing his working sanyas. He has talked about pure
gyan yoga and now he is describing to Arjuna what he should be doing. There is an
opportunity and if he grabs the opportunity he has nothing to loose. If on the other
hand Arjuna lets this opportunity go and goes towards the Jungle, he has everything
to loose.
This is sometimes the tragedy in our times as well. Many people in India believe that
good people should not go into politics. It is bad to go for power, and this belief has
led many capable people to stay away from politics. This happened when India got
its independence in 1947. Gandhi stayed away from power and so did Vinoba Bhave
and Jayaprakash Narayan and many others. They decided to do service from outside.
And that did not really work very well. Who then will walk into politics? And who will
be able to replace such a person? Krishna knows that it is natural for Duryodhana to
go for power, but he has to be stopped. And that is what has led to this beginning of
the Mahabharata.
It does not matter if Arjuna goes to Jungle or not, but it does matter if people like
Duryodhana are allowed to stay on in power. Someone has to be worse than him to
be able to replace Duryodhana. And the cycle continues. What will then happen to
the value system Dharma? Any value system is only maintained by the strong and
powerful. Might is right, but then why not right will have the might. There is no
reason not to and that is what Krishna is pointing out.
One of the best-kept secrets of spiritualism is that success in this world

follows centering growth, be it from any kind of yoga. Success actually is a by-
product of this centering growth. Clarity follows such centering and right decisions
can be taken. The divine also assists such persons in achieving their goals, because
these goals are generally for the benefit of all. The reason it is not described openly
is simple. The moment the goal of success comes to mind, the centering stops. The
centering only happens when there is no desire of success or failure. That is why
Krishna talks to Arjuna about the realization of Atma, Parmatma and sum-bhava
before he asks him to arise and fight.
Krishna wants Arjuna to fight and fight with sum-bhava. Knowing about Atma
and Parmatma is not against fighting if that is what is needed to maintain the value
system of mayaspace, Dharma. Krishna talks about these mundane sounding yet
important points and is laying the groundwork of his working sanyas. Soon Krishna
will be talking about the details of Karma Yoga. But, before that he will once again
remind Arjuna of the sum-bhava that he described before.
From Peak Experiencing to Peak Performance (2:38)
sukha-duhkhe same krtva

labhalabhau jayajayau
tato yuddhaya yujyasva
naivam papam avapsyasi
Do thou fight in the battle (in sum-bhava) and do that without considering happiness
or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat. By so doing, you shall never incur sin. ||
2:38||
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This shloka marks the end of this segment of gyan yoga. Krishna reiterates the
importance of sum-bhava. Before we get further into the shloka itself, let us try to
explore some background to it. It is interesting that Krishna is not asking
Arjuna to fight because it is good to fight. Krishna has never said that. At
the same time Krishna has not said that fighting is bad either. In fact
Krishna has not talked about action so far. He has been focusing on the
state of being thus far. But, even when he does talk about action (karma
yoga), he does not classify that into good karma and bad karma.
This has to be deeply understood. Wendy Donighar recently pointed out that Gita is
not as good a book as some people believe. There are others who think Gita is the
best book ever happened. Gita is five thousand years old and still there are
people who are debating whether it is a good book or not. Who knows what
will be the conclusion in the end? Let us take a cruder example. If the mother of
Hitler or Chengiz Khan killed their sons when they were born, will it have been a
good or a bad act. Who knows? Gita does not address about an act being good or
bad. Krishna instead focuses on the state of being. He is not interested in right or
wrong. Krishna aks Arjuna to get to sum-bhava (centered being). Actually he does
not even talk about right or wrong being; he says that a centered being (man with
sum-bhava) is the right being. Once you are centered; any act that flows from this
centered person will be the right action. Krishna is changing the whole pattern of
thinking of Arjuna. Arjuna is talking about what is right and what is wrong. Arjuna is
talking like a moralist. Krishna is talking like from a dharmic perspective.
There are two ways to look at any thing. One is a moralist approach. The whole
world today and perhaps in those days used to focus on the moralist way. In a
moralist’s world there are only two shades, right and wrong and some will call it
good and bad. In a Dharmic perspective, the state of being is of primary importance.
Krishna wants to create a centered being, a centered Arjuna. Some people believe
that good act produces a good person. But, who is to decide what is good? Some one
marries and is happy about the marriage. Every thing is going good. Suddenly, they
are not getting along and the relationship goes sour and they get a divorce. And they
are angry with God. Why such a bad thing happened to them. But, was it really so
bad? May be they will end up finding better partners and live happily ever after.
Good acts are better than bad acts. But there is something beyond that. An evil
person can do some good acts and feel satisfied that he has done his part. Now, he
can go and do the bad ones. Similarly, good acts can be used to fulfill ulterior
motives. I am an employer. I am good to an employee because I need her. Once my
needs are fulfilled, I fire her. I was good, wasn’t I? Moreover, a moralist’s world can
produce bright and disciplined people but will fail to produce someone like Krishna or
Buddha.
However, moral values have great importance in running a society. It has a

value, a value similar to driving rules. If you break the law you should be prepared to
face the consequences. If you break the speed limit by 10 miles over the speed limit,
you may just get a warning, while if you are caught driving under the influence of
drugs or alcohol (diu), you would loose the license. While state of being is paramount
for the individual’s personal growth, moralist values are paramount in running a
society. When a disaster like the earthquake in Gujarat happens we need enough
good people to go and work and help people in trouble.
Why then Krishna is focusing on state of being in Gita. Since Krishna is directly
addressing Arjuna's concern, we need to examine where Arjuna stands before the
beginning of Gita. Then, we may be able to understand the situation better. Arjuna is
one of the five Pandava brothers. They all grew up together. Then came the time for
learning and training. Dronacharya was their Guru. Arjuna became Drona’s favorite
desciple. Arjuna was trained to win. He won many competitions including winning of
Draupadi. Arjuna was always number one. Drona made sure that Arjuna’s position
was never challenged. Arjuna was never allowed to face Karna who was perhaps the
only real challenge to give any stiff resistance. Drona got Ekalabya out of Arjuna’s
way by asking a ridiculous dakshina from him.
Arjuna knew right from wrong and understood the difference between good and bad.
And that was his problem. The war is at the door and Arjuna is thinking of right and
wrong. It always happens. A good person usually ends up loosing to a bad person. A
developed society ends up being attacked and looted by an inferior society. A
Prithviraj can forgive someone several times. But once he was captured, the same
person blinded him. History is full of such examples. And Mahabharata would have
been perhaps yet another such example had Arjuna not fought in the battle. Mama
Shakuni was a very shrude politician. Krishna was the only person who could read
Shakuni’s moves. Krishna actually uses Arjuna’s vishad to guide him like a Guru. We
will come back to that soon.
But, let us first examine the potential of a human being when he is born. A man has
in my mind four possible potentials when he is born. The Indian scriptures believe
that the human species is preceded by 484,000 species of insects and animals
before. Darwin's theory of evolution points in the same direction. A man’s past is
that of being an animal. And that is one of his potentials. He can drop down to
the level of an animal. That is his basic instinct. He can fight and kill like an animal.
This potential is fairly easy to step into. There is a pull from the past. It is like flow of
water. Flow of water is easier downhill. We have to make an effort to pump the
water up. Similarly, it is easy for man to fall to the level of an animal, but harder to
go to higher realms.
Then there is the human aspect. A person can achieve his full potential as a human
being. Some people define this health as physical, mental and spiritual well being.
This is where the importance of swadharma (a man’s innate potential) lies. A
man’s hidden potential has to be uncovered.
A musician must make music; an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he
is to be at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.
--Abraham Maslo
There is a role of discipline and hard work in development of the full potential of his
being. In ancient India the first 25 years were spent in the development of this
aspect of the being. Arjuna worked hard. He was disciplined. He worked on his body
and mind and became number one in that pursuit. Arjuna may not have realized it
but his swadharma of a kshatriya was fully explored in these growing times of hard
work and training. We of course cannot undermine the efforts of his Guru,
Dronacharya. This is the realm where an Einstein, Ramanuja, Gandhi or a
Vivekananda is the product. These are the peaks of human potentials. There are
many educational institutions, which excel in these kinds of developments
throughout the world. They may be Harvard or Cambridge University today or
Vashishtha’s Ashrama in Rama’s times. The whole effort is to recognize the potential
and give it a sound training.
The third potential is to do with the Divine. Most of us do realize that man alone
can’t do everything. Divine has a role. Man has to realize his limitations. The divine,
call it one God or many gods, plays a role in our life. Vedas have a lot of
information about this aspect of life. There are many yajnas described in many of our
scriptures. All religions believe in this part of our life. Arjuna believed it as well. He
went to Indra and also got additional blessings and training from Shiva himself.
Going to a temple or a church is a signal by us to say that we have our limitations.
All these three aspects of human potential discussed thus far are part of the
Mayaspace, what Krishna calls Asat. Yes, in my views even God is part of
this Mayaspace. Ramana Maharshi makes it clear in his discourses on the
Advaita Bodha Deepika that God is a construct of Mayaspace along with the
jiva (individual) and the jagat (world). Many religions stop here. God and
goodness is their ultimate teaching. Krishna goes a step further and wants to take
Arjuna to the ultimate, the fourth potential.
The fourth potential can simply be called “the fourth” (turiya). This is in the space
outside of the Mayaspace. This is where Krishna wants to take Arjuna. Krishna
is teaching Arjuna the Gyan yoga. The other yogas are to follow. Gyan yoga
is to do with the knowing of the Atma and Parmatma. This knowing has to
be understood again and again. It is not like reading how to drive a car; it is
like actually driving a car. Once Arjuna knows then sum-bhava is the
outcome.
Why is Krishna talking about this peak experience at this juncture? There may have
been many reasons. In my view, it is not just a chance. Krishna was looking for an
opportunity to teach Arjuna the ultimate of the techniques so that he could be a
winner. The outcome of Mahabharata depended on how Arjuna does in the battle. So
far Arjuna had fought and won competitions and few battles here and there. The
decisive battle is here and now. He has to fight his Guru Drona, he has to face the
invincible Bhishma and has to fight Karna. All these were as good or even better
warriors than Arjuna. Krishna therefore has to take this quantum jump for Arjuna.
And Arjuna’s vishad yoga gave him the opportunity to do just that.
Arjuna already has reached to the best of his ability. He has already worshipped and
got the blessings of the divine. Now he has to take this quantum leap into
experiencing the peak to get to the peak of his performance. We shall explore the
shloka itself in the next column.
Knowing (gyana) is power (2:38)
sukha-duhkhe same krtva

labhalabhau jayajayau
tato yuddhaya yujyasva
naivam papam avapsyasi
Do thou fight in the battle (in sum-bhava) and do that without considering
happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat. By so doing, you shall not incur
sin. ||2:38||
There is a common saying that knowledge is power. Education helps and

illiteracy should be considered a curse. Education helps in the success of not only an
individual but also the whole society and in turn a whole nation. We all know this. It is
our common knowledge. So, how is Krishna different? People of a particular country
say India get educated. It develops leaders who are highly educated. And they have to
deal with real neighbors, some of which may be hostile. The country has to deal with
friends who are helping the enemy camp. These are real life situations. How can you
deal with these adverse situations and still progress towards your center is the art and
science that Krishna is teaching here in Gita. Arjuna is highly educated and he is highly
cultured. He is dealing with adverse situation of Mahabharata war. There are friends and
relatives in the enemy camp. And that is when the higher education of Gita starts. This
shloka (verse) should be painted on the walls of all parliaments in the world. This verse
should be a requirement of all leaders and instead of swearing in and taking oath by
raising the hand they should be given this shloka (verse) to live by. Krishna gives this
ultimate knowledge of gyan yoga to Arjuna but then immediately points out the
difference between knowledge and knowing. Krishna emphasizes more on knowing than
on knowledge itself. Knowledge base is important but knowing is crucial.
Knowledge is universal; it can be in a book or in a computer. Anyone can and

should have access to it. Knowing is individual and cannot be transferred to some one
else. Others can perceive it, observe it and get influenced by it, but it cannot be
transferred directly. This is not true only for the experience of Atma and Parmatma, but
is also true in our day-to-day life. I recently met a businessman friend of mine who
travels a lot. We were talking about air travel and how sometimes it is so frustrating to
have to miss a plane and wait several hours for the next flight. He had a different outlook
about it. He felt that missing the plane provided him an opportunity to be with himself.
This is his bhavana that he has developed over time. Others can see the calmness in him
when it happens and may feel that they can also try to develop it. But they have to
develop this simple technique and bhavana for themselves. This is one example. There
are many others. I am a surgeon and in my eyes surgery is an art. You learn more by
observing and doing the surgery than by reading from a book. Similarly if you play
tennis or golf, you can find your authentic shot or swing by yourself. It does not matter
how much you read and how many lessons you take, when you are out there on the
ground, you have to find your own best. What then happens to this knowing when we
die? This has been addressed in Gita later, but let us suffice to say here that all of it is not
lost. Most of it does travel with us in seed form with our samskara. Krishna knows that
our birth is not all genetics. There is something we carry with us from life to life.
Krishna is also different in the sense that he uses the word yoga after the word
knowing (gyan yoga). In my view yoga has been used in Gita more liberally than many
other books and scriptures. A knowing that also centers an individual in my opinion is
gyan yoga. As long as it brings the person closer to his center, it is yoga. Gita starts with
vishad yoga and we have just covered gyan yoga. Karma yoga and others are yet to
come. Even abhyas is yoga in the views of Krishna. Why so much stress on the word
Yoga? Krishna is not interested in any knowing that does not bring Arjuna to his center.
Duryodhana knows how to fight. He perhaps knows the shashtras as well. But how is he
going to use all this knowledge is important. Is Duryodhana going to get centered using
his knowledge base? That is what Krishna is interested in. Ravana in the times of
Ramayana had a large knowledge base. Even Laxman went to learn from him. But, did
Ravana use his knowledge or knowing to center himself? The answer is well known No.
Krishna talks about the Atma and Parmatma and the eternity of soul. That is
knowledge base. He wants Arjuna to know this as his own. And once Arjuna knows the
whole truth, a sum-bhava is the outcome. Krishna has already talked about this generic
sum-bhava before. Now he gets specific. We shall come back to that. Before that, let us
examine where Arjuna stood at the beginning of the Gita. Arjuna is gripped with grief of
what may happen to his friends, relatives and Gurus because of the war. He is not talking
about Ahimsa. He does not want to fight because of his attachments to some members in
the enemy camp. Because of these attachments (mohas), he cannot think straight. It is
important to realize that Arjuna is carried away by these emotions; it is an emotional state
of Arjuna that is causing this crisis. Krishna can see this emotional disturbance clearly
and he first tries to address that here. Krishna mentions it later in Gita as to what he
expected Arjuna to do. Arjuna who can turn emotional by these facts would not have
tolerated when the first shot would have been fired at his brothers, who were closer to
him than all the others in the enemy camp. His emotional state would have turned by that
time and Arjuna will have been shooting arrows to all those who were targeting his
brothers.
Krishna knows the inside story. The inside story of Arjuna that was not even
clear to Arjuna was so obvious to Krishna. Therefore, Krishna first addresses the fact
that there is no possible death of anyone. Krishna does not want every little event in the
Mahabharata to make Arjuna emotional. An emotional Arjuna will not have the clarity
that was needed for him to fight the war. So, Krishna talks about the peak experiencing
that I discussed in my last column. Krishna is making sure that Arjuna knows the truth
about the death and life so that he becomes completely fearless, for all fear comes from
the fear of death. The fear of death of someone else is also fear of death.
And having talked about all that, Krishna comes to specifics. Sum-bhava is in
generic term has vast area of applications. He calls on Arjuna to fight and fight with
sum-bhava in three specific areas. The war is going to be a roller coaster ride. There will
be pain and suffering. There will be moments of excitement, exuberance and happiness.
The first condition Krishna puts is a sum-bhava in these two. Suffering and happiness is
inevitable in a war. Krishna wants to make sure that Arjuna keeps a cool head between
the two and is not carried away by one or the other. This does not mean that he should
not show happiness when it is due or should not have pain when an arrow goes through
his arm. Arjuna like anyone else is going to have pain when hurt. Sum-bhava is being
aware of the two possibilities. Pain will come and is inevitable. Happiness will also
come and go. Sum-bhava is not a mental quality; it is a state of being that is a product of
knowing through awareness. A war also is bound to lead to profit and loss. Again
Krishna wants Arjuna to have sum-bhava in the profit and loss and he also wants Arjuna
to keep sum-bhava between winning and loosing.
Krishna puts tough conditions for Arjuna to fight. For those who think that
Krishna believes in Himsa should focus on this shloka. The war in Krishna’s eyes is not
for profit or loss and is not for winning or loosing. It in Krishna’s view is simply a
response to an inevitable situation where Duryodhana in Mahabharata has left no other
choice to the Pandavas. And given this situation, he asks Arjuna to fight but fight with
sum-bhava in suffering and happiness, in profit and loss and in winning and loosing.
The next statement by Krishna is so categorical. He says to Arjuna, “By so
doing, you shall not incur sin.” This is so interesting. Normally we think that certain
acts are sinful. Krishna on the other hand is saying that sin does not depend on an act. It
depends on the bhavana. If you think of killing some one for a profit or loss, it is sin
even though you have not acted to accomplish that killing. If a killing happens by you
but you are in sum-bhava at the time, then it is not a sin. Krishna does not so much care
for the act but he definitely cares for who the actor is and what is his bhavana at the time
of the act. This focusing of responsibility on the doer rather than what is done is a shift
from our normal social establishment. Krishna will say that there are good and bad
people, there is no good or bad act. The focus is on the bhavana of an individual and the
focus here in this shloka is on Arjuna fighting with sum-bhava.
Let us examine our social structure of today. We like to develop professionals.

Doctors, Engineers and lawyers are professionals. They have the knowledge and the
experience to perform intricate cases. Doctors can perform cardiac transplants and are on
the verge of breakthrough with genetic manipulations. But, there are professional
lawyers who will protect criminals; there are doctors who will go into medicine to get
access to drugs for abuse. We have produced professional fundraisers and professional
killers. The professional killers will kill for money and the professional fundraisers know
how to exploit others emotions to get money. Despite these horror stories these
professionals are the success stories of our times. Even a secretary in our office wants to
dress and act professionally.
What then is there that Krishna can offer to us that are better than professionals in
today’s society? If we examine Arjuna, he was a professional soldier in those times. The
only thing that went wrong is that he got emotional. And this to our understanding is
unprofessional for a soldier. Krishna could have either exploited these emotions or could
have killed these emotions to get Arjuna going. Krishna chose instead to create a
centered Arjuna. And a centered Arjuna will act out with sum-bhava. This is Krishna’s
contribution for us. Krishna wants to create centered professionals. There have been
many names for this centered being in Gita e.g. a Yogi, an sthitapragya and so on. A
centered professional will then act out of a sum-bhava. Will he be as successful a doctor
or a soldier or a businessman? In my view he will be better. After all the number one
spot in whole of Mahabharata war does go to Arjuna and this happened after he became
centered.
From confusion to clarity (2:39-2:41)
esa te 'bhihita sankhye

buddhir yoge tv imam srnu
buddhya yukto yaya partha
karma-bandham prahasyasi
Thus far I have declared to you the analytical knowledge of sankhya philosophy.
Now listen to the knowledge of yoga whereby one works without fruitive result. O
son of Prtha, when you act by such intelligence, you can free yourself from the
bondage of works. ||2:39||
nehabhikrama-naso 'sti
pratyavayo na vidyate
svalpam apy asya dharmasya
trayate mahato bhayat
In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path
can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear. ||2:40||
vyavasayatmika buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-sakha hy anantas ca
buddhayo 'vyavasayinam
Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one (eka-
budhi). O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is
many-branched. ||2:41||
Before we take up these shlokas, let us recap what we have covered so far. Where is
Krishna heading to and how does he plan to achieve that? I have mentioned several times
before that Gita is methodical, systematic and scientific. It is not a fiction, nor is it an
academic intellectual pursuit. Gita is practical and is for use in our day-to-day life.
Why do I say that? Arjuna is confused in the beginning of Gita. He gets quite emotional
and is seeing around him with the goggles of love and affection. Arjuna respects his
Gurus and he cannot conceive how he can ever kill them. His concern sounds genuine to
most of us. But soon the same Guru is going to attempt to kill his brother Yudhisthir.
Arjuna’s goggles will change to the goggles of hate. And he will now say that how come
anybody dares to try to kill my brother? And the situation changes. Krishna is simply
asking Arjuna not to wear any goggles. Krishna is asking Arjuna to get to sum-bhava
and then act out of sum-bhava.
Krishna’s whole attempt is to bring clarity (ek-budhi, 2:41) to Arjuna’s thinking process.
At the beginning of Gita Arjuna’s mind is all confused. Arjuna understands the need of
the war. He knows why he is there in Kurukshetra. But, other factors are influencing
him as well. He cannot balance it out and the predominant force at the beginning of Gita
that has taken over Arjuna is the desire of not fighting. Krishna works on trying to center
Arjuna, and a centered Arjuna can have clarity and then whatever decisions Arjuna
makes will be o.k.
Let us understand this from an example. Examples are not perfect but can be used as
means for coming close. It is important to understand gyan (let us say wisdom), buddhi
(intellect), man (mind), indriyas (sense organs) and vaasanas (desires) before we get very
far in Gita. These words are used quite frequently from now on in Gita and they have
very distinct meanings.
I am myopic and that means I use glasses to see things at distance. I am sitting on the
side of a lake but do not have my glasses. Obviously, I can’t see very far. My son points
out to me that there is a boat on the lake, quite far but he can see it clearly. And it is so
beautiful. I naturally ask for my glasses. And he instead of handing over my glasses asks
me to think about it. Just think that it is beautiful. He went on to describe it in more
detail. And he was ready to paint it on a piece of paper so that I could see it close on
paper. It sounds ridiculous, but we do that all the time in our real life. We all are ready
to jump to conclusions without knowing what is going on. Anyway, to continue the
story, my son then hands me my dark glasses and I can now see the boat. And the boat is
beautiful but everything is has a red hue. I go on and get my proper glasses and I am able
to see the beautiful boat. And we had a binocular to get a close view as well. And it felt
so good. This is clarity. This is gyana. Knowing it as it is is gyana.
And that is what Krishna is trying to do here. Of course there is no boat, there is no lake
and there is no distance. Everything and everyone is close by. The proximity is the
problem. We are so close to ourselves that we do not want to see it. When we are upset
about something in our lives we immediately start looking for a cause outside which
might have upset us. We never want even to think that it may be my state of being that is
causing me to get upset once or twice every day. And some beings stay upset all the
time. Krishna will say that if you get centered, you will never get upset. And that is
why, all this emphasis on a centering growth (yoga). We will come back to this again.
But for now let us continue the story.
The boat is so beautiful. I would like others to know about this lake and the beautiful
boat on the lake. I cannot bring everyone there, but what can I do. The buddhi has to
help me here. I can take pictures, make video, pain or simply write a poem. The buddhi
(intellect) has to work for me. And this role of intellect is important.
Both, my son, and me were so impressed by the boat. It is so much fun to be there on the
boat. We both started talking about how to have that boat. We want the boat. We can
perhaps buy a similar boat. But, no we want it now. This is man (mind). The man
(mind) desires to have it for the pleasure of indriyas (sense organs). The buddhi
(intellect) has to come and help here again. And, the buddhi is always neutral. It will
give all the options available and try to describe the risks and benefits. And the open
options may be beg, borrow or steal.
As we saw, Arjuna is confused. He is not centered. Krishna is going to try to center him
so that he can think clearly and use his buddhi (intllect) to its fullest. To Krishna, man
and its assoiciates (desires and sense organs) is the seat of confusion. What kind of glass
is Krishna going to prescribe Arjuna?
Awareness and abhyas (pracice) are the tools in this journey from confusion to clarity.
Krishna also had close up visions (like the binocular in our example) that he showed
glimpses of to Arjuna. He used them as tools to get Arjuna to the center. And that was
unique. Krishna has withheld nothing in Gita. When the time was ripe and Arjuna was
ready, Krishna did not hesitate in showing his virat rupa and Krihna will do it again if one
of us is in the ready state where Arjuna was then. Let us explore this in our next column,
“Confusion to clarity II.”
From confusion to clarity – part II

Now listen to the knowledge of yoga whereby one works without fruitive result. O
son of Prtha, when you act by such intelligence, you can free yourself from the
bondage of works. ||2:39||
ekeha kuru-nandana
In our last column we explored the distinctions between gyan (wisdom), buddhi
(intellect) and man (mind). We also briefly talked about vaasanas (desire) and indriyas
(sense organs) and its relationship with man (mind).
As I mentioned before the word yoga has been used liberally in Gita. Any technique that
leads to a centering growth, in my mind is Yoga. We all have a center, but live off of the
center. As we grow, we have the possibility of also moving towards the center. We have
in our earlier columns conceptualized a conical growth versus a cylindrical growth. We
all grow in age and while growing we acquire knowledge through education and prosper
by accumulating wealth. This growth is a cylindrical growth. There is virtually no
change in the state of being. It remains off center.
When Krishna uses the word yoga, he is signifying a centering process as well as a
vertical growth. This is similar to an ant trying to go up a cone. As it winds up the cone,
it goes towards the center as well. Patanjali defines Yoga as cessation of mind
(yogaschitta vritti nirodhaya). Of course, this definition is more accurate. What we have
to understand is that man (mind) is what keeps us on the periphery. In other words, once
the mind is dropped, centering happens. We can also say that once you are centered,
mind is not the master. Cessation of mind is not similar to non-existence of mind.
Krishna has explained this relationship between man (mind) buddhi (intellect) and gyan
(wisdom) beautifully in later chapters. Krishna wants us to understand that normally we
let the indriya-vaasana-mind complex be the master and run our lives. And this
according to Krishna is the problem. It is similar to a secretary running your office. The
CEO has to follow orders from his secretary. In some ways whole effort of Krishna in
Gita is to change this hierarchy. Krishna’s effort is to reverse the order. He wants the
state of being and buddhi (intellect) to be running our lives and not the indriya-vaasana-
man complex. We will explore this fully later in Gita.
In our last column we touched two techniques that are helpful in this path from confusion
to clarity. Awareness is one of the keys. First of all, one needs to be aware of the
necessity for a change. A thirst or a hunger has to be there. Duryodhana knows what he
wants. He does not have any qualms about it. Gita starts with a simple question from
Dhritrashtra. And the question is as to what is going on in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
Then Duryodhan’s perspective is outlined. And Duryodhana wants to win. He is a great
soldier and also a good leader. He has organized an invincible army.
Then we come upon Arjuna’s perspective. His awareness is at a slightly higher level
compared to Duryodhana. He is sensitive to what is going on and what kinds of effects
this war might bring upon to real human beings. This sensitivity actually is so intense
that Arjuna becomes emotional and almost paralyzed. He drops his bow and arrow and
declares that he will not fight. Gita calls this as Vishad (despair) yoga. And we have
discussed in our prior column how Vishad (despair) can be yoga. The awareness in any
crisis is heightened and need for change is paramount in such situations. Krishna takes
hold of this as an opportunity to give Arjuna the peak experiences of his life. Krishna
teaches Arjuna all the centering techniques during the course of Gita. And how fortunate
are we that who can participate in this event in our times.
Awareness is the key to almost every known meditation or yoga technique. Whether it is
a sitting meditation (vipassana) or it is chanting of mantra, if you are not aware of what is
going on, you are not meditating. Sleeping with awareness or flying with awareness, a
life with awareness is a life with meditation. And this awareness slowly and slowly
brings closer to the center. When the centering happens, awareness remains. Awareness
is not an effort any more. The mind does not go anywhere to such a man.
But, this does not just happen. Effort is needed in the beginning. Mind (man) is a
wanderer by nature. And it is easy to slip and loose awareness. The indryias and mind
hijack the whole individual many a times. We all go to loo-loo-land several times a day.
Daydreaming is not that uncommon. And when Arjuna asks this question to Krishna,
Krishna talks about the Abhyas (practice) yoga. We all know the saying that ‘Practice
makes a man perfect.’ This saying applies to yoga as well.
Arjuna is in despair. He is down and depressed. His eyes are teary and his limbs
trembling. And, Krishna just smiles. We have discussed this divine smile in our column
before and how I feel that this smile was because Krishna could see more than what
Arjuna could. Krishna then talks about the timing issue. How Arjuna’s intellectual
arguments against the war was so untimely. The war was already there. Why did Arjuna
not think of it before the war? Arjuna always wanted to fight and now when the war is
knocking ate door, he goes numb. Arjuna was smart. His logic is great. Arjuna asks the
question as to how killing a Guru could have anything to do with timing. Killing a Guru
is always wrong. And this is when Krishna tells Arjuna that Arjuna is on the wrong
track. And here is when the Gyan yoga starts.
It is interesting that the first yoga that Krishna describes is Gyan yoga. Gyan yoga is to
do with the state of being. Knowing is enough. No effort is needed. This is also called
Sankhya yoga. Kapila was one of the proponents of Sankya yoga and so was J.
Krishnamurthy. Knowing not knowledge is all you need. Wisdom is enough. Rest will
follow. It is interesting also because in our understanding of gyan, buddhi and man, gyan
is the first. That is the order Krishna will like us to work. The next yoga Krishna will
talk about is the buddhi yoga and then go on from there. All these are Krishna’s efforts
to bring arjuna’s state of being of confusion to that of clarity. Mind is confusion and
gyan is clarity. We will summarize the Gyan yoga aspect in our next column, “From
confusion to clarity III.”
Summary of Gyan Yoga
Gyan, Buddhi and Mun-indriya-vaasana complex were discussed in the last two columns.
It is important to understand the tributes of these three basic factors; because there lies
the means of development of techniques for rise and fall. Gyan has to do with knowing
by experiencing. And experience is mostly individual. It is difficult to transfer, it is
unique to the individual and it is not always reproducible. Any gyan that also centers the
individual is gyan yoga and that is what Krishna has covered so far. Buddhi mostly has a
utilitarian purpose. It is the means of expression for the gyana and also for the mun
complex. Development of language, mathematics and the lot comes from the buddhi
(intellect). A buddhi that also helps in centering process is buddhi yoga and this in Gita
is synonymous with karma yoga. Karma is the outlet for the buddhi. Buddhi yoga also
leads to clarity (ek buddhi). When buddhi (intellect) works for the mun-indriya-desire
complex, it is always divided. The reason of this division is not the buddhi, but it is the
mun. We know that one desire of an indriya can hijack the whole individual being. A
man in pursuit of say drugs can forget everything that may be wrong with the same drug.
This same property or tribute can be used for a centering growth as well. When the mun
complex is focused towards a certain image or God this becomes the bhakti yoga. We
shall discuss these in later columns.
Gyan may lead to gyan yoga, buddhi to karma yoga and mun to bhakti yoga. Gyan
yoga leads to sum-bhava, budhi yoga (karma yoga) leads to sum-buddhi (clarity)
and bhakti (devotion) leads to the true understanding of sum-arpan (surrendering).
However, these are not watertight compartments. There is a lot of overlap.
Whenever someone tries to lock into one and discard the other, the problem arises.
Usually the arguments are academic. Krishna has tried to maintain the distinctions
between these yogas but at the same time he has been very clear about the similarities and
the overlaps. Usually the end point of all these yogas is the same. And most important of
all, the results of these techniques should show in our daily life. I love the saying by Ma
Shardadevi:
“Many are known to do great works under the stress of some emotion. But a man's true
nature is known from the manner in which he does his insignificant daily task.”
The centering has to reflect in real life. Whether it is how to deal with son or
daughter or whether it is in sleep; a certain qualitative difference has to be present.
Krishna wants Arjuna to become centered. A centered Arjuna will be more
productive and will of course be more effective. The times of Krishna and Arjuna
were different. The goals of people then were different. They did not use terms like
growth, productivity or management skills. The goals used in Gita times were yoga,
yagya, freedom from the cycle of life and birth. These were the ultimate desires of the
elite in those days. It was understood that clarity and effectiveness will be there as a by-
product. But these words have caused us to interpret that Gita or Upanishads were life
negative. In my view these terms were not used because it was a given, it was given that
once centering happens, effectiveness and clarity followed.
As I described before, reading about riding a bike is not gyana, knowing how to ride a
bike is. Similarly gyana is required to be a doctor or a lawyer. A medical student goes
through a medical school and reads volumes of material. That in it-self does not make
him a doctor. He has to see how other doctors operate or interact when a specific illness
situation arises. Let’s say that there is more to becoming a doctor or a lawyer than just
reading of books. Books are required. They are the only means of expressing what can
be expressed.
The biggest problem or let us say the difficulty with gyana is imparting to others. How
can you transfer the knowledge of experience to others? There are limitations, but in
certain state of being such a transfer is possible. Your son has bad grades. When he
comes home he is able to tell that people at home are unhappy. The unhappiness is in the
air. No words need to be spoken. When you are in love, it shows. Words like “I love
you” often do not convey the same meaning. A bouque of flowers perhaps does more.
Any gyana that leads to centering is Gyana yoga in my view. Krishna has thus far
outlines this technique to Arjuna. Transferring this experience is harder. Some experts in
this field talk about the technique of shakti paat. They claim that divine power can be
transferred to another being by touching the other being. Divine can be channeled
through a person in certain state of being. This may be true to a certain extent, but
transferring the whole experience of Brahma is a little different. However, someone in a
specific state of being only can attain this. Such a communication in peace and silence
happened between Ramakrishna and Vivekananda and also between Buddha and
Mahalashyap. And perhaps that is what is happening in Gita to Arjuna. It can also
happen to us and what happens is in between the words of Gita. And let us now try t
summarise what has been covered by Krishna in gyan yoga:
1. There is distinction between body and the being. The physical body is one of
several bodies. It has the beauty and the fitness; this body ages and also dies.
That does not however mark the end. The essence is then carried in seed form
(samskaras) by the astral body to another life. Knowing this any suffering to the
body is going to pass and so will the happiness. Sum-bhava is the applied part of
this knowing.
2. The whole existence can be divided in to two, Sat and Asat. Sat is eternal and
indestructible and asat is destined to perish. Anything that has a beginning and an
end is Asat. Also, Asat is always sustained by the Sat. Atma is part of the Sat in
our individual existence.
3. Then Krishna has described the attributes of this Atma. It is never born and it
never dies. It cannot be destroyed by any means. Krishna calls on Arjuna not to
worry since there is going to be no real death of any one involved. The essence is
going to live on. This will lead to make Arjuna fearless, for all fear has origin in
fear of death.
4. Krishna also produces a hypothetical situation to Arjuna. Even if Atma was
destructible, there is nothing to worry for. It is going to die anyway; it is just a
matter of time. We covered this in our column “Atma and I.”
5. Krishna then talks about swadharma for Arjuna and goes on to talk about what
will happen to Arjuna’s image if he did not fight. It is so interesting that these
mundane sounding statements are part of gyan yoga. We have discussed it in our
appropriate column on these shlokas.
6. Finally Krishna emphasizes on the attaining of sum-bhava. Further discussion on
this is presented in our column, “Knowing is power” and the following is a
paragraph from that:
“Krishna puts tough conditions for Arjuna to fight. For those who think that
Krishna believes in Himsa should focus on this shloka. The war in Krishna’s
eyes is not for profit or loss and is not for winning or loosing. It in Krishna’s
view is simply a response to an inevitable situation where Duryodhana in
Mahabharata has left no other choice to the Pandavas. And given this
situation, he asks Arjuna to fight but fight with sum-bhava in suffering and
happiness, in profit and loss and in victory and defeat.”
Gita continues and so will our columns. We will pick up the shlokas from where we left
off.
Relation of Budhi to Karma (2:39-2:41)

Now listen to the knowledge of Budhi yoga whereby one works without fruitive
result. O son of Prtha, when you act by such intelligence, you can free yourself from
the bondage of works. ||2:39||
ekeha kuru-nandana
We recently went to Panama in Central America for a vacation. It was early morning and
we went for a walk along a path in the Gamboa rainforest area. It was fairly quiet; very
few people were there that early. It was simply wonderful. We could distinctly hear the
sounds made by insects and various animals. Butterflies were going all around us and the
little ants were carring loads three times their size from one end of the path to the other
and further. They were all working. And, they have been working for several
generations; doing the same thing over and over. But, they have not built a Panama
Canal or an aeroplane. They have neither built guns not nuclear bombs.
What is the difference? The little ants do karma and so do we. We progress but the ants
do not. The difference is the Buddhi, the intellect. With advent of buddhi we can build
on what we have learned from our ancestors. Buddhi and karma are closely related. And
then there is a difference in our karma and the karma of a Krishna or a Buddha. The
difference is almost as large as that between the ants and us. But this difference is
qualitative. On the surface Krishna and Duryodhana may appear to be eating or walking
the same way. But, there will be a vast difference in the state of being inside.
Let us now examine the role of mun-indriya-vasana complex in doing of karma. The
desires, which originate in mun bring in the concept of sakam karma. Sakam Karma
means karma for a desired result. A result is expected in doing that karma. Duryodhana
is also doing his karma and wants to fight. He expects to win the war. That is what he
wants. In fact he wants to win and that is why he wants to fight. His desire to win and
rule without any opposition is the source for this Mahabharata war. He is using his
buddhi to rationalize what he is doing.
Similarly Arjuna in the beginning of Gita wants his friends and loved ones to live. His
love for them is causing him to decide not to fight. He is using his buddhi and is coming
out with all the right reasons for not fighting the war. There is a desire however subtle it
is which is guiding Arjuna to take the stand of not fighting.
On the surface it looks straightforward. It seems that both Duryodhana and Arjuna know
what they want. But, Krishna will argue that whenever there is desire and whenever
there is mun, the buddhi is divided. A person living at the level of mun and desires by
default will have a confused buddhi. Only a person who is centered will have the clarity
of ek-buddhi.
And this has to be understood. Krishna is not telling Arjuna to do this or that. He is not
saying to Arjuna that he should fight because it is the right thing to do. Krishna is very
clear in all his statements of asking Arjuna to arise and fight. And every time Krishna
asks Arjuna to arise and fight, he adds some condition of centering. Either he asks
Arjuna to fight with sum-bhava or with sum-buddhi or with sam-arpana. Krishna’s
whole emphasis is on centering a de-centered Arjuna, and once Arjuna is centered the
right decision will happen.
We are all born with a center. As we grow in the society, we get off center. And then we
get used to living off center and keep living off center. Some of us start missing this
center especially when we come across a Bhagavadgita or a Dhammapada and start
realizing that we may be missing something. Since the buddhi and mun-indriya-vasana
complex can work happily forever at the periphery we do not miss much of what we
need. And who really needs the center. Again sometimes we meet someone like
Maharshi Ramana or Guru Govind Singh and see the calmness on his or her faces and
start wondering. Can anyone be so silent and still do karma?
J Krishnamurthi has talked about conditioning. As we grow we are conditioned in one

type of personality or the other. If you are born in the USA you think differently that if
you are born in Burma or Indonesia. A de-conditioning is then needed to get to the
center. Krishna or Buddha will say that we are not only conditioned in this life but there
is conditioning present from several lives. A deep cleansing is required. And there are
several techniques devised over times, which help in this de-conditioning process.
Although J Krishnamurthi says that nothing needs t be done, he also mentions the process
of focusing attention. Buddha developed the technique of vipassana. And there are many
others. Many layers have to be traveled till we come to the center, and there may be
several detours on the way. And that is one reason Krishna talks about the importance of
practice (abhyas) yoga.
And now let us examine the shlokas. Krishna says that he has talked about the sankhya
yoga so far and is now going to talk about buddhiyaga. Once Arjuna understands this
buddhiyoga he would be able to go beyond the bondage (effects) of karmas. Krishna goes
on to say that even an attempt at this karmayoga (implying nishkam karmayoga) allays
any fear and that it brings in the clarity of ek-buddhi.
What is nishkam karma, what are these bondages and how can this nishkam karma allay
all fear and bring clarity will be discussed in our next column.
karma-bandham prahasyasi (2:39)

Now listen to the knowledge of Budhi yoga whereby one works without fruitive
result. O son of Prtha, when you act by such intelligence, you can free yourself from
the bondage of works. ||2:39||
We all have a center but most of us live and spend our lives at the periphery.
Since most of us live at the periphery, we need to find a method or a path to travel to the
center. Krishna not only knows about this center but he actually lives at the center. At
the center there is stillness, there is awareness and there is bliss. There is no karma at the
center. There are no desires and there is no need for karma. The word ‘akarma’ may be
used to describe the state of existence of a centered being. This is essential to
understanding of what Krishna is saying here in these shlokas and what he is going to say
about karma-yoga. A centered being like Buddha or Krishna also has to move off from
the center when they have to do karma. When they have to use Buddhi they have to
move away from the center as well. Karma-khsetra is not at the center. Duryodhana is
doing his thing, Arjuna is doing his and Krishna is doing his. The work place is the
same. The karmas may appear to be the same as well. But there is a qualitative
difference. So what is so different between Krishna driving the chariot from anyone else
driving another chariot?
For Krishna center is his home. Most of us like to live in the suburb of a big city
like Boston or New York. The home is where we sleep, relax, cook and eat. Then we go
to work for certain number of hours every day. Sometimes we get away for a few days.
But, then ultimately, we come home and feel good about it. Krishna, Buddha and
Ramana Maharshi have found the ultimate home. And many names have been given to
this; I am simply calling it the center. You can call it Atma or even better, Parmatma.
That is our eternal home. But, as long as we are part of Mayaspace, we have to do
karma. And karma is always away from home. One who has found his center (the
ultimate home) is always aware of this center. And that is the big difference. Such a man
can remain unattached to the karma or the karma-place.
It is easy to understand how to be unattached once you are centered. It is,

however, harder for us to understand this because we have never known the center. The
center is a concept for us, a construct of mind; it is not our knowing. So, how do you get
there? What are the roads to this center? Krishna has already talked about gyan yoga.
He is now talking about karma yoga.
We just examined how a centered person tends to do karma. We can trace that
backwards and try to reach the center. An effort will be needed. An effort is always
needed whenever a new path is treaded upon. An effort is needed in learning to play golf
or to drive a car. By and by it becomes spontaneous. Normally we are always going
outside. Our natural day-to-day life is spent at the periphery. An effort will be required
to change the direction inwards towards the center. Abhyasa (practice) will be needed as
well. Sakam karma is our natural state of affairs. Nishkam karma will require an effort.
We shall examine the details of nishkam karma later, but let us understand that it will
require an effort to change our usual routine. The big question is why should we even try
to change the direction? Why bother?
Krishna here in this shloka says that this buddhi yoga (nishkam karma yoga) will
free from the bondage of karma (sakam karma). What is this bondage of karma? One of
several concerns Arjuna had is what will happen when he goes to war and kills all these
people in the enemy camp. He is so concerned about what the result is going to be.
Krishna has several surprises for Arjuna in store. But here, right at the outset of the start
of karma yoga, Krishna points out the advantages of nishkam karma yoga. Even before
Krishna describes the different karmas, he talks about the advantages. Let us try to
understand what Krishna means by the bondage. The bondage principle is based on the
fact that no karma is isolated. Each and every act (karma) is beginning of a series. You
produce a son or a daughter, they produce grandson or granddaughter and the series
continues. India and Pakistan were divided on the lines of religion and the division
continues. Japan bombed Pearl harbor and a sentiment was set in motion. No act
(karma) is isolated. And this forms the basis of the journey from life to life and the basis
of what we call samskara.
Samskara of an individual has a general meaning of what one carries from one life
to another; a journey from life to life. The last thought in your dying moments is the
quintessence of your entire life up to then. The same impressions and experiences will
become your potential for the next life. That will be your asset to carry into the next birth
in a seed form. In the interval between births, though there is no body, there is a great
chain of body-related experiences existing in seed form, which can become active at any
time upon acquisition of a body. We refer to these impressions and chain of bodily
experiences as Samskara. One may call it conditioning or even a built-in program of
your life, applicable in the future. A man knows how to drive a car. If the car is taken
away from him he does not forget how to drive a car. His experience of driving a car
stays with him in a seed form. The only thing lacking is the car. Once he gets a car his
driving will come back to him.
Let us examine the banking system of today. You deposit money or take out
money from a bank in the currency you deposit. You can some times borrow money and
the other times lend money. You have to balance your checkbooks, the credits and debits.
Don’t forget the finance charges. The usual desire or requirement is to have a positive
balance. The more you have in the bank the more value it has, the more you can do with
it. The aim usually is to have as much as you can.
Now imagine that instead of having a brick and mortar building to deal with you
have to deal with a virtual entity. Actually, it is not hard to comprehend a virtual banking
since many people do actually deal with banks via the Internet. If you can stretch your
imagination a little more you can imagine of having a virtual currency in a virtual bank.
Why to carry dollar bills or a plastic? Even with virtual money in a virtual bank, you
still have to deposit money, balance the checkbook and desire to have a big bank account.
Now, imagine that you have to deposit this virtual currency in kind rather than in
currency (money) in a virtual bank it is getting close to the concept of samskara. The
virtual bank is your bank. This is not accessible to any one other than you. The currency
is your karma, be it a good karma, a bad karma, or an ugly karma. You do not have to
deposit the karma. Deposit is out of your control. It is automatic. Once you do a karma
it is deposited. Even if you intend to do karma it is deposited. The desire of performing
karma is considered equivalent to doing the karma. The balancing also is automatic.
Once you undo karma it is removed. In this account a good karma does not cancel out a
bad karma. All karma has to burn out. We will get into the details of karma later on
since the samskara cannot be understood independent of the concept of karma. They are
closely related.
The main thing that has to be understood is that the goal of the samskara deposit
is to get to a zero balance. The understanding of this principle is important. Buddha was
walking along. Accidentally, his big toe hit a pebble and as expected the toe started
bleeding. It of course was painful. Buddha’s response was that of utter relief. This was
the last of his karma coming back. He thanked the pebble and continued walking. In your
childhood you might have experienced sprain or trauma. Your mother might have said, a
‘graha’ has been cut. This is a similar situation as of Budha’s toe. The concept of karma
deposit and then burning out has gone deep in our psyche. Sometimes these words are
uttered without even understanding the details of the incident.
Krishna here emphasizes on the fact that deposits of karma can be halted with the
help of buddhi yoga, which is same as nishkam karma yoga. Once there are no deposits,
all you have to wait for is burning out of the deposited karma to get to the zero balance.
Buddha or Krishna also has to burn out the deposited karmas. These deposits are the
bondage. That is the reason for the whole journey from life to life. And the path of
nishkam karma is the path where karma can be done without the need for automatic
deposits. We shall explore this in more detail in columns to come.
Attributes of Nishkam karma (2:40)
In this, there is no waste of the unfinished attempt, nor is there production of

contrary results. Even very little of this Dharma protects from great fear. ||2:40||
In the last column we talked about the bondage of karma and how nishkam karma can
free some one from this bondage. Krishna goes on to say few more advantages or say
attributes of nishkam karma:
1. No effort of nishkam karma is wasted

2. There are no obstacles (pratyavaya) in the path of nishkam karma and
3. Nishkama karma protects one from the greatest fear
Krishna is very categorical and confident in what he is saying. He is not using words like
‘maybe’ or ‘could be.’ There is no doubt in his mind. This is so. To understand the
attributes of nishkam karma we need to understand the opposite, the sakam karma,
because we are all familiar with this karma.
Every effort however much it is in the path of sakam karma is a wasted effort. And the
key word is expectation (kamana). The formula for sakam karma is:
Karma + kamana = sakam karma
And the kamana knows no ends. When I was in India and in medical school, my aim was
to make 100, 000 rupees. That was my goal. That was my dream. Now I have more
than 100,000 dollars but do you think my kamana is gone. Is this the end of my
expectations? Kamana does not work that way. I have a friend who bought a gadget
more than a month ago. He did not like the gadget any more and wanted to return it. He
was all worried whether the store will return it or not. The store policy was to return
merchandise within two weeks of sale. After a lot of practice as to what he will say and
what not, he went to the store. He did not have the receipt either. The store did return
the gadget, but gave him a store credit. He should be happy. Shouldn’t he? But, he was
not. He was complaining and whining again. He is not alone. There is a lot of us like
him. As long as we have certain expectations, the efforts will be wasted. There will be
results, but those results will not satisfy us. The moment the expectation (kamana)
appears to be fulfilled, the kamana changes. The mind-vasana-indriya complex lives on
this simple principle. Keep desiring is its slogan and its reality. And, this phenomenon
or attribute keeps us on the periphery all the time.
And this attribute of mun-indriya-vasana is well known to the advertising companies.

They keep advertising on the television or the newspaper for us to be able to see what
new product is out there. A new computer or a new music mantra is always on sale. A
new Porsche convertible that can go from 0 – 60 miles per hour in no time is in the
showroom. All you have to do is to test drive it. They all are aiming at this never
satiable desire and kamana phenomenon. But, there is no fulfillment, there is no
satisfaction, there is no peace and there is no happiness. Frustration is always the
outcome. We keep on making efforts but we never get the expected outcome.
Krishna says that on the contrary to sakam karma, no effort is wasted in the path of
nishkam karma. This is interesting. Even a small effort is satisfying. There is always
fulfillment. Frustration never happens. The formula for nishkam karma is:
Karma – kamana = nishkam karma
Krishna is saying us to take out the kamana factor. Simply eliminate the expectation part.
And then there is no wasted effort. Any effort you make will bring some result. And you
are thankful for that result. There is no preconceived expectation of how a result should
turn out to be. It does not mean that such a person will not drive a Porsche convertible,
but then he will be happy with it and without it too.
The second point is really interesting. We find obstacles in every walk of our life and
Krishna says that there are no obstacles in the path of nishkam karma. Krishna will put a
lot of astrologers and Swamis out of business. They live on eliminating obstacles from
our life. A ruby will eliminate any problems from the bad aspects of planet Sun or a
sapphire will work against Shani. There is a whole science of mantras and japas based on
this principle. And here comes Krishna who says all you need to do is to follow the path
of nishkam karma, and there will be no obstacles at all.
And this statement has two angles we can look from. First of all if you do not have any
preconceived expectation, whatever comes is o.k. A man going on the path of nishkam
karma does not see obstacles as obstacles. It is like the flow of any river or a brook. The
water starts. It has no map. A rock comes in front. It takes a side trip and keeps going.
It accepts the presence of stone and finds a solution and moves on. A man on the path of
nishkam karma has a friendly relationship with the obstacles while a man on sakam
karma has a “why this?” relatinship with the obstacle.
And the second angle is a little difficult to understand. But it does happen to someone on
this path. A man on the path of nishkam karma does have fewer obstacles. It seems that
the energy of the universe flows along with such a person. It is more readily available to
him when compared to a man on the path of sakam karma. Whether this happens
because of this person being more cool and collected or whether this happens because
such a person is in more harmony with the powers of nature, is difficult to say. But the
divine does seem to help such a person.
The end result is that a person on the path of nishkam karma is more effective as well.
And let us now address the last point. How does nishkam karma yoga protect some one
from the greatest fears? What fear is Krishna talking about? One of our greatest fears is
about our performance and success. Every one has heard of mid life crisis. Krishna is
talking about this kind of fear. Again it is easier to work with sakam karma. We are
expected to be somewhere by our age of 40+ years. We evaluate our performance so far
and judge whether we have been successful or not. I had a patient who is 50+ years old
and has been happy or not so happy like many of us. One day he looked quite sad. His
wife had left him. She was seeking a divorce. That did not bother him so much. What
bothered him more was the fact that she was leaving him for another women. This
shattered him completely. It took a lot of time for him to recover from this episode. This
is the kind of fear Krishna is talking about. We have preconceived ideas about our
successes and our failures. And we are always afraid of not meeting up to our
expectations. Will my son respect me? Will my daughter listen to me? Will she marry
the guy I choose for her or will she defy my stand? All these are our day-to-day
concerns. If you take out these expectations, there is no fear. If you accept life as it
presents itself, you will never have any fear. But, we do not want to be happy. If the
wife leaves me and I am not sad, I will be branded abnormal. I must look sad if that
happens to me. And we keep this going on and on. But Krishna wants us to break that
routine. Drop the kamana and you will have no fear.
Sakam karma has been translated in English (by some) as selfish action. And, nishkam
karma has been termed ‘selfless action.’ It is important to understand that these
translations are not accurate. If I do a yagya for the benefit of whole mankind it is not a
selfish act but it is still sakam karma. Whenever there is kamana (expectation) the action
is sakam karma. So, Krishna is not talking about good karma and bad karma. He is not
talking about right and wrong. He is talking about whether you have any desire or
expectation of a result or not. If you are thinking of doing service to poor and down
trodden in Africa and want heaven in return, it is sakam karma. And when you just go
for a walk without any expectations, there is nishkam karma. Actually, it should just be
called karma yoga. And by default a person on the path of karma yoga (nishkam karma)
will be peaceful, happy and fearless. This person is bound to be effective, more
productive and highly successful.
Karma Yoga: Ek Buddhi (2:41)
ekeha kuru-nandana
Kamana (desire) is the contaminant to buddhi (intellect) and also to karma. It is

important to realize that Kamana is not good or bad; it simply contaminates the karma
and also the intellect. The relationship is somewhat similar to mud and the water. The
water becomes muddy and clarity is lost. If mud is allowed to settle down, clarity
returns. Karma with kamana is sakam karma and a buddhi with kamana always travels in
multiple directions. Arjuna is confused. He does not want to fight but at the same time
he is not sure if that is the right decision. If he fights he fights for certain kamanas
(desires) and if he does not fight he does so for other kamanas. Kamana is present in
both the situations. And his budhi is therefore also divided. He is not sure what to do.
Krishna is suggesting to Arjuna to drop the Kamana itself. Once the kamana is dropped,
clarity of ek-buddhi will have a chance to set in and then Arjuna will have no difficulty
deciding.
This ek-buddhi is a very neat concept proposed by Krishna here. Swami Chinmayananda
has translated this shloka as moving with a one pointed mind. He says:
“In this stanza lies the secret of Hindu success – briefly hinted in hasty words herein.
With a single pointed mind, if an individual can entertain any single resolute
determination and act consistently towards the success, achievement must certainly
result…..”
Swami Chinmayananda is right in what he is saying but that does not touch the heart of
this shloka (verse). Krishna’s emphasis is not so much on the single pointed mind as
much as it is on this being the outcome of a nishkam karmi’s mind. A nishkam karmi’s
mind is one pointed, is a better statement and therefore he can be more successful. A
mind contaminated with desires cannot think straight while a mind free of desires can
think clearly.
A mind contaminated with desires thinks in multiple directions. It has to by default

because there are multiple possibilities to get to the multiple interests of the desires. A
man with kamana (desires) wants a given result and can think of numerous possibilities
and approaches to get to it. There can be many types of fallout of these desire-oriented
actions. A person whose desire is intense can take any path to obtain a desired result.
Such a group or person will not hesitate in blowing up a plane or a building if that is the
way he can find his desired result. When such a person is obsessed by his desire, he stops
seeing any harm that he may cause to the humanity at large. He or she or a group can
become blinded by the desire element. The other fallout of this desire-oriented action is a
complete freeze-up. Sometimes there are so many options in the head of such a person
that he cannot decide which path to take. The extreme of this indecision is also called
decidophobia. In simple routine life desire oriented actions are o.k, but this in certain
situation can be the source for the phenomenon of decidophobia and in worse situation
lead to the possibilities of producing the people of worst kind, the terrorists, the Hitlers,
the Cengis Khans of this world.
Nishkam karma on the other hand is uncontaminated with any kamana (desires). The
actions of such a person comes from inside him and is based on the decisive capabilities
of the ek-buddhi. Arjuna is confused. His brain is going in all directions as to what is the
right thing to do in his situation. All these directions are based on one desire or the other.
Krishna is saying that if only Arjuna can drop desires, he can get to the ek-buddhi and
then there will be clarity in his mind. Such a mind can take the one appropriate decision,
which will be the response for a given situation. Such a person does not suffer with the
problems of decidophobia and is also not capable of harming anybody intentionally.
Although such a person can counter a terrorist or is capable of dealing with Hitler or
Cengis Khan, he will never become a terrorist himself. To become bad you have to have
desire; without desire there is no possibility to evil hood. Put it differently, once the state
of ek-buddhi is reached the karma that follows is nishkam karma.
Why do we have so much difficulty understanding this nishkam karma? I think that it is
because of our unfamiliarity with the possibility of pure karma or with the existence of
pure buddhi. When I say pure, I mean non-contaminated, non-contaminated with desires.
We live in the world of muddy water and it is difficult to conceptualize what a clear
water can be. Let us try to understand by another example. We are used to getting water
from a well, a river or a pond. We make an effort to get this water. We then have to heat
it to use for shower or making tea. And then you go to Japan or in the Himalayas and
find this beautiful hot springs. The hot water flowing freely and it has some medicinal
properties as well. The water just dwells up. No effort is needed. All you have to do is
be there. Pure karma is like spontaneous flowing of this hot spring except that the hot
spring does not need any intellect. It just flows. In our case, however, when the kamana
(dsire) drops then there is pure buddhi (ek-buddhi) and where there is pure buddhi there
is the pure karma (nishkam karma).
It is difficult to grasp this pure buddhi and that is one reason why Krishna calls it ek-
buddhi (decisive, clarity, one mind, one intellect or may be uni-psychichness). I am a
surgeon and surgeons know what ek-buddhi really means. When a surgeon is performing
a surgery, and he has to decide to cut certain structure, he has to have this ek-buddhi or he
will be cutting out the wrong organ all the time. And surgeons have been wrong at times,
but that is definitely not a desirable thing. It is a common saying in the medical field that
a physician should not treat people who are close to him and this especially applies to
performing surgeries. A surgeon never wants to have to operate on his son, daughter or
wife. There is too much attachment there. And this attachment can become bondage.
Krishna is saying the same thing in a different context. If you have attachments,
decision-making can be difficult. Drop the attachment and then you can think more
clearly and be more effective.
What is this pure buddhi or ek-buddhi. In the desire originated karma buddhi is
intermediary. There is a desire to become a tennis champion. The buddhi suggests the
player to train, hire a coach and practice. And there is good chance that this player can
become a champion. The well-known sequence is desire, buddhi and result. A luck
factor can be added to that as well. What happens when you drop the desire? It feels like
a vacuum. Krishna will argue that the player will have a better chance of becoming a
champion if he drops the desire of winning and just does his best. He will not be
influence by the tension of the desire to win.
We have not trusted ourselves enough to accept this concept. This shloka is really
important one in my opinion and also is the key to understanding of the whole concept of
karma-yoga. And unfortunately, this shloka has not received the importance it truly
deserves. I totally agree with Swami Chinmayananda when he says, “briefly hinted in
hasty words..” You are hiking on a mountain. You see some one exhausted there and he
or she appears to be in need of water. Your hand goes in your backpack, the water bottle
comes out and you give it to the person who drinks and thanks you. All this happened
before you thought whether you would get a seat in heaven or not. Such spontaneous
acts are the ones Krishna is talking about. The act flows out of you, there is no thinking
of whether to give the water or not, there is just ke-buddhi that the water bottle has to be
given. Some simple methods can be tried. You have to get up at 6 a.m. in the morning.
Do not put the alarm clock. Just talk to yourself. Go to sleep. Sleep with total trust.
And you may be surprised to find that something from inside you wakes you up exactly
at 6 a.m. This is not a major breakthrough but such simple acts can add confidence in
trying out spontaneous functions that exist with us. We simply do not pay attention to
theses functions. Alarm clocks are easier options. I am not suggesting replacing alarm
clocks; I am simply suggesting trying out some simple experiments so that nishkam
karma can be internalized. Theoretical knowledge is not enough and as I said before just
not worrying about the results is not the end all of nishkam karma.
So far we have covered the following attributes of Nishkam Karma:
 Nishkam karma frees one from bondage of karma

 No effort of nishkam karma is wasted
 There are no obstacles in the path of nishkam karma
 Nishkam karma protects one from the greatest fears
 Nishkam karma leads to ek-buddhi (clarity)
Whether we do sakam karma or nishkam karma we need the help of buddhi all the time.
Buddhi is divided by default whenever there is sakam karma and it is unified in the case
of nishkam karma. This ek-buddhi forms one of the greatest strengths of nishkam karma
and thereby is inherently capable of producing superior results, superior to sakam karma.
And this is one reason why Arjuna became the hero of Mahabharata. Krishna is not
talking some exotic theory; he is talking about how Arjuna can come to a decision and
give the best performance of his life.
Heaven is not the ultimate goal (2:42-2:44)
yam imam puspitam vacam

pravadanty avipascitah
veda-vada-ratah partha
nanyad astiti vadinah
Flowery speech is uttered by the unwise, taking pleasure in the eulogizing of Vedas,
O Partha, saying, “There is nothing else.”||2:42||
kamatmanah svarga-para
janma-karma-phala-pradam
kriya-visesa-bahulam
bhogaisvarya-gatim prati
Full of desire, having heaven as their goal, they utter flowery words, which promise
new birth as reward of their actions, and prescribe various specific actions for the
attinment of of pleasure and lordship.||2:43||
bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam
tayapahrta-cetasam
vyavasayatmika buddhih
samadhau na vidhiyate
For those who cling to joy and Lordship, whose minds are drawn away by such
teaching, are neither determinate (definitive mind) nor can they meditate or reach
samadhi.
Krishna continues on his description of ek-buddhi (definitive mind or clarity). We learnt
in our last column how vasana (desire) contaminates buddhi (intellect) and how it is
difficult for such a man to make up his mind. A mind with vaasana is always divided.
Arjuna like most of us believes in doing good deeds. And good deeds as mentioned in
the Vedas lead one to heaven. Once the effect of good deeds is exhausted, one has to
return on this earth again and continue the journey. We all desire for this heaven and
therefore like to follow the techniques that will take us there. Krishna here is arguing that
desiring for heaven is also a desire and it has the same effect on the buddhi (intellect) as
any other desire. It will muddy the mind. And there is no possibility of clarity of ek-
buddhi as long as any desire is present. Krishna is not saying that desiring for heaven is
bad, he is not saying there is no heaven and he is not implying that doing good deeds is
inappropriate. Krishna is simply stating a fact. Mind of such a person will not have
clarity; he will not have the capability of being decisive. The desire of such a person will
pull him in different directions.
Krishna goes on to say that such a person will not be able to meditate and thereby will not
get to the state of samadhi. Clarity and ek-buddhi relate to mind and that according to
Krishna is the purest state of mind. An uncontaminated mind has no difficulty making
decisions. Desires of any kind, good or bad, contaminates this mind and may lead to
indecision, delay in decision and even to decidophobia. Meditation is going beyond
mind. Samadhi is to be established in such a state. All these three are interrelated. It is
difficult to get beyond a confused and divided mind. It is easy to wander around in
different thoughts. A definitive mind of ek-buddhi is centered and allows one to
transcend the mind. A meditative man can see his own mind from outside and therefore
understand all this more clearly. Meditation ultimately leads to samadhi. A person in
samadhi can use his mind as we use our hands to eat and feet to walk. Mind is a tool for
such person. On the contrary we are slaves to our divided mind, which is full of thoughts
rooted in desires.
Krishna is very clear in these shlokaas that heaven is not the ultimate abode. When
Krishna talks about the Vedas, he in my view is not only referring to the four Vedas; he
in fact is talking about all and any recorded knowledge. Krishna is not critical about
these, he again is simply pointing out the limitation of recorded words. The words,
however flowery they may be, have certain limitations. This is especially true if they are
talking about how to go to heaven.
Arjuna was very smart. He knew the contents of the Vedas. He grew up with them and
his Gurus must have taught the values of the Vedas to him. Krishna had to ask Arjuna to
unlearn what he knew before he could take him any further. Krishna, the Parmatma is the
source of all knowledge including the Vedas. But, when he is present in person, why
bother about books any way. Besides, Krishna also wants to emphasize that heaven is
not the ultimate possibility for Arjuna. There is something beyond and better than
heaven that Arjuna should aim for.
This is so significant. Many religions stop at heaven. That is their ultimate goal.
Flowery words are spoken about those heavens and how to get there by teachers and
preachers all around the world. Our life is miserable as it is. Only flowery words can
really attract most of us. We shall all be one day in the kingdom of God and anything we
desire will be available. All we have to do is to really believe that it is true. And flowery
words can do the trick. The desire factor then can take over. And flowery words have no
hesitation in adding spices. Not only you get to go to heaven, but you also get a thousand
virgins around you and so on and so forth. Imaginations can run wild and then you are
ready to kill for such a promised land. Yes, desires can have deadly results, even if they
are for getting to heaven. Vedas do not have such proclamations but some other texts are
believed to have such descriptions or at least are interpreted that way.
Buddha also says that life is misery, but then he instead of putting flowery words for
travel to heaven, tells meditative techniques to get out of it. Krishna may not agree with
life being miserable. For him, life is a celebration as long as you can accept whatever it
throws at you. Krishna will not choose between heaven and hell, he will gladly accept
whichever comes his way. He is warning Arjuna not to get entangled in the desire for
going to heaven and soon will be talking about the technique of being choiceless.
‘Vedas do not have the last word and heaven is not the ultimate goal’ is the message
Krishna is giving here. Krishna wants Arjuna to get to the state of definitive mind (ek-
buddhi) from where he can take decisive action, but more than that Krishna wants Arjuna
to become meditative so that one day he can be established in samadhi. This is the
wonder of karma yoga.
Krishnam sharanam gachchami
A Clean Slate (2:45)
trai-gunya-visaya veda
nistraigunyo bhavarjuna
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho
niryoga-ksema atmavan
The Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material nature. Rise
above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them. Be free from all
dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the Self.
Krishna wants to take Arjuna beyond any limitations. Arjuna on the other hand does
have his limits. And that limit is common to us all. We all live within walls, walls
created by us. Sometimes we look through windows and see some brightness outside.
And we feel good about it. Krishna’s plan is to take Arjuna out of the walls and roofs
and show him the blue and starry sky. But we feel so comfortable in our walls that we do
not want to get outside. There are uncertainties out there. Here we are cozy. And then
Krishna has to show us the limitations of this cozy place so that we make that attempt to
walk out with him.
Arjuna is wise. He is an intellectual and knows the contents of the Vedas. He knows
about heaven and hell. But, he does not know if there is anything beyond. We can try to
understand it from our common experiences. We go to primary school and then to high
school and so on to graduate from our colleges. We are constantly going ahead, but in
the process of forging ahead something is being dropped all the time. Primary school
books are being dropped when we get to the high school and so on. We become well
read and informed. But, talk to any creative person. Any one who is creating something
new whether it is inventing a new medical device or writing a poem or book like
Geetanjali, has to drop everything that he has learned so far. The new and original can
only come out of a clean slate. Whether Newton saw an apple drop or Archimedes saw
the dispersion of water, it all came from an open and clean mind, and not from the burden
of past knowledge. And that does not mean that the knowledge suddenly becomes
useless; but it has to be transgressed. VS Naipal in a recent interview with New York
Times said that, “No, no, no! I travel, and I meet people, and they tell me about their
lives. I don't need to read the scholars. If I travel in India or Africa, the best way to go is
with a very blank mind and let the facts emerge.” I do not know for sure what Naipal
meant by ‘blank mind,’ but to some extent Krishna wants Arjuna to have a very blank
mind and a clean slate.
When Krishna says that Vedas have some limitations, they are limitations of any spoken
words. The whole, the samshti or even a simple experience cannot be fully expressed in
words. Words have limitations. Krishna asks Arjuna to become centered, centered in his
Atma, and to get there he has to drop all his clinging. The hardest clinging or attachment
to go is our beliefs. We spent our lifetime trying to perfect these learning and suddenly
here comes Krishna and says simply to drop all that. Arjuna had spent all his life
learning these concepts and principles. How wonderful the Vedas are. Vedas are words
directly from the Parmatma. How can he just drop that?
Krishna is not criticizing Vedas. He simply is pointing out the limitations of Vedas. We
shall learn later the details of the three gunas that Krishna is talking about here. Anything
material has to be within the confines of the gunas. This is like saying that any living
bodies have genes, and the genes are made of three base pairs. And to go beyond to any
incorporeal status you have to drop the limitations of the genes. Similarly, Krishna says
to Arjuna that to be centered in Atma, you have to go beyond the limitations of the three
Gunas. Stated in reverse, once centered, Arjuna will transcend the limits of the three
gunas.
The second line is significant in my views. Most commentators have seen this as
instructions to Arjuna as to how to be. Arjuna should transcend all attributes (the three
gunas), be established in sattva guna, be free from all dualities, be free from all anxieties
for gain and safety, and lastly be established in the Self. And it is easy for Krishna or
Gurus to say that, but it becomes difficult for all of us normal beings to comprehend.
Krishna, to my views, is not a sermon giver. He is not one who will come out with
commandments for us to obey. Krishna is a technology person. He provided Arjuna
with technologies that can apply in our lives as well.
As far as I see, Krishna is pointing to Arjuna that if he becomes centered in Atma he will
transcend the gunas, he will become established in sattva guna, he will transcend duality
and yogakshem (good things) will happen around him although he will still be not be
attached to these good events (yogakshem). To become centered in the Atma
(atamavaan), Arjuna will need to drop the Vedas as well. Not that Vedas are bad or
useless, but for Arjuna to forge ahead, Vedas have served their purpose. It is like telling
someone who is graduating from a medical school to drop his surgical textbook and go in
the operating room. The textbooks have done their job, now it is time for application.
And that only comes from experience.
Try this small technique for yourself. Drop all your ideas of meditation and knowledge
just for few minutes. Look at yourself as you look at someone else. Create a little
distance from yourself. Watch how hunger, anger or love comes and goes. Be
established in the center and watch your emotions as if happening on the periphery. You
will soon realize that nothing happens in the center. Once that gap is created, you and me
can get centered. Actually this knowing of ‘nothing happens at the center’ gradually
grows’ and helps in the centering process. Krishna talks about ‘Abhyas yoga’ later and
that in my eyes is one of the best yoga available to us. By and by, centering does happen,
and then the meaning of this shloka becomes obvious.
Krishna is telling Arjuna that he needs a blank mind and a clean slate. The journey to
become centered then can start. And once centered Arjuna can get beyond the dualities,
have ek-buddhi, and good things will happen around him.
Fear of loosing Goodness (2:46)
yavan artha udapane

sarvatah samplutodake
tavan sarvesu vedesu
brahmanasya vijanatah
All purposes that are served by the small pond can at once be served by the great
reservoirs of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one
who knows the purpose behind them ||2:46||
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We are quite familiar with what we have and feel uncomfortable if there is possibility
of loosing it. It does not matter how difficult the life is, it is known and familiar to us.
There is a land and there is a small hut on it. The roof leaks but it can be patched.
The door does not close properly, but it can somehow be put together. The wife is
unhappy but life goes along. The sun rises and sets, the night comes and life
continues. There comes a new man and says that he can give a loan to build a new
house on the same lot. Now this causes a disturbance in the harmony of a difficult
life. The hut has to be taken down. Where shall we live in the mean time? How shall
I pay off the loan? I may have to find another job and work harder. It is a gamble.
Do I want to do that? I am not ready for that. I am not prepared to loose what I
have. Status quo, however miserable it may be, is quite comforting to me.
This is the basic fear. We do not want to loose what we have. The above story may
not be a perfect example, because it may not be that difficult to take the offer to
build a new house. It is possible to see the problems of the hut and then move on.
The important point is the awareness of the difficulties and the preparedness of
making a change. Just knowing is not enough, although, knowing is the first step. By
the way, if a new house is built on the space of the hut, this will provide all the
benefits that were present in the hut, and more. But that more is not obvious at the
time of making the decision. Only the problems are obvious. The helping person does
not understand why I will not agree to build the house. In his eyes, I am making a
foolish decision by choosing the hut over a nice sturdy house.
And that is what Krishna is trying to impress here in this shloka. But, it is harder to
comprehend. It is harder because Krishna is talking about leaving not the small leaky
hut but leaving attachment to a big mahal (mansion). The mansions have bondage
as well. Goodness has its own attachment and the attachment is so subtle. When
you dismantle a leaky hut and build a nice sturdy house, you get something better.
But, what you get when you loose attachment to a mansion? And that is hard to
comprehend by our mind. Krishna can see it and that is why he says that what you
get in the limits of mind is also present in the limitless that is beyond mind. Arjuna is
familiar with the little pond of knowledge that he has tried so hard to acquire and
preseve. Krishna as his friend and Guru wants Arjuna to drop it. Arjuna has to drop
the treasures that he has and it is hard for him to understand what he is going to get
out of it. Goodness is the hardest thing to drop in life because that is what we all
strive for. We all want to be established in the satguna. And here comes Krishna and
asks us to drop the satguna as well.
Words have limitations and so do the Vedas. Krishna would have included Gita as
well because Gita is also words. The essence of the Vedas and the Gita are not in
those words. The common expression for today is ‘in between words.” Krishna wants
to take Arjuna from the world of ‘(shabda) words’ to the world of ‘no words
(akshar).’ And that is taking to the source of these words. Once Arjuna gets to the
source, he does not loose anything. The Vedas still hold for him, but he knows the
source of the Vedas too.
Let us try to understand it from another angle. I have discussed it before as well. I
am a surgeon. We as medical students read surgical textbooks. Reading surgical
textbooks is one thing, doing surgery is another? You still need the books to guide
you to do the surgery. But, if you want to be innovative and devise a new technique,
then you have to, for a moment, drop what you know. New does not and cannot
come from the textbooks. Textbooks can incorporate the new, but the books cannot
be the source fro the new. Inventions do not come from the known; it comes from
the unknown.
Krishna is saying to Arjuna to drop the last attachments. Attachments to his

knowledge of Vedas need to be dropped. It is going to be very hard for Arjuna to
drop all his values, the values deeply rooted in the Vedas. Krishna is saying to Arjuna
that by doing so, he is not going to loose anything. Instead, Arjuna is going to keep
what he knows but will also have the experience of the ultimate. Arjuna can meet
the source of the Vedas itself, and after that Vedas will come alive to him much more
so than what he knows today. Is it worth holding on to the leaky hut, or for that
matter even the mansion and loosing the ultimate source?
The strange thing is that after gaining the ultimate, nothing is really lost; everything
that is available at the time of loosing is still available. Goodness is the default of
such a person. No effort is needed to maintain the qualities of goodness. Buddha,
Mahavira or Krishna do not make an effort to be good, goodness flows from them.
And this is unlike many moralists who practice to be good; goodness is an effort for
them and not a natural state of being.
The reason we do not think of this ultimate source is because it is not in the grasp of
our mind, and mind is all we are familiar with. Gita is a journey from mind to no
mind, from books to the source of books, and from mundane to divine. We shall go
with the flow. Let Gita descend in our lives.
Karmanyevaadhikaraste (2:47)
karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadacana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango 'stv akarmani
You have a right to work, but never to the result thereof. Never consider
yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be
attached to not doing your duty||2:47||.
-------------------------------
This shloka forms the anchor of the karma yoga. Doing karma is in our hand. We can
decide and choose what karma we do. But, the result is not in our hand. This is a
simple and yet very powerful statement.
Yet there will be no result if there is no karma and perhaps that is why Krishna in the
second line emphasizes on the fact that we should not become attached to not doing
any karma. If the result is not in my hand why should I do any karma? Kabir says:
Ajagar kare na chaakari

Panchi kare na kaaj
So, why should we do any work? Krishna says to Arjuna that he should not become
attached to not doing any karma. As far as the result is concerned, doing karma is
just one factor, but is an important factor.
Doing karma is an important factor in obtaining a given result. So we like Arjuna

have to work in order to get any results. But, the result also depends on other
factors. This reality is reflected in our every day life. Recently I had to fly to New
York from Portland. The flight was in the morning at 6 A.M. I was heading to the
Airport. The weather was bad and the roads were icy. I got to the airport half an
hour before the flight and the gates were closed. I miss the flight and then had to
reschedule. There went the plan of my meeting in New York at 10 a.m. I should have
left early. I could have done this or I could have done that. And it could have been
worse. I could have been off the road and so on.
Krishna is not against planning and he is not against success. He simply wants us to
understand the ground realities. Amongst these other factors that influence the
results are divine factors as well. Krishna asks Arjuna to pray to mother Durga
before the start of the Mahabharata war. Rama worships Shiva at Rameshwaram
before he heads for Lanka to fight with Raavana. Vedas are full of descriptions of
yagyas to fulfill certain results.
Doing karma is one factor in the eventual result. External elements like weather, the
car, and other people are another. Divine influence is also significant. Therefore it
important to realize that you or me play a small part in the overall result, but that
part still is fundamental. It is fundamentally important to plan and execute the plan
into action.
The results depend on many factors and they all should be considered. But,
expecting the result is a different issue. Because the results depend on many other
factors, we should be prepared to fully embrace if the result turns out to be sour,
and move on from there. Krishna is not saying in these shloka that we should not
expect the results. He is saying that it just is not solely in your hand.
Expectations bring their own problems. Once we start expecting results, a certain
proportion of our energy moves from the action and is attached to the expectation.
We are not fully with our karma. Attention is diverted to the expected result, and
therefore we cannot give 100% to the karma. How can there be full productivity if
the effort is not 100 percent? Moreover, we get frustrated when the expected result
does not happen. Instead of accepting and moving on, we get into the cycle of anger
and repentance. More energy is wasted and then how can we be as effective as we
ought to be? Then comes the divine factor or luck factor. There is a common saying
that ‘Luck favors the brave.’ The divine does not flow along with people who are busy
being frustrated and angry.
Krishna here is not just stating the law of karma but is also giving a formula for
success. He is giving us means to become more effective in our lives. We have to
understand the basics of karma. It is important that we do our karma. What karma
we do depends upon what our intellect level is. And that is where the importance of
buddhi yoga comes in. Krishna has already talked some aspects of buddhi yoga and
we have also discussed the nishclatattva concept of Shankaracharya in our previous
column. We shall explore more of this in coming shlokas where Krishna looks more
into this buddhi yoga and the state of sthitapragya.
Pursuit of excellence (2:48-2:49)
yoga-sthah kuru karmani

sangam tyaktva dhananjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva
samatvam yoga ucyate
Eastablished in Yoga, perform your karma (actions), O Dhananjaya (Arjuna), abandoning
attachment, being balanced in success and failure; samatwvam is called Yoga.||2:48||
durena hy avaram karma

buddhi-yogad dhananjaya
buddhau saranam anviccha
krpanah phala-hetavah
Desire oriented action (sakaam karma) is far inferior to that performed with Buddhi yoga
(centered intellect); poor are those who depend on sakaam karma and hence seek refuge
in Buddhi yoga.||2:49||
----------------------
Soon after talking about the basics of karma yoga, Krishna comes back to buddhi yoga.
Krishna is very methodical. Before he talks about ‘the rights to karma but not to the
result (2:47),’ he talked about the importance of decisiveness and clarity of thoughts (ek-
buddhi, nischayatmika buddhi). It is obvious that decisiveness is important before we do
any karma. And once the conditioning of moha (deep rooted desires) is gone the buddhi
can become focused and clarity would set in. This is what Shankaracharya calls
nischaltattva.
Desires have to go first. And we have discussed this before in ‘Two steps to dropping of
Moha.” We shall explore it a little more here. You work for a big company. Your
interest is to make money. You can steal money intelligently and serve your interest. In
the process the company will go broke and you will loose the job. And then you find
another job and do the same. If you are smart, you will never be caught. Let us look at
another scenario. You work for the interest of the company and the company grows. The
company pays you more and the cycle continues. Your interest is taken care of by the
company. Similarly, when personal desires drop, one works in the larger interest of the
existence and if the existence is happy, happiness showers on the individual as well.
Moreover, his intelligence is not pulled in zillions of directions and he is able to work
with a clear mind.
The person whose desires have dropped gets to clarity. He still has to perform his karma.
This karma is performed out of a clear mind. And now comes the question of results.
There will be a result of karma, but this does not depend on the karma alone. Other
factors will influence the result. And, here in lies the fallacy of the interpretation of these
shlokas.
It is mostly believed that we should not expect results. We do work for a result and
there will be a result. We can expect a result. That is a normal situation. We choose to
expect certain result and if the outcome is not as we expect we go through the cycle of
frustration, anger etc. The other choice is to not expect a result. But, this is also a
choice; we are still choosing not to expect a result. Krishna in my mind is not talking
about not expecting a result. He is talking about a state of choicelessness. He does not
want us to be taking any side.
Samatva is staying on the side of a river and watching the flow. It is like watching the
traffic go by on a highway. Trucks, sport utility or sport cars, they are all passing by.
There is no need to be identified with any of them. It is not a question of ‘not expecting
any results.’ It is a question of accepting whatever the result may be.
And this is Krishna’s formula of achieving excellence. Arjuna has to reach to clarity
first. This is the first part of Buddhi Yoga. This is achieved by dropping the
conditioning of Moha (deeper roots of desires). Then he has to do his karma with this
clarity. And then he has to accept the result, whatever it may be. This deep acceptance
is a state of being and it also gives a great respect for the existence as it is.
Many people have a formula for success, which applies to sakaam karma (desire-result
oriented karma). Positive thinking and positive imaging have been well described.
Praying in a temple or chanting mantras are other techniques for getting divine help.
Krishna is talking of a technique that is far superior to these. He therefore points out to
the fact that result oriented people are inherently poor. They are in some sense hankering
for a result. They are in fact glorified beggars in Krishna’s eyes.
Have you ever asked for a favor? And if you have, you know how the person who does
favor looks at you in that time and moment. It takes away something from you. There is
a beautiful story in this regard about Mahavira. Mahavira was in a forest and had vowed
to maun (silence). A man walked by with his cow and asked Mahavira to watch it graze
while he goes and does some arrant. Mahavira having vowed to keep his maun (not
speaking) did no say anything, but the man took his silence as accepting the assignment.
The cow in the meantime walked away from where Mahavira was and got lost. The man
was enraged when he came back and started beating Mahavira mercilessly. Mahavira’s
not talking did not help him at all. The story goes that Indra, the king of the gods, felt
pity and came to offer help to Mahavira and it is said that Mahavira refused the help. He
accepted the beating but would not accept favor from Indra.
I am not advising to stop asking for favors. But, I am pointing out to a fact that goes with
the territory. Acceptance has a different quality. Then even if you are begging it has a
divine property. Buddha was a beggar (bhikhu) and Krishna was just a saarathi
(Charrioteer). The charisma is in the state of being and not in the class of karma.
Krishna is advising Arjuna to get to the state of samatva of buddhi yoga, and this will be
his road to success.
Efficient Working (Karmasu Kaushalam) 2:50-2:51
buddhi-yukto jahatiha
ubhe sukrta-duskrte
tasmad yogaya yujyasva
yogah karmasu kausalam
Endued with this buddhi yoga one frees oneself in this life, alike from vice and
virtue. Therefore strive for this yoga, O Arjuna, which is the art of all work. ||2:50||
karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi
phalam tyaktva manisinah
janma-bandha-vinirmuktah
padam gacchanty anamayam
The wise, engaged in this buddhi yoga, and abandoning the fruits of their actions,
are freed from ever from the fetters of the birth and go to the state that is beyond
life and death. ||2:51||
We talked about expecting, not expecting and accepting of results in our last column.
Karma will always produce result. Expecting a result takes away some energy from the
performance of the work at hand. If the expectations are not met, frustration and anger
follows. Not expecting a result is said to be hard. Why is it hard? It is hard because part
of you or me is expecting a result. Then we have to force our self not to expect the result
that we are expecting any way. It is a form of hypocrisy. That is why I have explained it
as embracing or accepting the result as it comes. When there is total acceptance of any
result as a gift from Parmatama, there is total trust in existence. There are no complaints.
In this state of being, there are no expectations and then it becomes easy to understand
what Krishna means by abandoning the fruits of action.
The whole work to start with was not performed for personal interest. The karma was
done for Parmatma’s interests or for the interest of existence. Krishna bhaktas will say
that it was performed for Krishna. Now, if the karma is not done for me then I (the ego I)
am not the doer. There is no ego involved in the work. How can the result be for me?
The question of abandoning the result does not arise. It was never mine any way. The
problem is in the language and not in the existence.
This can be experienced subjectively better than be expressed in language. First get to
the clarity we talked about in prior ‘buddhi yoga’ discussion by dropping of moha. Once
the conditioning is gone, decisiveness sets in. Then make your plans and execute them
by doing the karma. No expectations should arise, not even the not expecting, because
even not expecting can be an expectation. Just trust the existence completely. Accept
and embrace the results as they come. You will find that the results do not bind you.
And this in fact is liberating itself. The results have been abandoned.
Let us first understand what is ‘freedom from paap (vice) and punya (virtue)’ mean and
what is efficient use of karma (karmasu kaushalam). Krishna truly is talking about
pursuit of excellence. Karmas are binding only when you do karma with your desires and
when you think you control the results. If you have no personal desires and you are
totally ready to accept whatever outcome is there, there is no relationship between you
and the karma or the result. And then there is no question of vice or virtue. The
interesting part is that Krishna calls this as efficient karma (karmasu kaushalam).
It is efficient for many reasons but most importantly of all is that total energy is focused
on the work and not on desires or expectation of result. And what can be a more efficient
use of work. Krishna’s statement is purely mathematical here.
Krishna also tells us that buddhi yoga is liberating. It liberates us from the fetters of birth
and leads us to the beyond. This is what Shankaracharya has described as ‘nischal tattve
jeevan muktiha.” What is this freedom from the fetters of life?
We need to understand that, existentially; there is no problem with birth or death. The
problem is in our understanding. Birth appears to have fetters. Death appears to be real.
But, that is not the reality. We are so busy living a life of desires and expectations that
we do not have time to experience any thing about life and death. We live and hence
conclude that we know life. We see other people dying and conclude that we know
death. Deep inside, we know that we do not know. Death is an inference. My father
was there one day and he was gone the other. He is no more with us in physical body.
Therefore he must be dead. He is the only one who knows the truth. He may be there
somewhere looking at me and saying, “I am still here as much and as whole as I was
when you left me.” Of course, I am not able to communicate with him at that level.
There are many such possibilities. And that ignorance creates all the fetters, fears and
bindings.
We are all extroverts in some respects. We are always traveling outside, running to get
somewhere all the time. Our total energy goes on studying or pursuing other objects.
Krishna is trying to direct our energy to study ourselves; he is encouraging Arjuna to do a
subjective study. He wants us to spend some time with ourselves. And once this happens
and we get centered, the rest happens from divine help.
I talked about acceptance and trust. This brings us to our center. A deep silence and
reverence arises. In this silence the greatest mystery of life and death is revealed. And
then we come to know, really know face to face, that there is no death. Death becomes a
fiction. We can only laugh at ourselves and go on from there. Karma still flows.
Results still happen. But then there are no fetters and there are no bindings. We are
not only happy ourselves but add to the happiness of others. In fact, happiness is our true
nature. We actually work hard to be unhappy and spend a lot of energy trying to stay
unhappy. Moreover, we keep on justifying our unhappiness by saying how hard it is to
be happy. Krishna is talking about the use of buddhi yoga for doing nishkam karma and
mentions some of the great advantages of following this path. This is the way to efficient
working for achieving great results.
Knowing your true self (2:52-2:53)
yada te moha-kalilam
buddhir vyatitarisyati
tada gantasi nirvedam
srotavyasya srutasya ca
When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of moha, you shall become
nirvedam (indifferent) to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard.||2:52||
sruti-vipratipanna te
yada sthasyati niscala
samadhav acala buddhis
tada yogam avapsyasi
When your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas, and when
it remains fixed in the trance of self-realization, then you will have attained the divine
consciousness.||2:53||
These are the two last verses in the description of buddhi yoga in the 2nd chapter by
Krishna, before Arjuna asks questions related to this. Whole of Gita is interactive.
Krishna makes his points and Arjuna asks more questions. And here is where Krishna
gets to the core of our being.
We all live our life and feel that we know ourselves. I am a painter. I am unhappy
because my neighbor makes noises and my wife does not listen to me. My son is not
doing what he should and all of us are in a misery. In fact Buddha goes on to say to such
a life that ‘life is misery.’ I go to a psychologist about my problem and then I go through
a few sessions of psychoanalysis. I find out that I had an unresolved complex problem
with my growing up. I go under hypnosis and then realize that I was tortured when I was
3 year old. And the cycle continues. Sometimes psychoanalysis makes us feel that it
goes deep in our being; no it does not. It might go into our past, but it does not touch our
inner core.
Krishna’s journey starts by dropping of this layer where misery prevails. The American
dream states, “Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.” Krishna will disagree with that.
He promises, “life, liberty and happiness.” Pursuit is for excellence and greatness. And
it starts from being happy. There is no need to pursue happiness; in fact once you know
that conditioning of moha is the cause of your misery; it becomes easy to reach a steady
state of happiness by dropping of moha.
We have discussed about this dropping of moha in our previous article, “Two steps to
dropping of moha.” It is as if we are walking with a fake identity and we are convinced
about that identity as being real. Let us bring our previous example of alcohol
intoxication again to try to understand it. An alcoholic or a drug abuser lives in a
different world. All he wants is to stay in that intoxicated state of existence. He or she
cannot imagine a life without alcohol or their fix of the drug. Even if they stop the drug
or the alcohol, the craving continues. In fact, an alcoholic is at best a recovering
alcoholic. He is never recovered.
Moha is not so similar to intoxication. It is more a conditioning. Once dropped it is
dropped. We then for the first time find out our true identity and our true potential.
Buddhi (intellect) is revealed to us in full clarity for the first time. This is what Krishna
is talking about here. Krishna says that at this juncture we reach the state of nirvedam.
Nirvedam is an interesting Sanskrit word. Some have translated nirvedam as meaning
indifference. But that does not do justice to this word nirvedam.
Let me try to explain it. Veda (meaning any knowledge) are important to a point. Then
they do not have a meaning in real life. I used books and lectures of my professors to get
through the medial school. I became a surgeon. I remember my first skin incision trying
to do a minor surgery. I knew every line of what I had read or heard about ‘how to make
an incision,’ but still my hands were not working with my mind. I was just making
scratches. I had to make ten such scratches just to get through the skin. Now I do
surgery all the time. I have written several papers. I have described new techniques.
And I can now say with confidence that the knowledge has to be dropped or superseded
to be able to become a good surgeon. Krishna is implying the same when he says that by
dropping of the conditioning of moha, one reaches to a point when even the words of
Krishna (whatever is known) or of future Krishnas are superseded (or transcended).
Krishna is not teaching to become indifferent to Vedas; he merely is pointing to the
limitation of Vedas.
I would like to summarize the conditioning part that we have addressed in previous
columns. Thoughts are the starting point of attachment. Moha is attachments with
deeper roots and produces the conditioning. Desires and thoughts are inter-related. A
question commonly asked is, “Is progress possible without desires?” It is like an
alcoholic asking himself, “Is life possible without alcohol?” We all know that life is
better without alcohol intoxication, but we are not sure if life will go anywhere without
desires. Krishna who is there already knows that life is so much better without the
conditioning of moha (moha-kalilam). We still have to find out. And truly speaking no
amount of logic is going to help until we get on to that path. There is inertia and a fear of
loosing our treasure that we call desire. That is all we have. Life appears shaky without
it.
Krishna says that such a person is called a yogi. Buddhi is no more torn in different
directions. Intellect becomes steady (achala). Such a person is steadfast (sthitapragya).
This is what Shankaracharya has called nischaltattva. These are statements. These are
techniques that lead to a state of existence where a person becomes decisive; he is
centered and steady. No amount of words or word combinations can really describe this
state of being. These are just indications and hints to a being of a different kind. We will
have to travel the path to get there. It is easy to understand the intoxication of alcohol or
drug because we were normal before we got intoxicated. It is harder to understand the
conditioning of moha (moha kalilam), because that is our normal state of being. Gita
continues and so shall we in columns to come.
How does He walk the walk? (2:54)
arjuna uvaca
sthita-prajnasya ka bhasa
samadhi-sthasya kesava
sthita-dhih kim prabhaseta
kim asita vrajeta kim
Arjun speaks:
How does a centered person talk?

What is his language?
How does he sit and?
How does such a person walk? ||2:54||
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The difference is obvious. Is it the same Arjuna whom we heard in the beginning part of
Gita? His questions have a different flavor. He is no more talking of fear of death and he
is no more talking about the sequels of war. The questions are more personal. He is
curious. And so are we. We all want to know what Arjuna wants to know. Arjuna is
now on a different track. And this is what Krishna wanted to do.
It is important to note that Arjuna’s thought process has changed. It is equally important
to see how Krishna did this. Arjuna was confused because of his moha (deep rooted
attachments). He did not want to and could not have even if he wanted to, fight with the
Kauravas, in that state of being. Krishna is his saarathi (charioteer). Arjuna had
specifically requested Krishna to come with him. It was wrong timing for Arjuna to
behave this way. What could have happened to his brothers? What could have been the
state of Draupadi? If it were you and I in Krishna’s position, we would have given a big
lecture to Arjuna about all these. I would have been angry and upset myself. After all it
was an insult to me as well. I came to help him at his request and he says he would not
fight. How dare he? This happens because our minds carry a baggage. It is not empty.
Krishna does not carry such baggage and therefore can see Arjuna’s problem clearly.
Krishna does not take this common path. He takes the high road.
How does Krishna do it and how can we get there. Watchfulness is the key. Awareness
to the activities of the mind is the highway. Old habits will always be there. Even if your
mind is not empty try it a few times. You come home and find that your brother is upset
for nothing. He is absolutely wrong. Normally you have the compulsion to point out that
he is wrong. It is your duty. Forget your duty for a moment and just let him be. Shower
your love on him; just your normal brotherly love. Your brother is expecting a different
response than what he gets. There is no guarantee, but he does not know how to respond
to your not so usual response. More than likely there will be no arguments.
Osho has talked on a Zen master Ta Hui:
“When old habits suddenly arise, don't use your mind to repress them. At just such a
time, it's like a snowflake on a red-hot stove.
Somebody insults you -- you don't have to be angry, but suddenly you find anger arising.
It is not an effort; it is just an old habit, an old reaction. Don't fight with it, don't try to
smile and hide it. Just watch it, and it will come and it will go.... Like a snowflake on a
red-hot stove.”
Old habits are hard to die. I had learned driving in India and when I came to England the
hardest part was to unlearn my bad driving habits. Krishna is already there and is pulling
Arjuna towards that state of existence. Arjuna is with him now. And, he wants to know
more. He wants to know how a centered steady person behaves? We all want to know.
Arjuna’s question is a universal one. I want to know how to know a sat Guru from the
fake one. Sometimes the fake ones look more authentic.
Mind has to be used in real life. Krishna has to use his mind to communicate with
Arjuna. A surgeon has to use his mind to operate. A centered person also talks, walks
and eats his meals. So what is the difference? How can Arjuna tell the difference
between a Krishna and an ordinary person? It is usually relatively easy to differentiate
between a good person and a bad person. But it is not always that easy. Osama Bin
Laden is a bad person for many, but is a hero for his fans.
It is, however, harder to differentiate between men with a controlled mind from
those with an awakened mind. There are many sadhus and sanyasis who have perfect
control of their mind and senses. They act out in public so well. But they are not there
yet. On the surface they appear perfect. Inside, it is a different picture. An awakened
person is peaceful inside. His mind has disappeared. The peace surrounding him outside
is simply a reflection of his inner peace.
A controlled person is simply imitating. He is putting on a persona, a mask. And that is

always a problem. Authenticity is lost. It is similar to trying to fit into a size 5 shoes that
we like so much even though the actual feet size is 10. There will be a lot of torture, but
the appearance is so nice. This is not only true for an individual, but also true for a
nation. India for example is a secular nation and wants to stay that way. Mahatma
Gandhi used (ahimsa) non-violence in the 1940s and India has to follow non-violence to
the brink. India of today has to fit its image of ‘restrictive secularism and a flawed
non-violence,’ no matter what the consequences are. I call the current Indian
secularism restrictive because it is biased and I call the current concept of non-
violence flawed because it allows violence against the self.
No, Krishna is not ready to follow ready-made paths. No awakened person will. He
takes Arjuna’s mess as an opportunity to change Arjuna’s whole being. And it so
happens that we have the same technology available through the words of Bhagavadgita.
Let us continue our journey with Arjuna and get there one day.
Atmanyevatmnana tushtah (2:55)
sri-bhagavan uvaca
prajahati yada kaman
sarvan partha mano-gatan
atmany evatmana tustah
sthita-prajnas tadocyate
Krishna speaks, “O Partha:”

When all the desires have dropped (from the mind)
And a person is utterly satisfied (tushtaha)
By the company of his self with the self (atmanyevaatmana)
He can then be called a centered man (Sthitapragya) ||2:55||.
==============================================================
Krishna is now answering Arjuna’s question of what the properties of a sthitapragya (a
centered man) are. The first and perhaps the most important quality according to Krishna
is that such a person is ‘content with himself.’ He is happy with him own company; it
actually is not even a company, he is simply established within himself. How do we get
to that stage? How does one center? Krishna says that this happens only when all the
desires have dropped. This is what Shankaracharya has called, “Nirmohatve
nischaltattvam.”
We live in Maine. It is snowing outside. We have our fireplace going, are sipping coffee
and eating samosa. Outside, it is cold but we are cozy inside. If we decide to go outside
we shall wear appropriate clothing to beat the cold. Maine has not been our home before;
we lived in England and India in the past. But, it is our ‘home sweet home for now.’ A
centered person has come to his permanent home. He is cozy and comfortable with
himself. Now it does not matter if he lives in England or he lives in Timbuktoo, he is
happy and completely content with himself.
Every house including our house has a door. We had our old friend, Dr. Rajgopal and his
wife Bhama come and visit us this weekend. We met after a long time. Rajgopal and me
have always argued about nothing in the past and we did that to an extent this time as
well. All of us played cards, went shopping and even meditated together. They just left
for their home sweet home in Canada today. We were hosts, and they were the guests,
guests for a few days.
Thoughts and desires are also our guests. They come and they go. Most of us do not
know that and get identified with these thoughts. I call it my thoughts and my friend calls
it his thoughts. And that is the difference between us, who are not centered, and Krishna,
who has centered. He can see it very clearly that thoughts are outside. Once this is clear,
the relationship with thoughts and desires becomes clear. The attachment is dropped.
There is no need or question of dropping the thoughts or desires; it simply is a matter of
dropping the relationship. I know my house and my friend knows his house. When he
left our house to go to his house, he did not drop the house that we live in. Rajgopal
knows that it is a friend’s house.
The house is still there. The relationship between the house and us is quite clear.
Similarly, the thoughts are still there. Only the relationship between ‘me as a host and
thoughts as guest’ is not clear. Thoughts are the doorway to attachment. Once the
relationship is identified then it can be used to regulate which thoughts enter and which
ones can be kept outside. And once I do not have unwelcome guests, I can be cozy
besides my fireplace sipping my coffee with the samosa. A welcome guest is a welcome
company. Thoughts that promote the remembrance of Parmatma is always welcome and
we have called such company Satsang. Shankaracharya call it “satsangatve
nissangatvam.” The same energy and door of thoughts and desires can be used to
develop and deepen the relationship with Krishna. And this also leads to the same place.
It leads to the recognition of the fact that the thoughts and desires are not yours, they are
just guests.
Once this relationship between the host and the guests (atma as self and thoughts as
guests) is recognized, happiness and contentment is natural. I have a friend Dr.
Steinhacker who keeps repeating this saying, “I have been poor and I have been rich. I
do not want to be poor again.” A centered person will have a saying something like this,
“I have been unhappy before, I am happy now and I will never be unhappy again.” Once
the relationship is recognized, there is no possibility of being unhappy.
We only know of company of others. We spend all our conscious life looking for a
company. Whether it is reading a newspaper or watching televisions, we are always out
of the door. As we are we do not spend much time inside our permanent home. This art
of being at home is lost. We spend our lifetime wandering outside with the thoughts that
we so strongly believe are ours. Krishna is pointing out to Arjuna that all thoughts are
guests and that he should recognize this relationship. Once this is recognized, desires
drop and centering happens. Such a person is established within him and has found his
permanent abode. He is perfectly content being with himself (atmanyevatmane tushtaha).
A Buddha is a Buddha is a Buddha (2:56-2:57)
duhkhesv anudvigna-manah
sukhesu vigata-sprhah
vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah
sthita-dhir munir ucyate
Misery does not agitate his mind

Happiness is not hankered after
A man who is free from
Affection, fear and anger
Is said to be a centered man.
(sthita-dhir munir ucyate)||2:56||
yah sarvatranabhisnehas
tat tat prapya subhasubham
nabhinandati na dvesti
tasya prajna pratisthita
He is universally unattached
He is unaffected by bad or good results
(prapya shubha ashubham)
A person who is neither happy nor unhappy
In such situations, is steadied in his wisdom.
(tasya pragya pratisthata). ||2:57||
Buddha says in dhammpada:
The wind cannot shake a mountain.

Neither praise nor blame moves the wise man
And that is what Krishna is precisely talking about. Krishna is talking about what we
normally do and what a centered man does not do. Misery agitates not only our mind but
also our whole existence. We are all hankering after happiness. We do not want misery
and we are desperate to get happiness. In reality, we get a lot of misery and never even
get close to happiness. Buddha went so far that he called our state of being as misery.
That is his first assumption. Life is misery (dukkha). Krishna does not say that in the
same words but implies that in the sense that as long as misery agitates the mind, there is
dukkha.
Krishna is scientific in his approach. He first talks about outside influences. Both, the
misery and happiness happen outside. An event happens outside; someone close dies.
This in scientific terms is a stimulus to the mind. The mind gets agitated and the
response is crying. Similarly, we go on vacation hoping there will be happiness when we
get there. We are always in pursuit of happiness. After talking about these outside
matters, Krishna turns to the emotions that arise inside of us. Affection, fear and anger
normally arise inside us and then we respond appropriately. ‘Fight or flight’ is one such
response.
Krishna says that affection, fear and anger do not arise in a centered person. Misery does
not agitate his mind and he does not go looking for happiness. What is going on? Has
this person lost all sensitivity? Yes, this does happen in a person who looses his
sensitivity. A stone drunk person does not care about misery or happiness. He is too
drunk to love or hate some body and many a times he does not fear anything. An
awakened person on the other hand has got higher sensitivity. If he gets hurt, he will
experience pain more that you and I.
So, what is going on? Krishna touches it briefly in the next shloka. The key is non-
attachment. This has to be understood deeply. When Krishna talks about centering he
is not talking about centering of mind or mental equipoise. He is talking about
getting to the center. He is not talking about controlling mind; mind has to be
bypassed to get to the center. He reaches to a no-mind state. We talked about a home
in our last column. It is snowing outside. The roads are slippery. I am sitting inside the
home, besides the fire, sipping coffee with samosa. I am home. It is still snowing
outside and the roads are still slippery. If I go outside, I would use the four-wheel drive
car and drive carefully.
A centered person has reached home. He has reached what is sometimes expressed as a
no-mind state. He is happy in his own company (atmanyevatmana tushtah). He is sitting
beside himself similar to me sitting besides my cozy fireplace. Events are still happening
outside similar to the snow and slippery road outside my house. If this person with no
mind has to do something, he still uses the mind similar to me using my four wheel-drive
car. This person is centered, mind is still there; but he is aware of the separateness of the
mind and himself.
Normally we live as a mind-senses-desire complex. They are all one entity along with
the ego I. Mind is the master. Events that it does not like agitate it. And, it is always
looking for happiness outside. Fear and anger are its company. Such a person has to
control the mind to give an impression that he is in control.
All these entities are present around a centered person as well. He can see them as
separate entities. Guru Arjan Dev ji must have felt the heat of the fire, perhaps more so
than most of us. But, at the same time he would have seen the separateness of the being
and the physical body, and much more at the time. Misery did not agitate his mind. His
reaction may sound out of place, but is so authentic:
Tera Kiya Metha lage, naam padarath Nanak mange

(whatever you ordain appears sweet. I supplicate for the gift of name)
Attachment is the problem. Thoughts are the source of attachment. Awareness is the
key. And this is where Shankaracharya says, “satsangatve nissangatvam. How does a
centered person use his mind? Buddha has explained it beautifully in Dhammapada:
The farmer channels water to his land

The Fletcher whittles his arrows
And the carpenter turns his wood
So the wise man directs his mind
A Buddha is a Buddha is a Buddha. He has reached the center. He can witness

everything that is happening outside. Happiness is his steady state. He is content in his
own company. He is now the master and mind and intellect work for him. There is no
question or need of controlling the mind.
When is a buddha not a Buddha? (2:58-2:59)
yada samharate cayam

kurmo 'nganiva sarvasah
indriyanindriyarthebhyas
A person who withdraws his sense organs

From corresponding sensory desires,
Similar to a tortoise withdrawing his limbs,
His wisdom is then considered steady.
(tasya pragya pratisthata). ||2:58||
visaya vinivartante
niraharasya dehinah
rasa-varjam raso 'py asya
param drstva nivartate
A person centered in his body

Can control his sense organs
But still continues to long the same way.
A centered and steady person
By virtue of knowing the ultimate
(param drastva)
Instead, gets rid of the longing (rasam) as well ||2:59||
A tortoise withdraws its limbs when it wants to rest. The limbs are in its control.
They do not have a life of their own. The tortoise controls its limbs. It is not always
so in our cases. We do not always control our sense organs (indriyas). The eyes
want to see an attractive car. The feet follow. The hands are more than ready to
co-operate. Sometimes it appears that they work on their own. They seem to have
energy of their own. And that is why Krishna has taken this issue here. Krishna
wants Arjuna to understand the relationship of our indriyas (sense organs), vaasanas
(desires) and our body. The next few shlokas deal with this relationship. Tortoise is
just an example, a good example indeed. It withdraws its limbs and Krishna wants
us to become masters of our sense organs (indriyas) as well, so that we can also
withdraw them at our will.
Krishna addresses the problem of this withdrawal in the next shloka. He knows that
people are more than willing to copy the behaviors of the awakened ones. It is of
course easier than become awakened. Why bother going through all the processes
(saadhanas) and austerity (tapasya).
He talks like a Buddha

He walks like a Buddha
And He eats like a Buddha
But, he is not centered like a Buddha
This buddha is not really a Buddha.
Krishna is telling to Arjuna that it is possible to control the sense organs (indriyas)
without getting centered. And this is a significant part that has not been very well
understood. All our saints are putting so much emphasis on this control
phenomenon. Every one is saying to control the sense organs (indriyas). Krishna is
not so much after the control of the sense organs (indriyas). He is after the root of it
all. Krishna will not appreciate if we make ourselves blind. And there is a deep
reason behind it. Every sense organ is a bridge, a bridge between the outside
and the inside. Every indriya has two sides.
One is how the sense organs (indriyas) work outside. This is just reporting. They
are reporters similar to press reporters. That is their inherent important function.
There is no point destroying this important function. Surdas gouged his own eyes.
Gandhi’s three monkeys are famous for this purpose. Krishna will not agree with
that. If you are driving a car, you will like your eyes to help you guiding through the
roads. You will like your hand and feet to do the right thing.
The second aspect of the sense organs (indriyas) is what Krishna is more concerned
about. This is the inner part of the indriyas, the ras. Ras is hard to translate, but
longing or an urge comes close. We all know that wood can be used to build
structures or hit some one. This is an outside property of the wood. Wood can also
be used to produce energy by burning it. This is an inherent inner property of the
wood. Behind every sense organ is a potential desire, longing or an urge. And that
is what Krishna is concerned about.
It is possible to control the eyes from looking at a beautiful girl. When I was growing
up in Ara, I felt guilty if I looked at the face of a girl. We always kept our eyes down
looking at the ground like a good boy. What was going through my mind is another
matter. There is a beautiful story in Ramayana. Ravana has abducted Sita. Sita
dropped some of her jewelry on the way. These were found and Rama could not
recognize those. So he asked his brother Laxaman if he recognized any of them.
Laxman could only recognize the ones that were worn by Sita on her feet. The
explanation given by so-called experts is that Laxaman was a celibate (brahmachari)
and he never looked at Sita’s face. Now, that is not Krishna’s kind of celibacy
(brahmachari). Krishna will argue that if some one is afraid to loose their celibacy
(brahmacharya) by looking at Sita, he cannot be a celibate (brahmachari). If he is
so weak, he should find another way to find the strength first. In reality Laxaman
recognized the jewelry of the feet because he had been touching Sita’s feet every
day.
Eyes have a reporting function. But the same eyes when obsessed with a certain
desire can become tainted and see things that the mind wants it to see. Tulsidas
was obsessed with desire to meet his wife. He crossed the river with help of a dead
corpse. He thought the dead corpse was a block of wood. He climbed to the roof of
his wife’s house by holding on to a snake. He thought it was a rope. The eyes were
working for this intense desire. And that is the part that Krishna is concerned about.
Awareness is the key to dropping these inner potential of the sense organs
(indriyas).
A centered person has dropped the inner part of the sense organs as well. Once the
inner part (the longing, urge or the desires) is dropped the outer is taken care of.
The centered person then is the master of his sense organs (indriyas) and can move
it (withdraw them or advance them) at his will.
What is the way? (2:60-2:61)
yatato hy api kaunteya

purusasya vipascitah
indriyani pramathini
haranti prasabham manah
tani sarvani samyamya

yukta asita mat-parah
vase hi yasyendriyani
When the attachments (asakti) continue, O arjuna

The strength of the desiring sense organs
Can then abduct the wishful mind (mun)
Even though the person’s wisdom resists
For the desiring phenomenon is so strong ||2:60||
The seeker, having thus understood

The way the sense organs work,
Sits and meditates on me.
Such a man is master of his desiring mind
Has control on his sense organs
And His wisdom becomes centered
(tasya pragya pratisthita) ||2:61||
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Krishna is so methodical. Arjuna asked him about the attributes of a centered person
(sthitapragya). Krishna mentioned the attributes and then warned Arjuna of the
possibility of copycats. Now Krishna gets down to the bottom line. What are the
roadblocks? How come a person finds it hard to center? What energy pulls a seeker
down? And what is the way?
We have discussed about the indriya-mun-vaasana complex. The sense organs (indriyas),
mun (the wishing mind) and the desires (vaasana) work together. They are the periphery,
but this is the plane where most of us exist. We have invested a lot in the way we are.
The advertising agencies make all their money on keeping the status quo. We like to
watch television and there are new designs available all the time. You wish and the
industry is ready to fulfill your wishes. The world of advertising and the world of
moneymaking industries thrive on our wishes and dreams. Is Krishna telling us to drop
this whole charade?
No, Krishna is not telling us to drop the entire periphery. He just wants us to know the
spade as spade. Krishna wants us to understand the workings of the indriyas (sense
organs). He wants us to understand the relationship between the indriyas and the desires
and how they work on the wishing mind (mun) and the physical body.
The first thing that he wants us to understand is that as we are, our indriyas (sense organs)
have energy. Indriyas are powerful. They can generate a desire and then abduct the
whole being of a seeker. This needs to be understood. I have a friend. He is a chief
executive officer (CEO) of a hospital. His father died of lung cancer. He has been
smoking far many years and continues to do so. He knows that cigarettes are harmful to
his body. He must have made many New Year resolutions (sankalp) to quit smoking.
Every time his indriyas have been more powerful than his resolve.
Where is this strength come from? The strength of the indriyas is in the habit, the
conditioning. The indriyas have become used to getting the cigarette every so often.
They are not aware of the resolution. The resolution is made by the mind. When the
time comes, the indriyas start demanding. The whole body starts revolting. The mouth
becomes dry. The hands start shaking. And before we know it the cigarette is lighted
and in our mouth.
We can comprehend that the strength of smoking is related to this conditioning, the habit.
But there are many other conditionings in our life that are difficult to comprehend. Doing
regular puja or going for a walk can also be a conditioning. Being angry every other day
can also be a conditioning. The strength of conditioning may not be limited to what we
have done in this life; it may have come from several previous lives. And that is what we
have called samskara. Indriyas (sense organs) derive their strength from our sanskaras.
We continue to love and hate in a certain way. Krishna is not saying not to love or hate.
He wants us to be aware of the forces of this conditioning sanskara.
I am used to sleeping late. I have often needed to get up in early morning to write my
articles (there is a lot of I here). A little voice tells me to get up in the morning. When I
get up I feel fresh. But, many times I do not get up. I keep myself in bed. The writing
can be done tomorrow. More interesting than that is the fact that if I want to call the
editor for one reason or the other, my moral I resists and says, “Am I calling for selfish
reason, What will the editor think…and so on.” A lot of simple things in life can be
affected by this conditioning. Some are obviously bad, the likes of smoking and
alcoholism. The others like puja or writing can become subtler. But, all of these can be a
hindrance in the search for a seeker of Parmatma.
Krishna is not passing a judgment. He is not so much concerned in right and wrong. He
wants Arjuna to know the ways. The sense organs have energy that has been imparted by
us; the energy is from conditioning (sankara). Are we then helpless and cannot do
anything about it?
Krishna gives us one technique here. He is saying that we may be weak in handling these
powerful indriyas ourselves. We have limited resources. Krishna tells Arjuna to use the
energy of Parmatma in dealing with these conditioning (samskaras). The indriyas can be
defeated; they can be defeated with the help of the forces of Parmatma.
It works in two ways. First the focus shifts from the sense organs to the Parmatma. The
desire changes with it. Second part is not easy to understand. Once you leave it to the
unknown forces of the divine, the energy of divine descends on you and this part can only
be experienced. The availability of divine energy is not theoretical; it is practical. And
once a seeker meditates on this ultimate energy of Parmatma, he becomes centered; he is
the master. He has the clarity (of intellect). He can take clear decisions, decisions free
from the conditioning of samskaras. This is the way, the way to successful existence.
Desire Pathway (2:62-2:63)
dhyayato visayan pumsah

sangas tesupajayate
sangat sanjayate kamah
kamat krodho 'bhijayate
Thoughts are the key to attachments

Attachments catch their roots
And give birth to lust or onging (kama)
Longing and lust (if unfulfilled) can then
Lead to the development of anger itself. ||2:62||
krodhad bhavati sammohah

sammohat smrti-vibhramah
smrti-bhramsad buddhi-naso
buddhi-nasat pranasyati
From Anger comes clouding of judgment (moha)

Moha leads to loss of discretionary memory (smriti)
Then dawns the loss of intelligence (buddhi)
And this causes virtual death of the being (pranasyati)
Such a person is as good as being dead ||2:63||
Desire Pathway (2:62-2:63)
Krihsna has so far talked about the journey towards the center. The gyan yoga and karma
yoga leads a person to be centered. The person still has to use buddhi, which is outside
from the center and he still has to act it out with every one else at the periphery. And that
is the reason why it becomes difficult to distinguish a centered person (sthitapragya) from
others. Krishna eats the same way as anyone else; he walks the same way and so on.
Krishna here describes a pathway that leads us on the slippery slope. We ought to know
what leads us to our downfall. It is not random. There is a system. There is a certain
chain of events that are triggered by a simple thought process. The beginning is a simple
thought. It appears very benign. We see a photograph of valley of flowers. The
photograph is beautiful. This is a simple thought. Thinking about a subject (vishaya), the
subject here being valley of flowers. The subject could be a beautiful girl or a beautiful
car.
We then impart energy to this thought of the valley of flowers. This produces a
relationship with the subject. Now I am curious. I want to find out where this valley of
flowers is. What is the story? I want to know where the girl lives. A journey has started.
A momentum has developed. The energy is on the move. This closeness can then
become attachment. Now I am not only curious to know where the valley is but I want to
get there.
The story goes that Draupadi saw this flower in a brook and wanted Bhima to find out the
source where this beautiful flower came from. And that is how valley of flowers in the
Himalayas was discovered in those times. Legends also associate this valley with the
area from where Hanumanji of Ramayana collected "Sanjeevani" herbs to revive
Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama. Hanuman had to visit far-flung areas in his
search for the life - saving herbs. Frank Smythe gets the credit for
rediscovering this valley’s worth in 1938.
All the same, the desire is getting more intense. The simple thought of the subject
(vishaya) brought closeness; closeness lead to attachment. There is a relationship and
there is movement. Energy is flowing. Now a lust, a longing, a want is generated. The
desire to get there is now intense. My whole being is disturbed. There is no problem
with the flow if I am able to get there.
This should be understood. If I am living under the kalpavriksha (a tree that fulfills all
desires), there will be no vices. Anger will not arise. Energy is flowing and there is no
blockage. I want to go to the valley of flowers. And I get there. I want that beautiful girl
and I get her. All my wishes are fulfilled. There is no problem.
The real world is not like that. Thoughts arise. Energy is imparted to that thought.
Closeness and attachment develops. The journey continues. I want to get there. Now I
do not have any money. Even if I get the money somehow, I can’t get there because the
bus driver does not want to take me on the bus. There is a n obstruction to the flow of
energy. Suddenly, there comes a blockage and I am unable to find a solution. Anger
arises.
Anger is the result of obstruction of the flow of the energy that has been imparted to the
desire. This is the pathway. It is so significant to understand this pathway. Once a
seeker understands the normal flow pattern, he or she can then master the technique of
not falling in to the traps. Awareness to the thought, awareness to the flow and
awareness to the anger arising inside can have remedial effects. And all this can be
helpful in the journey to the center.
It is essential to know the normal pathway. Krishna is no giving ‘does and don’ts.’
Krishna is not telling us what we should or should not do. He is simply telling us the
science of desire pathway. I am angry. Anger has taken over my being. I am shaking
with anger. I have a gun. My hand goes and brings out the gun, and before I know it, the
bus driver is on the floor.
What happened? I knew that if I kill somebody, I will go to jail. There is no valley of
flowers in the jail. What happened to my right memory? My buddhi (intelligence) did
not come for help. Krishna is saying that things can get out of hand from anger onward.
It is possible to master (by centering) or control (by disciplined approach) the anger.
After the anger takes over the being, it may be difficult to stop the process. This should
be deeply understood. The faculties that prevent us from our downfall are right memory
and our buddhi (intelligence). The anger intoxicates our right memory. Right memory or
discriminatory intelligence is also part of our overall intelligence. It allows us to know
right from wrong. It allows us to know what is harmful for us. It is a bank where our
learned information is placed. Once this is contaminated, the intelligence (buddhi) is
simply destroyed. And a man without the faculty of intelligence (buddhi) is not a man
any more.
Krishna has outlined the pathway so succinctly and so clearly. This is how things happen
at the periphery. The pathway to the downfall starts with thoughts of a subject (vishaya).
Awareness to this simple thought can change the direction to the pathway for centering.
This awareness can be helpful up to the stage when anger takes over. Once the anger is
allowed to manifest, it is too late. But, it is never too late to start the journey to center
again.
Desire Pathway II (2:62-63)
We looked at the desire pathway in our last column. The flow chart that was outlined in
the last column was a simple linear pathway. In real life it is not that simple. I want to
go to the valley of flowers. Many other people want to go there as well. This produces a
synergy. And the same phenomenon of many people can produce strain on the transport
system and can produce the blockage by bottleneck effect. The blockage can then
produce anger and so on. But before we get more into the complexities of the desire
pathway, let us look at the flowchart from another angle.
Osho says:
“Man lives in misery – not because he is destined to live in misery but because he does
not understand his own nature, potential, and possibilities of growth. This non-
understanding is what creates hell. To understand oneself is to be naturally blissful,
because bliss is not something that comes from the outside, it is your consciousness
resting in its own nature.”
And this is what Krishna says when he says “Atmanyevatmana tushtaha.” It is important
to understand our nature. And thought and desire make the framework of our existence.
Our successes and our failures depend on it. The ultimate outcome of saadhana (spiritual
practices) may lead to thoughtlessness and absence of desires but that is not where we
are. Thoughts arise. The mind is constantly desiring. And this produces the attachment.
Dhyayato vishayanpunsho, sangasteshupajayate

Thinking about a subject
Produces attachment to the subject
So, what can we do about it? A subject is there. Thoughts about it arise. And then some
relationship develops. Krishna wants us to understand the basics. Clarity can set in by
knowing itself. He wants us to be aware of the events and steps that follow. The next
thing that happens is the wanting, the longing, the lust and Krishna calls it kamana.
Sangatsajayate kamaha
This leads to want, longing and lust (kama)
And this is the most important step that we can do something about. Thoughts and
desiring are hard to deal with. They will arise. We can become a witness to them. We
can see them pass through. Trouble arises from this level of kamana (want). Buddha has
said in Dhammapada:
“Want nothing
Where there is desire,
Say nothing.
Happiness or sorrow-
Whatever befalls you,
Walk on
Untouched, unattached”
This is such a simple statement. Yet it is so deep. Want imparts the energy that we
talked about. The flow starts and if there is any obstruction to the flow anger ensues.
Kamatkrodhobhijayate
Kama then gives rise to anger
And Buddha in his simple methodology just says that. Let the thoughts and desire pass
through. They are guests. They are just transiting unless you or me impart energy to it to
make it kama (want).
You can still do the planning. You can still execute the plan. The want is not needed to
complete a project. Want or kamana is a hindrence in the project. It cannot help, but can
surely lead to misery. In fact some people believe that the less you want, the more you
get.
In our example of ‘journey to valley of flowers,’ let us see what happened. I had the
desire of going to the valley of flowers. I have shot the bus driver. I was in a state of
shock about what I had done. Before I knew what was happening I was in a police jeep
heading towards jail, far away from my wanted destination of valley of flowers. Things
started flashing back. The events that happened in the journey started coming back to me
in slow motion. I had thought of going to the valley (subject). I got the air ticket. I got a
camcorder to shoot films and pictures. All this was because of the desire, which then
became a want (kaamana). This want brought all the complications that might happen
and brought the worries about what I will do if that happened. I was already tense even
before I got on the plane. I know now that if I did not have the intensity of wanting
(kaamana), I would not have been tense. Any way the flow of kaamana (want) had
started. I came to New Delhi. There were problems at the aiorport. Somehow I got to
Haridwar and Rishikesh and got on the bus to Joshimuth from where I could get to valley
of flowers. There were several passengers on the bus. And there was this beautiful girl
called Roopmati on the bus as well. She was just going back to her home in the valley
area. Another thought came by my mind. Why not sit besides her. This thought might
have crossed many other passenger’s minds. Only one person was going to sit besides
her. Somehow, I did get a chance to sit besides her. Then I started conversing with her.
And many others who did not have a chance to sit besides her were also in the bus. Were
they jealous? May be. I started liking this girl Roopmati and wondered if she can give
me a tour of the valley. It would have been perfect if I was the only one interested in her
and that is all that mattered. There were many other thoughts and desires cris-crossing at
this point. There were many wants (kaamana) in the bus at this point in time. The bus
driver who had met her many times before was in love with the girl. The girl had no
interest in me. She was just being nice. The girl’s brother was also traveling in the bus.
And the cris-crossing of wants and the flow of me wanting the girl had to come to head at
one time. The bus driver at the next stop did not want to take me any further. There was
big blockage in my kamana (want). And anger arose. I was mad. My right memory
(smriti) was out of the window. I am a married man. I have children at home. What will
happen to the journey to the valley of flowers? All this was by the wayside. Kaamana
had taken me over. And at this time, the police jeep reached the jail. My flashback
stopped. There was an end to a perfectly healthy life.
Krodhatbhavati sammohaha
Sammohatsmritivibhramah
Smritibhranshat buddhinasho
Buddhinashat pranashyati
Mind remains eternally in discontent. Buddha is saying, “Want nothing.” Be eternally

contented. He is not against thoughts, intellect or even desiring. Just become a witness.
The thoughts and desires will drop as well. But the starting point is “Want nothing.”
Try to stop the stage of want, the kamana. (visit http://www.egita.org)
Desire Pathway III (2:62-63)
The pathway continues. Once the desire becomes a want and there is obstruction to the
flow, anger arises. It is a natural outcome. We discussed how to not get to the want
(kam) circle. This can be achieved by awareness to the beginning, the thought of a
subject and the relationship that develops because of this (attachment). By bringing
awareness to the thoughts and the desires, non-attachment is achieved. This non-
attachment prevents the want or the kaamana that then creates the flow.
Let us examine today what can be done if the pathway is not interrupted at the ‘want’
stage. The next obvious step is anger. There are three things that can be done at this
step. Anger can be allowed to express. Some people believe that once this anger is
expressed, it brings relief by release of anger. Krishna has explained it later that this is
not true. Anger has an insatiable appetite. It behaves like fire; the more fuel you add to
fire, it becomes fierier. Moreover this also leads to the next step, which are loss of the
right memory and the inevitable destruction of intelligence.
So, expressing the anger is not the prudent pathway. However, does it mean that anger
has no role in life? As long as anger is not the master, it may have a role. Let me clarify
this a little. The anger we are talking about here is a by-product of obstruction to the
flow. Anger in its pure form may have a utility, as long as, being a master of the situation
uses it. Rama is in Rameshwaram on his journey to Lanka. He worships Shiva. Then he
requests the ocean to provide a path to Lanka. His requests have no result. He has been
ignored completely. Then Rama picks up his bow and arrow and uses anger to threaten
the ocean. And this produces immediate results. Ramam’s anger was not a by-product.
He was the master. He could use it and then forget about it. Anger did not contaminate
his being (chitta) and it did not touch his right memory (smriti) nor did it touch his
intelligence. And anger can have a utility value in such situations.
The other thing to note about anger is that it sometimes is cyclical. There are people who
get angry at regular intervals. There does not need to be any reason for the anger to
come. Anger is present all the time below the surface. It gets manifested periodically. It
still follows the pathway that starts at the thought and desire level and travels through the
attachment and want phase.
The second avenue for a person with anger is to control it. Control is usually possible by
suppressing the anger. And this simply puts the anger under the surface. It continues to
simmer there waiting to express itself at a more opportune time. It also creates its
impressions on the face and personality of the person. The person who has suppressed
anger for one reason or the other is never peaceful inside. This situation happens in some
cases by mere inability of the person to respond to a situation. When Muslim invaders
destroyed Somanath temple, Hindus were weak. They had to suppress the anger at that
time. Manny years later this temple was reconstructed. Similar is the situation of a child
when he is growing up and is abused by his parents. People who want to impress others
and want to look good also practice the control. Many saints and sadhus do this routinely
to show that they have mastered the way. At times controlling is the right thing to do. It
is often better than expressing it.
What is the third way? What else can be done? This is the method that Krishna, Buddha
or Osho will recommend. And this is the way to diffuse the anger. Awareness to the
situation is again the key. We have to become fully aware. Anger has surrounded the
whole body. The body is virtually shaking. The fists are getting tighter. The teeth are
clinched together. Voice is harsh, shaky and loud. During this hight of awareness a
magical thing happens. The anger is suddenly dissipated. And this is the way to get
centered. The habits will come back again and again. Awareness is going to be the
formula to disperse it.
Once the anger is allowed to take over the being, the next step before the contamination
of memory is some kind of intoxication (moha). The word sammohan or moha cannot be
translated properly in English, but is close to intoxications. Alcohol makes us drunk. A
person in full anger is drunk with anger. And this drunkenness is what affects the right
memory, smriti. The acts performed by an angry person are not rational. He stops using
his intelligence. And once this stage sets in, awareness is really hard to maintain.
Awareness is easy to come when it is the stage of want (kamana). Thoughts and desires
can be watched without getting attached. They can be treated as guests. Technically, it is
possible to get to the no-desire or no-thought stage, but it is harder to try to start there.
Nirvichar (no-thought) samadhi is a possibility; it is a potential. But the easiest start is to
become aware at the ‘thought’ or ‘want’ stage of the pathway. As we proceed further, it
becomes harder to continue to be a witness. Once the attachment sets in, the roots start
getting deeper. The deeper the roots set in the harder it is to continue to bring awareness
to it. But it is still possible up to the stage of anger. Once the sammohan, intoxication or
drunkenness sets it, it usually goes all the way. But a seeker or a meditator can still get
past this stage. However, a seeker (sadhak) usually does not let things go so far.
And once the anger has been expressed, there is always the next time. We ought to know
the pathway in detail and keep this in our perspective. This will help in understanding
Krishn’a words that are to follow. (http:www.egita.org)
The alternate pathway (2:64)
raga-dvesa-vimuktais tu
visayan indriyais caran
atma-vasyair vidheyatma
prasadam adhigacchati
A centered person is the master

He understands the separateness of sense organs
And their relationship to the
Attractions (raag) and aversions (dwesha)
Knowing this He wanders
Amongst different sense organs
With happiness and tranquility
Such a person is content within himself.||2:64||
Krishna has just completed the details of a common pathway (desire pathway), or let us
say pathway for a common person. It starts with thought; thought of a subject and this
establishes a relationship of attachment.
dhyayato vishayanpunshaha, sangasteshupajayate
Krishna now is talking about an alternate pathway. This pathway is a derivative of the
desire pathway that we have addressed already. Arjuna had asked the characteristics of a
centered man (sthitapragya) and that is precisely what Krishna is talking about here.
How does this pathway apply to a centered person? It is important to know the basics
and then we can address the variations. Pathways are so important in the medical field.
We eat our food. The pathway for digestion starts. Fat is metabolized through a different
pathway compared to carbohydrates. Insulin is required for metabolism of carbohydrates
and if there is not enough insulin, diabetes can set in. And because of this knowledge,
insulin is used to treat a patient with diabetes.
Pathways can be interrupted. Pathways can be enhanced. But, for all this knowing the
basics is important. Most of us to whom the desire pathway applies go on to the stage of
want (kama). And as we discussed in our previous columns, an obstructed want produces
anger and frustrations and the pathway continues.
Are we then condemned to follow this desire pathway, or is there a way out. If we bring
awareness to the thoughts, an alternate pathway can be entered. Attachment develops
because we act without our awareness. Non-attachment is the product when we bring
awareness to the thoughts. An understanding of this step is crucial, because this is the
turning point in the pathway. If there is no attachment, there is no progression to want
(kama) or intoxication (moha). We have looked at this pathway in our column, ‘Four
steps to samadhi’ described by Shankaracharya. And for differentiating purposes we
shall call this Samadhi pathway. The starting point for both is thoughts. If you get
attached it leads to desire pathway, if you stay non-attached, it starts the Samadhi
pathway.
Desire pathway takes us down, and Samadhi pathway pulls us up. Desire pathway
leads to confusion, and Samadhi pathway leads us to clarity. Desire pathway is
misery, and Samadhi pathway is eternal happiness. Krishna here is saying that a
centered person, a person who is independent of attractions and aversions (basically non-
attached), appears to live the same way as any one else. Something inside has changed.
There is a qualitative change to his interiority (antahkaran).
The question arises as to the facts that if it is so simple then why are we not able to get
there. I have been meditating for so long. I can get to the non-attached place a lot of the
times. Why then am I not where Krishna is talking about. Why am I not in Samadhi that
Shankara has described? What is the hindrance? This is a basic question that every
seeker (sadhak) comes across. Do vipassana or do a dynamic meditation. Minor
explosions (experiences) happen but the major one happens only with the divine grace.
That does not mean that the samadhi pathway does not exist. It simply means that there
is more to it than we really know. What is this more? Let us examine this closely. I
have started doing meditation yesterday. I can become non-attached when I meditate.
When I go to the market, the old habits take over. Non-attachment is not my
undercurrent. Meditation is half an hour affair for me. Once it is over, it is over.
Meditation is not my mainstream life. My total awareness is only present for half an hour
(if that) a day. I have been following the desire pathway for several lives. Even now I
am following it 23 plus hours a day. This is not going to work. Meditation has to
become the mainstream of my life. And then comes the total acceptance of existence
and what existence has to offer. Expectations, even expectations of happiness and non-
attachment have to disappear. And, it is okay even if it does not happen. This has to be
remembered by every seeker. We have just reversed the pathway. We have to give it
some time. The samskaras have their own strength and they have their own momentum.
It has to be watched carefully. The karma has to get to zero balance.
Let us go back to our ‘journey to valley of flowers.’ A thought comes. The thought is to
go to valley of flowers. I chalk out a plan based on the information I can get. I buy the
best price air ticket available on the market. I did my research about the price. Once I
buy the ticket I move on. That step is over for me.
If I was on the desire pathway, things could have been different. I need a ticket to travel.
I do not want to pay a lot of money. I research the price. It costs $1000.00. That is too
much money. I try to negotiate. I do not mind begging, even though I can afford it.
Ultimately I do buy the ticket for the same price. I feel torn inside. I have the ticket. But
I have not dropped my want to get it cheaper. I keep an eye on the price. The price drops
to $750.00 next week. This really makes me cry. Why did I not wait for a little while? I
go back to the travel agent and try to get the new price. And again it does not work. I am
already upset. The journey has not even started.
A person (me here) on the alternate pathway moves on. He (person on desire pathway) is
on the same airplane as me. He wants special service from the airhostess. They do try to
give him what he wants, but his wants keep getting more and more. Ultimately they give
him a cold shoulder. And he is upset again. I am on the other hand quite happy with the
service and move along. We both get out of the plane. But, he can’t get over it. He is
going to complain. His whole journey has been miserable. How can he drop it? He is
not a coward. He will make sure the airhostess gets fired.
I have exaggerated the events a little. But life is totally different on this alternate
pathway. This alternate pathway is where Krishna is trying to get Arjuna. We all can
follow Arjuna on this alternate pathway and be happy rather than follow the desire
pathway and be miserable. There is nothing to loose. We still get to the valley of flowers
and get the happiness and tranquility too.
Antahkaran: The inner core (2:65)
prasade sarva-duhkhanam
hanir asyopajayate
prasanna-cetaso hy asu
buddhih paryavatisthate
This internal happiness and contentment

Results in the end of all misery
Such a person’s intellect
Stops wandering around
And gets totally established in the center ||2:65||
We are all looking for peace. We all want to be happy. And there are teachers and Gurus
who are teaching how to be happy or how to be peaceful. A whole industry has
developed around this concept. And they are successful to an extent. I went to a six-day
program once and the program was quite useful. They incorporated concepts from the
east and that from the west. There was a modified vipassana and there were adventures
events thrown in here and there. It was definitely a feel good program. All the
participants shared their life stories in some sessions while they expressed their emotions
in another. This allowed some catharsis. As I said, the program had this feel good effect
and lasted for a while. This is similar to the effect of inspirational talks or inspirational
songs that you hear in college or school days. It wakes you up for a few seconds. The
peace or happiness does not really come and even if it comes, it does not stay.
So, what is Krishna talking about? Who is a happy person (prashanna-chetaso)?

Krishna’s whole concept is based on the fact that our interiority (antahakaran) is always
peaceful and is always happy. That is the so. There is no need to go on a journey to find
peace or happiness. All you have to do is to find your inner core. Be with yourself. And
happiness will shower on you by itself. There is no possibility of being unhappy in this
situation.
This is worth meditating over. Our inner core is in the state of happiness. What is this
inner core and how do we get there. When Ramana Maharshi talks about ‘who am I?’
technique, this is where he wants us to get to. He wants us to keep asking this question
until there is no one to ask this question any more. And once we get there, there is
natural stillness. And then it is easy to see all the upheavals on the periphery. You can
then wonder why and how you have been so restless all your life. This person is not a
coward; he is for the first time so strong. This person is not an escapist; he is for the first
time enjoying life to the fullest.
Osho has tried to make a distinction between ‘conscience’ and this inner core and it is
important for us to understand this distinction. Many people refer to this little voice that
speaks to us when we see something wrong being done. And this is described as our
conscience. I go to a Walmart. I like this new after-shave and pocket it making sure no
one sees. This is termed shoplifting. I buy few things but do not pay for the after-shave.
I feel great. But this inner voice keeps telling me, “It is wrong.” This is sometimes
referred to be the same as the inner core. But it is not. Conscience is acquired, but the
inner core is eternal. We learn from the society the concept of right and wrong. What is
wrong for one society may be acceptable for another. One man’s terrorist is another
man’s freedom fighter. A Muslim can marry his cousin sister, while a Hindu cannot
imagine of doing so.
What is this inner core then? We have discussed before about the physical body being at
the periphery. And we have also looked at the fact that we all have a center, the center
being the Atma. The journey is from the periphery to the center. And this is Yoga. As
we get close to the Atma, we come to our inner core (antahakaran). If we merge with
Atma, then there is not much to report. In Osho’s terms, the ineer core (antahkaran) is a
mirror that reflects the Atma.
The other thing we need to know about this inner core is that it is purity itself.
Something so close to Atma can never be impure. So, there is no question of purifying
your or my inner core. There is no evil here. Evil only exists at the periphery; it only
exists at the level of body and indriyas (sense organs).
The third important thing to understand about this inner core is that it is universal. There
are no religions at the level of inner core. Morality is not a property of this inner core. A
Hindu may have different morality compared to a Christian or Moslem. But they all have
the same inner core. That does not mean that a person who knows his inner core is
amoral; he in fact transcends morality. He becomes incapable of being immoral or
amoral.
Lastly, Krishna emphasizes on the decisiveness or clarity of intelligence of such a person.

Krishna has mentioned this point several times before. He wants to make sure that
Arjuna thinks clearly. And clarity in Krishna’s view is possible when one knows and is
established in his inner core. This person is centered. He is rooted in his inner core.
Now there is no possibility of confusion.
A dissociated (Ayuka) person (2:66)
nasti buddhir ayuktasya

na cayuktasya bhavana
na cabhavayatah santir
asantasya kutah sukham
A person with a wandering intellect and

A person with unstable emotions
(Ayukta =split person)
How can he get inner peace?
And how can anyone ever
Be Happy without this inner peace? ||2:66||
Soon after talking about happiness of inner core (prasannachetaso), Krishna addresses
how we usually live. We are for lack of actual translation, all ‘split’ personalities.
Krishna uses the word Ayukta (not joined together). We need to understand this
terminology before we go further. Krishna knows that ‘inner core’ (antahkaran) is
eternally pure; he still talks about a pure inner core. There is nothing to purify. Impurity
is at our level; it is at the level of physical body. In fact all we have to do is get to the
inner core, purity, harmony and happiness is secondary.
Similarly no person is actually split; we are all centered people. But, we travel to the
periphery and then we forget about the center. Now we spend our lives, not one but
many, trying to find this center. Even worse, we start finding means to be happy and
harmonious at the periphery itself. Krishna will say that we have to know our center.
We have to become centered and then life at the periphery will become happy by default.
Normally our intellect (buddhi) is wandering amongst many options. There is no clarity.
It follows our interests. But it is strange that Krishna brings in the factor of bhavana
(emotions) here and says that such a person does not have any (emotions) bhavana. This
does not sound right. We see emotions all around us. I have watched movies with
friends and relatives. Tears flow in the cinema halls. Fists fly in a film where there is
Dara Singh wrestling with the villain. We are all fighting with each other about one
emotion or the other. The wife complains to the husband why he did not give flowers on
her birthday and so on. Love letters and expressions are not what Krishna is talking
about.
To some extent what we think about a yukta (united, centered) person is what Krishna
calls Ayukta (split or divided). We all establish relationships. We are looking to be
related with someone outside. It could be a person or a pet animal. We become attached
and call it love. We many a times become indifferent to anything other than the one we
relate ourselves to. I am emotional. I cry when I see some one suffering in the movies.
There is a new movie out and I want to get there. A rikshaw in Patna was our common
means of transport. I get on the rikshaw and ask the rikshaw puller to get me to the
cinema. He agrees and tries his best. It is hot and the outside temperature is 100 degrees.
The guy is sweating and panting trying to get me to the cinema hall in time. I get there.
He asks for 10 rupees but how dare he? I give him five rupees and dash in the cinema
hall to catch the beginning. What happened to the bhavana or emotions?
Krishna is very categorical here. He says that unless we are centered we do not have the
right kind of intellect and we do not have the right kind of (emotions) bhavana. And
without this right kind of intellect and emotions there is no possibility of shanty (inner
peace or inner harmony) and without inner harmony there is no possibility of happiness
(sukham). One thing leads to another. Inner harmony is essential for happiness. And
inner harmony is only possible to people who are centered.
Why do we need to be centered? Who cares if this takes us away from the real life?
Krishna is not against life. Krishna is not against success. Krishna will have a different
logic. He will say, “why not live with happiness?” Krishna is not talking about running
away from life. He is talking about a working sanyas. Krishna is not asking Arjuna to
leave the war and run away. He is preparing Arjuna for the fight of a lifetime. There is
going to be many ugly scenes in the war. A steady and centered Arjuna with the right
emotions will be a much more effective Arjuna, especially at the time of struggle.
Inner core is close to Atma and is always pure and in harmony. Happiness is its default.
A person living at the periphery without knowing the center is dissociated from the center
(ayukta). He may appear to be related to many and he may have many friends, but he
does not know his own self. This person may display many emotions (bhavana), but does
not have the right emotions. A centered person on the other hand lives the same kind of
life but has the right intellect and the right bhavana and because of this he is in harmony
with himself and with the entire existence.
Gone with the wind (2:67-68)
indriyanam hi caratam
yan mano 'nuvidhiyate
tad asya harati prajnam
vayur navam ivambhasi
As wind takes control of a sailboat on the water

A person’s sense organ wandering in a particular desire
Is taken complete total control of by that desire
His intellect is also abducted by this desire ||2:67||
tasmad yasya maha-baho

nigrhitani sarvasah
indriyanindriyarthebhyas
Therefore, hey mahabaho (Arjuna)

A person who understands the relationship of sense organs and the desire
And thereby abandons the desires completely from the sense organs
His intellect is established in the center
(tasya pragya pratishthita) ||2:68||
Soon after talking about the desire pathways, Krishna turns to how the desire functions.
There is a special relationship between the sense organs (indriyas) and desires. Desires
arise and wander around in the sense organs. There is as if a receptor in the sense organs
which the desires can attach to. Once the desire and sense organs develop a relationship,
there starts a movement. And in this stage the whole being is dragged in that direction.
Just one indriya-desire complex can abduct the whole being.
Krishna says that it is similar to a sailboat and wind relationship. It is interesting also to
note that sailboats existed in Krishna’s times some 5000 years ago. Sailboats have these
sails that can receive the wind. The stronger the wind more is there movements in the
boat. When the sail catches the wind, the whole boat is affected. Similarly, once a sense
organ attaches to a particular desire, the whole being is affected.
The wind can get gusty, it can become a hurricane, and this can lead to the drowning of
the boat. The desires can get rowdy and the lead to the destruction of the whole being.
So, what is the way out? Can the wind be stopped? Can the sail be put down?
Two phenomenons are important here. First is that an knowledge and awareness of the
process. Krishna tells Arjuna about the physiology of desires. This knowledge can help
Arjuna so that he does not let the desire attach to the sense organs (desires). Or, he can
choose which desires take hold of the indriyas. It is possible to fall in love with a
beautiful flower. The next step is to try to acquire the flower. This is not so bad. Sooner
or later the flower will perish, but it is beautiful at its bloom. Similarly, one can fall in
love with a woman. The next step is to try to get the women. This can have problems,
but can be worked out. This same love can produce jealousy and the individual may
want to kill another man who also loves this woman. All sorts of complications are
possible. Instead of loving a flower or a woman, the love can be directed to Krishna.
Again the next step is to try to reach Krishna, the Parmatma. This becomes divine. But,
all in all it is still desire. The same physiology works in all these relationships.
What is the source of the wind of desires? The desires come from an unsteady mind
(mun). The unsteady the mind is, more intense are the desires. The steady mind of a
steady person has no source for the desires. There is no question of stopping the desires
once they have arisen. This should be understood deeply. Most of the preachers talk
about stopping or controlling desires once they have arisen. We should control our anger.
We should not be greedy and so on. This is not what Krishna is talking about. He is
talking about not having anger at all. I am not saying that anger should not be controlled.
It is better to control it than to express it. But such a control is not the treatment. The
anger in such a situation just gets suppressed and this is ready to be expressed later at a
more opportune time. The real treatment is to get to a point where the wind of anger does
not arise at all.
Another important step to understand here is the importance of cooperation. A certain

cooperation is required before the desires can take hold of the sense organs. The desires
are there and so are the sense organs. An awakened person can see the two as separate
entities. He can also see that a cooperation of the individual is needed for the desires to
attach to a particular sense organ of the individual. These are three separate steps to any
action that comes out of these interactions. Most of us do not see the distinctions so
clearly.
Krishna is asking Arjuna to know the distinction between the desires and the sense
organs. Knowing this us to steady our intelligence. And then we can control the
movements of the desires and their relationship with our sense organs. Krishna has
taken extra time and effort to impress upon Arjuna about the desire pathway and how it
works. This is important for us to understand this today as much as it was important for
Arjuna in those times. There is no wind. There are no desires. The person is quite. The
mind has no movements. Tasya prgya pratisthita.
It is night, it is dark (2:69)
ya nisa sarva-bhutanam
tasyam jagarti samyami
yasyam jagrati bhutani
sa nisa pasyato muneh
It is night; it is dark
We rest and we sleep
It is night and it is dark
He (the awakened one) is awake
He is alert; he is observing
It is daytime; we are busy in the market

We think we are awake; we are alert
He (the awakened one) is uninterested
Our daytime is night time for Him ||2:69||
This shloka is a crucial one in the Bhagavad-Gita. Krishna has been talking about the
attributes and characteristics of a centered person (sthitapragya). And here Krishna
touches the awareness issue. This verse centers on the fact that wakefulness has a wide
range. A man under the influence of alcohol may think he can drive well, but his
awareness is clouded.
Recently I was flying from New York to Bangor. When the plane left New York airport
the visibility at Bangor airport was reported to be 10 miles. It took us about 90 minutes
to get to Bangor and in this time fog appeared around Bangor airport and the visibility
was down to under 2 miles. This made the landing of plane dangerous. Fortunately, the
weather improved and we were able to land. These are external factors that influence
range of visibility, similar to the influence of alcohol on conscious levels. There are
internal factors as well. A person can have myopia and need corrective lenses to get to
normal vision. Moreover, the visual range can be extended using tools such as telescope
and microscopes.
This shloka has classically been interpreted as being symbolic, metaphorical and poetic.
Most interpreters do not take a literal meaning. The classic approach is that we are all
involved in mundane and material things and events, which the awakened one is not
concerned about. It is difficult for us to comprehend how centered persons can be awake
while he is asleep. We soon start thinking about insomnia that simply means
sleeplessness. Science says that we need sleep more than food. How can an awakened
person live without sleep? And that question makes us believe that this shloka must be a
metaphor.
Let us try to look at it closely. It is easy to comprehend that level of consciousness is

affected by alcohol and when the effect of alcohol is gone one feels fresh. It is also
common knowledge that the subconscious can be tapped into by putting a person through
the process of hypnosis. The person who is hypnotized may not remember what he is
doing, but everyone else can see the effects. There are also reports of cases where a
person who has undergone a surgery under general anesthesia, remembers details of
conversations during his surgery. Somehow he kept his awareness throughout the
procedure. These are anecdotal reports, but all the same, they do point to the fact that it is
possible to take the torch of consciousness through deeper levels of our existence. It is
like exploring the surface of the ocean, and then diving. It is possible to get deeper in the
ocean by special means and then the territory is not that familiar? But just because the
grounds are not familiar does not mean that the depth does not exist.
The deeper levels of ocean are there and it is possible to explore those with the help of
special tools. Similarly, deeper levels of our consciousness are also accessible and the
technology is some type of meditation. A focused approach to that direction is required.
We do reach deeper levels of our consciousness during sleep. Same depths can be
reached through meditation. And this leads to the first part of the current shloka. It is
possible to lead into the sleep with a candle of our awareness. The methodology is
simple and requires some practice. It can be experienced by most of us. When you go to
bed and switched off the lights, lie down and close your eyes. Let the whole body relax.
Just be watchful of the relaxed state. You are breathing in and out. The thoughts are
transiting your mind. Slowly and slowly sleep comes and surrounds you and your whole
being. Keep your awareness as long as possible. By and by it will be possible to watch
the whole story. Sleep comes and surrounds and the thoughts come and go. The whole
body is totally relaxed. The awareness is there all through. There is no sleeplessness,
because the sleep has come and gone. It has given you the rest that is so vital to the body.
The body is fresh. The awareness continues uninterrupted. It takes about a month to get
there and the state may not happen every night. But, once the experience has happened,
it is easy to understand the literary translation of this shloka.
The second part of the shloka is easier to comprehend. We think we are awake. But
many a times we behave like robots. We are not really fully awake. Our wakefulness
can be refines. Many a times we react without even knowing about the step we are
taking. A friend calls and is angry about something. I did not send him the book I had
promised. I responded in anger without really knowing what to do. The reaction just
happened. A Buddha or Krishna will not do that. Even flicker of a thought will not go
unnoticed by them.
And this is what I think Krishna is talking about. The range of wakefulness gets wider to
a centered person. He reaches a stage of uninterrupted consciousness. Sleep comes and
goes. He is not restless and he does not suffer from insomnia. He just watches sleep
come and go similar to thoughts and emotions that come and go.
It is night, it dark II
ya nisa sarva-bhutanam
tasyam jagarti samyami
yasyam jagrati bhutani
sa nisa pasyato muneh
It is night; it is dark
We rest and we sleep
It is night and it is dark
He (the awakened one) is awake
He is alert; he is observing
It is daytime; we are busy in the market

We think we are awake; we are alert
He (the awakened one) is uninterested
Our daytime is night time for Him ||2:69||
We discussed the question of a literal meaning of this verse in our last column. Here we
will explore the same question a little further. We call persons like Buddha, Krishna and
Mahavira awakened ones. What does it mean? Does it mean that we are not awake or
are we not awake to the same extent as them? What we see as awake is not the same
state that Krishna is talking here in the second half of the shloka.
I start my morning. I leave the bed, get ready and am ready to drive. I get my car out of
my garage and then drive to work. I do not have to go to work on weekends and
holidays. But it does happen. I get my car out of the garage and end up in the direction
of my work. I realize it and then take a different turn. Some of our actiona becomes like
a robot. If you examine carefully many of our responses and reactions related to different
situations can be predicted. It is so predictable. You go home and see your son watching
television. He should be studying. You are angry, the son is unhappy and a scene is
created. The same scene has been created several times before. It is as if we do not stop
and think. We seem not to be examining ourselves.
There needs to be some slow motion replay of our lives to make us realize that we are not
fully awake. Krishna here is saying this to Arjuna not to make him feel bad, but instead
to be aware of the facts as they are. Once Arjuna or me know that we think we are awake
but we are not wake really, we will work at it. Our state of wakefulness has to be
improved. It is night, it is dark. The darkness is there and will stay. If you have a
flashlight you can examine some corners. But if there is a lightning you can see the
whole area. The sleep is there, will be there. A flashlight of wakefulness can help in
examining different areas. And it is possible to do that. This wakefulness can be there in
sleep and in our so called awake state. And that is what Krishna is talking about. An
awakened person’s wakefulness is uninterrupted. It starts like a flash light for the seekers
like you and me and ends up like a light of the lightning. However, the light becomes
more permanent compared to the temporary one of the lightning. That does not mean,
and I want to emphasize this point, that there is no sleep. The sleep is there but
wakefulness to sleep is there as well.
Mandukya upanishad deals with this situation in a little more detail.
Soyamatma chatushpatam
jagarittasthano bahishprgyaha…..
This pure self has four quarters

The first is the (so called) waking state
experience of the reality comes to every one
The attention faces outwards
enjoying the world in all its variety.
The second is experience of subjective worlds

such as in dreaming
Here the attention dwells within,
charmed by the mind’s subtler creations.
The third is deep sleep

the mind rests, with awareness suspended
This state is beyond duality
-from which the waves of thinking emerge
is enjoyed by the enlightened as an ocean of
silence and bliss
The fourth, say the wise, is the pure self alone (turiya)
Dwelling in the heart of all
It is the lord of all,
The seer of all,
The source and goal for all.
How can any expression be more scientific. The anesthesia describes four stages
as well. They have their classification and pointers to each stage. Here the Upanishad
describes the four stages. The four stages can be explored by each of us. The first is the
so called awake stage that Krishna refers in the second part of the verse. We are focussed
outwards. The second starts looking inwards, inwards at our dreams, thoughts, plans and
projects. It is an important stage and is present as thoughts and projects when we are so
called awake and as dreams at night. By practice, it is possible to do deliberations and
thinking in the sleep as well. This is possible if the flashlight of awareness can be carried
in the sleep.
The third stage is so beautiful. This is the source of all the thoughts and dreams.
Yet there are no vibrations. There is still awareness present of something different. This
is a state of suspended awareness. There is a totally different feeling. As if we are in a
different state of being. The fourth is where a sthitapragya is always present.
We need to understand one thing. The playing field stays the same. Arjuna is
going to fight. Krishna is going to be his charrioteer. Duryodhana is going to wield his
club (gada). All this is going to happen in the same playing field (kurukshetra). Some
one watching from outside may not know whose depth is what. Some will always know.
It is like the prime minister of Inidia and common men are together in a big field. A child
may not know who and what a prime minister is. All will look the same to him. But, an
adult knows. Krishna knows and is trying to tell Arjuna what the differences are. We
shall stay with Arjuna and learn through him. (please visit http://www.egita.org)
Brahmisthiti (2:70)
apuryamanam acala-pratistham
samudram apah pravisanti yadvat
tadvat kama yam pravisanti sarve
sa santim apnoti na kama-kami
Many a rivers, full to the brink

Flow and enter the ocean
The ocean is not disturbed
It does not even know or acknowledge
It stays still; it stays vast
Desires and longings that happen

And enter an awakened one
Is but a guest
Ready to transit and pass through
Not a trace is left behind
No imprints are made in his mind
He stays utterly still
No disturbance in sight
He is established in his inner self ||2:70||
vihaya kaman yah sarvan

pumams carati nihsprhah
nirmamo nirahankarah
sa santim adhigacchati
His desires have dropped

He is not attached
His I-ness has dissolved
He is peaceful inside ||2:71||
esa brahmi sthitih partha

nainam prapya vimuhyati
sthitvasyam anta-kale 'pi
brahma-nirvanam rcchati
He has attained the cosmic reality (brahmi sthiti)

He is no longer attached and he does not long
He stays cosmically established at the time of his death
For him death is a fiction
He is always already established in the cosmic reality (Brahmi sthiti) ||2:72||
We examined in the last column that such a steady and centered person stays in an
uninterrupted state of consciousness. He is awake all the time and hence is called the
awakened one. This is a description of his state of being. Krishna here comes to more
practical phenomenon, the phenomenon of desires. Whatever happens to desires in such
a person?
His desires have dropped. Krishna does not mention that he controls his desires. They
have simply dropped. There is no trace of desires left. In the cyber world of today, we
all get emails. And who does not know of junk emails. What do you do with the junk
mails? You may get frustrated or annoyed. But, we all end up deleting them. Filters
sometimes help. But, none of us really want to keep the junk mails. And, once they are
deleted, they are gone. None of us want to remember the junk mails. Desires have a junk
mail status for the awakened one. They are not worth holding on to. Desires and longing
may come and go. Actions happen from this person and around this person as well. But,
he always remains in inaction (akarma).
Rivers flow in the ocean. There are thousands of rivers that enter different parts of ocean.
The ocean does not even know about them. It stays the same. There is no change in its
state of being before the river enters it or after the rivers have entered in it. Krishna
draws a similarity in the status of ocean and the state of being of a person realized in
cosmic reality (Brahmi stithi). Desires simply transit through such a person. There are
no waves generated. The desire pathway that we discussed before does not even start in
such a person. We need to be aware of the desire pathway because that is where we are.
We need to be aware of the junk mails, but there is no point being upset about them. We
should know the pathway of junk mails and that will hep how to deal with them. But
there is no point having a hang up about them. Once they have transited through your
computer and once they have been deleted, they should be gone. There is no need to
dwell upon them.
Arjun had asked Krishna a question whether he should fight or not. Arjun was not sure
whether fighting is a good idea or not. The question was simple and basic. Krishna has
taken a totally different path. He started from the eternity of being and how Artjun can
realize that status. In 2:11 Krishna starts with the fact how no one really dies. He travels
through all theses verses to a state of ultimate abode (Brahmi stithi). Once established in
Brahma (Cosmic reality), he still has to spend time in the playing field (krurukshetre).
Arjuna, even after he realizes the ultimate reality, has to come and play his part. This
must be realized and understood deeply. Being established in the ultimate or being
awakened should not be an excuse for not doing your or my duty. I am a father. I have
certain obligations for my son and daughter. Should I forget them after I become
realized?
Krishna will not let that happen. Arjun cannot run away from his duties of the
kurukshetre (playing field). His state of being can change and should change. We should
try to get there as well. But that should not be an excuse to get away from our
responsibilities. When Buddha got his enlightenment, he went to Sarnath to keep a
promise. Shakaracharya kept his promise to his mother when she died. He took her to
the burning ghat for the antyesti sanskara (rituals). Krishna continues to work as a
saarathi of Arjuna.
Talking about Brahmi stithi makes us sometimes feel that we have reached there. It also
makes us proud of our heritage and literature. But that is not the interest of Krishna here.
And that is not my interest either. It is not a feel good commentary. We have to try to
bring it into our lives. Let us open our hearts to the flow of Gita. Let us start following
the techniques described in Gita. Let us understand the desire pathway. Then let us
examine our desires and how it flows through our system. Can the desires pass through
our system without raising any waves? Is it possible that we become stations where
desires can simply transit through? And, slowly and slowly, by practice we can get
somewhere. And it may just be that we may realize what Krishna says in the last line of
the last verse. We may be able to see the dying process face to face and realize that death
does not really exist.
From Vishad to Gyana (Sankhya)
The second chapter of Gita ends with a wise note, this is the purest form of knowing, the
sankhya yoga. Gita starts with a simple enquiry from Dhritarashtra. He asks Sanjaya as
to what is happening in the plce of war. Duryodhana makes his round. The war is
declared. Arjuna goes for inspection and this leads to introspection. Arjun’s love for the
close ones clouds his judgement. They may end up dead in the war. Krishna is a good
listener. This is significant to understand. Even though Krishna does not utter a single
word, the first chapter is called a dialogue. But for Krishna Arjuna would not have been
in this situation. Arjuna had fought the same group of people once before. Krishna was
not there and theses concerns did not arise for Arjuna.
It is also important to realize that Arjuna’s concerns were because of his moha
(attachments) and not because he suddenly got enlightened or awakened like Buddha or
Mahavira. Arjuna’s concerns have nothing to do with Ahimsa of Mahavira or even
Gandhi. Arjuna is simply concerned about the death of people he felt close to. It is as if
you or I see impending death of our sister or brother. Situation would have reversed in a
minute once arrows were to be fired to Yudhisthir (his brother) or Abhimanyu (his son).
Arjuna would have jumped back in the fight because they were closer to him than the
ones whom he had been concerned about.
The story moves on. Arjuna is in no state to fight. He is emotionally disturbed. In

medical terms he has a psychological breakdown and has somatic effects. This is also
called psychosomatic disorder. His physical body refuses to cooperate. A crisis has
happened. There is despair (vishad) in Arjuna’s being. Arjuna is an intellectual and is
able to rationalize by reasoning. But, Krishna can see through clearly what the real issues
were. The first chapter ends here with the title of vishad yoga.
It is important to note what we do with the doctrine of Gita. It is often said that Gita is to
be read towards the tail end of our lives. Gita is no good in the prime of our lives. This
is so interesting. Whatever is not important in the prime of our lives is important in the
later parts of our lives. It is not so for Arjuna. Arjuna is at his prime. He is not old and
he is not a sadhu or sanyasi. He is like most of us. We have been to schools and colleges
and are ready to start our lives. Obstructions happen and we have to deal with them.
Gita has the answers but we want to delay knowing these to a point where all our energy
is fading. In my views Gita is book for the prime of our lives. It has the technology of
how to deal with real life situations. It has means to deal with the wife, the son, the boss
and the workers. And, we want to delay using these methodologies. It has the resources
to take us beyond where conventional education can lead. And we want to deny that by
delaying until we do not need it. Arjuna jumped on it in his prime and so did
Vivekananda in our times. Krishna’s working sanyas is a revolutionary concept and
revolution can only happen at our prime. But we want to delay it until there is no energy
to revolt. No, I urge you please not to do that. Bring Gita into our live now; there is no
need to wait until tomorrow. An opportunity denied is an opportunity lost.
Arjuna is in despair. He has laid down his weapons. But he is receptive. And this
receptivity, this preparedness of listening to what Krishna has to say has made Gita
possible. Have you tried talking to a person in despair? A lot of them stop listening.
They want to maintain the status quo. There is as if some sort of pleasure in being there.
They do not want to move from where they are. Crisis or despair is an opportunity but
most of us do not want to see it that way. The awareness is heightened. But we close our
doors. It is important for us to understand that Arjuna was willing to walk the mile with
Krishna. Krishna simply changes the track of the thought process. Arjuna was on a firm
ground as far as his logic is concerned. It is hard to beat Arjun’s logic.
But, Arjuna was on a soft ground from his being point of view. He was selfish in the
sense that his logic came from concerns for his loved ones. I live in the USA. People are
dying in different countries all the time. Some die of hunger. The terrorists kill some
more. That is not my problem. But when Americans died in the destruction of world
trade center (WTC), it is my problem. Suddenly terrorists are on my agenda. And I
declare a war against terrorism. Where were my values before that? The logics are not
everything. Pakistan has been calling the terrorists freedom fighters. They had been able
to convince some people of that by their logic. Krishna will give importance to the
intentions more than the verbiage of logic. If Arjuna was truly enlightened and reached
the status of Mahavira, Krishna would have saluted him and left him alone. But, that was
not the case.
We have not really learnt our lessons. Instead of bringing Gita in our lives, we use Gita
to draw support to our views. I was recently talking to a friend of mine. He is a part time
politician. He knows that I have interest in Gita. We were discussing pure politics. But
he was quoting Gita in every other sentence. Yes we are smart. We can prove anything
we want using our scriptures. But that is not the purpose of Gita. Gita has to reflect in
our lives. It has to show in how we live and what we do. If we are not successful, Gita
has not entered our lives. If we are not in harmony, Gita has not descended in our lives.
If we are not peaceful inside, Gita has not come in practice for us. Quoting Gita is not
what we need. Gita has to shine through our lives.
The second chapter has quite a few twists and turns. A lot has been said in this chapter.
Prabhupad calls it summary of Gita. It is interesting that just after vishad yoga there
could be the sankhya (purest form of knowing) yoga. What a contrast? This has been
made possible because of listening and observing of Krishna and the receptivity of
Arjuna. There has to be many questions and concerns. Let us follow Arjuna’s
receptivity and let him ask the questions. This will help us in bringing Gita in our lives.
End of second chapter
At the end of first chapter Arjuna was in despair (vishad). He was concerned about the
impending death of his loved ones. And this led him to think and believe that he should
not fight. Arjuna, although, in no condition to fight and in utter despair, is looking up to
Krishna for answers. In the back of his mind lies his duty to fight as a soldier and also
the stories of the atrocities of the Kauravas. Arjuna is asking for clear directions. He is
asking Krishna to tell him the one thing to do. Arjuna is an intelligent person. He has
given many valid reasons as to why fighting is not the right thing to do. Krishna simply
smiles. He then goes through the second chapter, which ends with a titile of sankhya
yoga.
Is Arjuna wiser at the end of the second chapter? Has he got the answer or say the
answers? Although the second chapter is called sankhya (gyan) yoga, it contains much
more than that. In other words a lot has been said by Krishna in this second chapter. It
raises more questions than it gives answers. If Arjuna was in despair at the end of first
chapter, he must be confused at the end of this second chapter. Krishna has been
methodical, but he also has been very broad-minded. He starts with the fact that death
does not exist. There have been many births of Krishna, Arjuna and others in the past.
And there will be many more for most of them. Therefore, it is not worth worrying about
life and death. He goes on to talk about sat and asat. Whatever can be destroyed is asat
and whatever is imperishable is sat. We see more of the asat and worry more about this
as well. Krishna suggests Arjuna to focus on the existence of sat and be established in
sum-bhava. We have explained this in our previous columns and also emphasized that
this sum-bhava has nothing to do with mental equipoise.
Krishna then goes on to describe the properties of the Atma, the essence of our being. He
makes sure that Arjuna understands that atma is not like a thing. There is no way to
destroy this essence and that the soul to the body is like clothes to the physical body. All
you have to do is change your clothes when the old ones need cleaning. Atma is
indestructible and again the journey continues through several lives. He points out that
every one who is born is bound to die and then he is going to be born again. So, what is
there to worry about? Arjuna is worried about impending death of his loved ones.
Krishna simply says that they will not really die. Their physical body may die, but the
essence will remain. Krishna also says that only few people look at this truth. Most of us
are concerned only about the physical beings. Very few even want to know about the sat
and the atma.
Then Krishna touches the question of swadharma. Arjuna is a soldier and the duty of a
soldier is to fight. Krishna has suddenly changed his level of talk. He was talking from
the peak of the mountain; now he is at Arjuna’s level. Arjuna should fight as a soldier. If
he does not fight, he will not be respected. These are mundane points but important ones
from the practical point of view. Krishna travels from peak to the valley and then goes
back to the peak.
Krishna then turns to Buddhi yoga. He lays down the importance of ek-buddhi (decisive
ness, clarity) before he talks about karma yoga. Clarity of mind is the need of the hour.
Arjuna needs to be clear in his mind and so do we. Decidophobia is not good for any of
us. Then he turns to his working sanyas, the karma yoga. In the process he goes on to
the qualities of a centered person (sthitapragya). During that discussion Krishna tells
Arjuna the intricacies of desire pathway and touches the alternate pathway as well. He
has also touched briefly about the importance of the three gunas, sat, rajas and tama. And
the second chapter ends with description of a Brahmistithi.
Is that all-confusing? Are you confused? I certainly am. I am sure Arjuna was too. But
Krishna has certainly changed the mode of thinking. Arjuna is on a different track. And
so are we. The questions are different now. And that is the marvel of Krishna here. The
situation is that of war. Krishna talks about spirituality. And we say that Gita is not
practical. Gita is as practical to me as having a cup of tea in the morning. It applies as
much for drinking a cup of tea as in going to a war. Awareness can be taken to both the
acts. Krishna advises Arjuna to carry his awareness to each and every act. This will
open up new doors. Let us expect more questions from Arjuna. And that will help us see
details about many of the topics touched by Krishna in this chapter.
MISCELLENEOUS
Did Krishna love to flirt?

Prof Lata Jagtiani recently wrote in her article VHP “I would like to think not, Hindu
culture being somewhat dominated by a God called Krishna, who loved to flirt and play
Holi with gopis and other men's wives”
Was Krishna flirting? Flirting in Webster English dictionary is described as ‘a frivolous

or playful love affair’ and in Longman Modern English Dictionary as ‘ to show amours
interest without any depth of feeling.” In general calling some one who loves to flirt is a
derogatory remark. Is this a befitting remark for Krishna? Does really Krishna deserve
being called a God who loved to flirt and play Holi with gopis and other men’s wives?
To many like me it is painful to hear that. The persons who think and believe Krishna as
such will say Truth hurts.
I do not and cannot claim to understand Krishna better than thou. But, one thing is very
clear. Krishna is hard to understand. He must be the most misunderstood person that
walked on this earth. Rama is easy to understand. He is an Aadarsh (ideal) purush
(person)..He is predictable. He is willing to send Sita away on the verbal questioning of a
dhobi (washer man). What a sacrifice! What happened to Sita is not a question. How
will his and her sons be raised is not of concern. The morality was so important to Rama.
Gandhi was so fascinated by Rama that when he dies he utters the words, ‘He Ram.’
Gandhi himself was a man of moral perfection. He was also a man of discipline. He can
also be understood and appreciated by the general crowd.
Krishna on the other hand is unpredictable. There are two aspects in this relation that I
would like to address. First of all we generally tend to judge others from our moral
standards of our time and our space. Even today, there are different moral standards
practiced in different parts of the same country, and in different sects of the same
religion. We find acts of Krishna unacceptable today. People who wrote Mahabharata
have simply written what happened. They did not pass judgment as to whether what
Krishna or Arjuna did was wrong. There are no judgment calls. This point is important
to understand. There was no fear to write, they could have said what an amoral character
Krishna is or was who indulged in this kind of act. More than likely, a raas Lila in those
times was no more than a garba of today. As accepted as a Dandia is today. The
contemporary society did not have any problems with his behavior.
The second point to understand is that Krishna is a life affirmative person. He is unique
in this respect. He is not going to leave his house and go begging. He teaches a working
Sanyas. He is going to accept life as it is. When he is a child, he is a vigorous child.
Soordas has captured his childhood the most. Maiya mori main nahi makhan khayo is
one of most prominent stories of his childhood. He lived fully like a child. When he
grows to a adult he lives like an adult. He is not going to choose a serious life. When
you see a young Krishna in a photograph, he is a young bubbly character. He is not
choosing it, he is living it.
When we start saying that Krishna loved to flirt with gopis, it says more about us than
about Krishna. On the surface, he is doing the same thing that 99 percent of people who
flirt do. From the outside it is difficult to differentiate. It is easy to see a Sadhu standing
on one feet for years in Ganges, or a Buddha sitting down in meditation under a banyan
tree. They stand out as different. Krishna is doing the same thing as any one else. It is
difficult to see the qualitative difference. It is difficult to see that Krishna is not attached.
You can see a lotus flower and its leaves. Water on lotus leaves are present but not
attached. Krishna appears to be doing the same thing but his state of existence is totally
different. A man who has no attachment; how can he have an amorous relationship.
I am going to quote he from a book by Osho called “The Search.” These are from his
talks on the Ten Bulls of Zen. The poem is about the last bull. The first one is the
‘Search of the Bull’. The eighth is ‘Both Bull and Self Transcended.’ The ninth is
‘Reaching the source and the tenth is back ‘In the World.’ So the tenth poem reads as
follows:
Barefooted and naked of breast

I mingle with the people of the world.
My clothes are ragged and dust laden and I am ever blissful
I use no magic to extend my life;
Now, before me, the trees become alive
Where ever Krishna is love flows, he does not love to flirt; Love flows out of him it is
different matter that such a man or divine finds the whole world in love with him.
I recall a saying of Kabir. Every one can understand when a drop mingles in the ocean
but how can you understand when the ocean mingles (samuoond samana bunda me) in a
drop. And that drop is Krishna. It so happens that Arjuna was lucky to see the ocean
(viraat rupa) as well.
It so happens that even though we do not understand Krishna very well we say that he is
the only one who is a full incarnation with 16 kala. Whatever that means, he gets the
highest ranking. The other thing that is also very interesting is that Krishna is perhaps the
only character on earth so far who showed the three gunas, sat, raj and tama at the same
time.
Krishna is a mystery, he is respectable, he is loving but I would not say that he loved to
flirt.
Draupadi: A role model for modern women
We just examined the unseen forces of Mahabharata in our last article. An unexpected
turn is about to take place. We will examine this turn in our next column. No commentary
on Gita or Mahabharata will ever be complete without examining the force that was
working behind the scenes. These were the forces of Draupadi,the wife of the five
Pandava brothers. Draupadi actually declared a war with the Kauravas long before it
really happened in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
Duryodhana humiliated Draupadi in front of the five Pandava brothers and in front of
many well-known dignitaries of those times on an open platform. Yudhisthir was
challenged to play a game of dice; he lost everything and in the end pawned Draupadi.
There may be a lot of controversy whether or not he should have done it or not, but what
followed was beyond belief. In front of every one in the open house, Dushashana
(Duryodhana’s brother) held Draupadi by her hair and dragged her in. Duryodhana
indicated Draupadi to sit in his lap. And, more despicably, they tried to disrobe her to
nudity. Draupadi surrendered herself to Krishna for help and Krishna did help her such
that the Kauravas failed in their misadventure. And then Draupadi vows that she would
not dress her hair until she first washes them with the blood of Dushashana and
Duryodhana. This is nothing short of declaring a war. Duryodhana is not going to cut
his thigh himself to donate blood for Draupadi to wash her hairs.
This stand taken by Draupadi is so significant. In the scene described above, Draupadi
actually won. She could have smiled at Duryodhana and said, “Well tried, try again.”
They had failed miserably in trying to disrobe her. Kauravas had lost and Pandavas were
full of shame. What Draupadi did was not so much for herself, but more so for the whole
female kind. She is saying to the Kauravas not to mess with women. And, She is also
saying to all females to stand up and take a stand when appropriate. She did not go and
confer with her husbands, or her brothers or even Krishna. She knew exactly what she
had to do. She takes the stand, and the pieces of the rest of the puzzle fall together later.
She must have thought that if Duryodhana can attempt such an insult and humiliation of
Draupadi, what will he do to ordinary women.
It is interesting that Sita has become the role model of most Indian women. Draupadi is
an interesting story but she never really becomes a role model. People in India, especially
men, have always been uncomfortable with Draupadi. They are quite comfortable with
Sita. She is not a threat. Sita sits in the garden of Ravana and waits for Rama to come.
She does not declare any war. She utters no threat to Ravana. Rama asks her to sit in fire,
she goes in; he asks her to leave the house and she obliges. Everyone wants his wife to
behave like Sita. Draupadi does not give the same comfort zone. She is married to five
brothers. She takes a stand when she is threatened. She declares a one sided war. How
can she really be a role model?
We should not compare great men or women, but there is a need to understand the three
most powerful women in Indian history, Sita, Radha and Draupadi. Sita is a powerful
woman; she comes in the family of an enlightened King, Janaka. She actually is said to
appear from the earth while some one was ploughing the field. This may be true literally
or may be not. But, it definitely symbolizes what Sita’s temperament is going to be. Sita
is representing the properties of the mother earth. She will be nourishing to every one and
will not have complaints. She has the strength; She can bear anything. While she is
young, she moves the bow by her hand easily; Ravana could not move the same bow later
in the story. Ravana abducts her to Lanka but is scared to touch her.
Sita was no ordinary woman. But, Sita did not need to do what Draupadi had to. Sita did
not need to take a stand. This has to be understood deeply. Sita is married to Rama, an
avatar of Parmatma. It is not an accident that Sita is married to Rama. She is totally
surrendered to the Parmatma. Once you surrender to the Parmatma, it is now Parmatma’s
responsibility to see things through. Who are you to take a stand? Who are you to
question his judgments? In reality, once you surrender, there is no one to take a stand and
there is no one to ask questions. Sita is surrendering and Rama is a conformist. Rama was
there not only upholding the Dharma, but also running a country.
Krishna and Radha is a different story. Radha is happy with her unconditional love to
Krishna. She moves like a fluid. Radha is centered in the heart. Krishna is a rebel. He is
willing to break rules; he helps Arjuna to take Subhadra against the wishes and accepted
social norms of the time. He has no problem dancing with Radha.
Sita is wife of Rama and Radha is in love with Krishna. Both are surrendered to
Parmatma. Now, it is Parmatma’s responsibility to take the life further. Draupadi is a
different story. She is human and is dealing with human husbands, not one but five of
them. One husband can do several mistakes. You can imagine what will happen if the
mistakes are multiplied by five. Draupadi is also surrendered to Parmatma, and the
Parmatma (Krishna) helps her as a sister every time she needs help. But, she is married to
the five extra-ordinary yet human beings. They have their weak and strong points too.
Sita and Radha did not have to worry. Rama would not stake Sita in a game; this is
unimaginable. He would not let Ravana touch Sita either. The question does not arise.
Draupadi does not have this situation. She is in the real world with real people.
Duryodhana is humiliating her and her husbands are watching silently. Not only are the
husbands watching this but also are the so-called Gurus and even the Pitamah Bhishma.
A public humiliation is on and no body is doing anything. She has to take the stand.
Draupadi is closer to the times of today. She deserves the attention of the modern women.
Draupadi was born out of the Vedi of a Yajna; from the sacred fire. This may not be true
literally, but is significant. It is symbolic of the fact that it indicates what the
temperament of Draupadi is going to be like. She is not going to be passive woman. She
will be fiery. She is not going to tolerate injustice. She will be brilliant and have the
properties of purity and purification. Moreover, anyone that touches fire gets burnt. Fire
is not that forgiving. Every one who tried to touch Draupadi with ulterior motives got
burnt. This happened to Duryodhana, Dushashana Keechaka and Jayadratha.
These properties are reflected in Draupadi’s character throughout her life with the
Pandavas. She had a discussion with Yudhisthir when they were in the forest when she
talks as if she does not believe in God. And, then Yudhisthir gives her this nice lecture on
how not to reach to conclusions too soon about Parmatma. What follows from Draupadi
is so beautiful. She says very clearly that she does believe in Dharma and Parmatma
completely, but she will continue to complain anyway. She also talks with supreme
clarity about the importance of karma yoga. It takes a very deep Shradha (Trust) to be
able to say that I believe in Parmatma so completely that I can complain to him as well.
Her trust in Parmatma is obvious by the fact that Krishna appears every time she
remembers him.
Again, Satyabhama once comes to Draupadi in the jungle and asks Draupadi the tricks,
mantras and yantras that Draupadi might be using to keep the trust of her husbands. What
Draupadi says to Satyabhama should be read by every women of today. She almost feels
offended by the question and advises Satybhama to never use such tricks. They never
work; mostly they work against you and are matters of superstition. Draupadi then goes
on to say how she stays away from jealousy, and does not do things merely to impress
and so on. These are the gems of Mahabharata that should be the object of study by
every man and women.
Draupadi is often criticized for her marriage to five brothers. There are few things that
should be understood about this point. People who happen to have different social norms
are frowning upon a thing that happened five thousand years ago and was accepted by the
people of those times today. For example even in the same times of today an Indian has
different set of values when compared to those of Europeans or Americans. Slowly and
slowly values of one is being tolerated if not accepted by the other groups of people.
How can we really pass a judgment about the value systems, which existed long time
ago?
Moreover, It was not Draupadi's choice to marry the five brothers. She had just come
with the Pandava brothers. Arjuna had won the championship and she had put the
garland in his neck. As far as she was concerned she was marrying one of the brothers,
Arjuna. I would say that it was a great sacrifice on her part to accept the wishes of the
mother Kunti and her sons to marry and carry the marriage faithfully up to the end. It is
said that Kunti had asked the brothers to share whatever they had won; It is presumed that
what Kunti had said was in ignorance; she did not know that Arjuna had won Draupadi.
Let us be serious. That was big news of the time. Who really knows if Kunti was really
sleepy when the Pandava brothers came back home with Draupadi. It was not an
ordinary event. Draupadi was so beautiful and full of radiant energy. I have a feeling
that Kunti knew exactly what she was doing. She might have thought that if Arjuna
alone married Draupadi there could be trouble in the family. Kunti might have asked for
the marriage in her full senses and all the brothers not only agreed to it, but also were
very happy with the decision.
In our current times we have a some limitations with our overall vision. We are limited
by what we can see and what we can think. Our thinking is not multidimensional. We do
not know if there is past lives or not, we do not know if devtas like Shiva exist. We are
totally unaware and ignorant about our surroundings beyond our sensory perceptions.
Suppose all the radio stations are gone and we loose the technology of capturing sound.
Would that mean that the sound does not travel? Similarly, it may be that we have lost
touch with the esoteric existence and therefore cannot comprehend the esoteric history
outlines in the Mahabharata. If you read Mahabharata you will find that the story
involves the devtas and Rishis. The Rishis were aware of the past lives too. In
Draupadi's past life, she had done tapasya and Shiva gave her the bardan that she will
marry five brothers. This is a more of a holistic approach, which we are unaware of
today. Someone who does not want to believe in these possibilities might say that these
are logics used to explain Draupadi’s polyandry. But, I would agree that it is logic used
precisely for that whether it is believed in or not is another matter.
Draupadi is also criticized for loving Arjuna more than other brothers. She is supposed to
have fallen at the time of (going to heaven) swargarohan because she loved Arjuna more.
Who and why should any one blame her for that. She was human and Arjuna was the
one who had got the target in the Swayambara. This is fairly acceptable to me and after
all what is expected of Draupadi. She was human. It was different times. People had
different values. Krishna could dance with married women, he could steal clothes from
girls who were bathing nude in yamuna, Arjuna could marry and so could Bhima again
and again. All these are simply described as is in the Mahabharata without saying that
these were bad. Mahabharata is very clear when boundaries of social norms were
crossed. When Jayadratha makes advances against Draupadi, it has been condemned
without reservations.
Even if we accept this criticism of Draupadi, we still have to give credit to Draupadi
for putting up with five husbands and taking up a stand when honor of a woman
was at stake. I must point out that Draupadi did not leave the Pandava brothers after the
insult by Duryodhana. She continued her role as a wife and was with them through the
hard times in the Jungle and every other place. She maintained her stand all the time.
Making a role model of Draupadi is not without problems. Men are too used to seeing
the role of Sita in their wives. A questioning wife, an intelligent wife, and a wife who
will take stand when needed may be incomprehensible by the men of India. A balance
may have to be re established. But, that is a small price to pay for what has happened to
women by having ideal Sita as a role model alone. It is easy to expect a wife like Sita,
much harder to be a husband like Rama.
Draupadi declared the war with Kauravas long before it actually happened. She
continued her role as a wife with the five brothers. Her forces were working behind
the scenes and one day the war did happen. In some ways, she upheld the honor of
women for all times.
Dear Dr. Bhatta,
I read your article on Droupadi. This is the first time I read a tribute to Droupadi in Indian
literature. Did anybody else write about this that I have missed? You will know better. In
any case, your piece already belongs to history as a pathfinder.
With regards,
Himendra Thakur
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Draupadi has more than 250 temples in the South of India where she is worshipped as a
goddess. Many people are under the impression that she is only a character from the
Mahabharata but that is not so. There are many to revere her. Most of these temples are in
Arcot, north and South, incidentally. All facts and figures about Draupadi can be had
from a German writer's book called, "The Cult of Draupadi". His name escapes me right
now but the addresses of all these temples are mentioned in the well researched book.
Let me tell you a true story involving Draupadi in which I was involved.
Some time back(in the 90s) a ten year old boy was suspected of cheating in the exam and
his school-teacher asked him to strip so that she could be sure he was not hiding any
papers. It was found that she was wrong but the poor humiliated boy went back home,
found it extremely difficult to come to terms with this and committed suicide. This report
came on the front page of the Indian Express.
A letter from a Muslim lady called Madhuri Talibbuddin was published where she
recommended that all such strippings be called "Draupadisation" of the victim. I was
alarmed, because to give a bad name to Hinduism comes easy to such "secularists" and I
replied to her suggestion that since stripping was something the two had in common it
would be in the fitness of things for us to call every fifty-plus old man's marriage to a
minor, under ten year old girl as "muhammdisation" since Muhanmmed had married
Ayesha when he was fifty-five or so and the bride was six years old. There was at that
time a controversy where a six year old from Andhra pradesh had been married to a sixty
plus old Arab from the Middle East and whose bride, Ameena, had been rescued by an
alert air hostess of Indian Airlines and the whole case had become hot.
The rejoinder from Ms Talibbudin was that I was trying to create communal problems
because she was merely involving Draupadi, who was no goddess and only a character in
the mythology while Muhammed, (peace be upon him!) was a prophet, no less and one
could not raise one's finger at the prophet. I then referred her to read this book of the
German writer and assure herself that Draupadi may not be a goddess for her but she
certainly was for many people who visit her temples in the South and so was accordingly
to be exempted from negative insinuations such as this. Sadly, the Indian Express did not
publish this letter of mine for reasons best known to them, but nevertheless, I found the
lady's address in the telephone directory and sent her a copy of my researched rejoinder
so that she may be well advised in future and remember that an aspersion on Draupadi
would only justify a smiliar one on Muhammed, who was only a prophet and not a god.
Draupadi is a woman of strength who will not forgive anybody who attempts to humiliate
and degrade her. Yes, the new woman, like Draupadi, rejects sacrifice and demands
justice. Draupadi is a character who needs to be examined and emulated by many Hindu
ladies who quickly go into "sacrifice" mode at the drop of a hat! This sacrifice mode is
nothing but cowardice, a n expression of one's inability to deal with the problem and take
the short term pain for the long term gain.
Keep up the good work Dr Bhatta, your interpretation is enjoyable, fresh and dynamic.
Kudos.
dear krishna,
Your potrayal of Draupadi is close to many erudite reader's heart.A sloka

describing"Panchakanya"says "Ahalya Draupadi Kunti Tara mandodari sthata
panchakanya smare nityam mahapataka nashanam."Strangely enough,These women's
lives are definitely flawed.Nevertheless,by virtue of their perseverence,dedication to
family,loyalty to paramatma and ultimately devoting their lives in taking care of the
families,they are matriachs extraordinaire.Their ascent to reverence is highlighted by the
common thread of selfless devotion to paramatma and families alike.They are embodied
among our mothers,wives,sisters,grandmas; whose lives are gifts to us all.Draupadi's
revengeful approach to the war is a far cry from a disillusioned sacred dutiful approach of
Arjuna taught by Krsna.But,it evokes sympathy and justification from
Bhima,Dhristadyumna,Pandava military and us alike.Draupadi(alias,Krishna,yagyaseni)is
fiery in revenge yet unwaveringly devoted to paramatma lord Krsna.Her human emotions
of pain, suffering,love,duty and affection are what we feel;her spirituality and affinity to
paramatma krsna amidst tragic situations, are what we revere and adore.It's of some
interest that, I remember reading a bengali novel "Agnishwar" by Dr,B.C.Mukherjee(who
lived and practised medicine In Katihar,Bihar)addressing attributes of "Panchakanya"
among women in daily walks of life.Dr.B.C.Mukherjee(Alias Banophul)was an
wellknown bengali novelist and short story writer and a graduate of Patna medical
college.
sincerely,
Amitav Ghosh, MD.
Dear Dr.Bhatta,
Your article is excellent and good reassurance for women who are termed as "modern"
and "independent" by their spouses who cannot manage someone who will challenge
them if wrong done. Could you please tell me as to which book you are reading/ I am
sure your interpretations are what you have meditated on.But a good book by an author
will be appreciated.Thanks a lot!!!
Dear Dr. Bhatta,

I am Anuradha.My profession is IT,a programmer. I am interested in reading Mahabharat
. I guess you have meditated because of the finer points that have been presented, with
conviction. Also if this were all from a book no one, I presume, would start a column.
Thanks a lot for your response.
Regards,
If Krishna were with us today!
Krishna was born some five thousand years ago. His birth was quite an event and so was
his whole life. We have called Krishna a full incarnate of Parmatma. And, how do you
ever celebrate birth of such a person. Krishna’s birthday is celebrated all over India and
every one knows the usual story of how he was born inside a jail, how the doors opened
and how he was carried across Jamuna and the whole lot. We will not go into those
details but will try to analyze important aspects of Krishna’s personality. I shall also try
to speculate what will it be like if Krishna were here with us today. In fact I do believe
that Krishna’s energy or say vibrations can still be available to us if we are ready to
receive it. All we have to do is to develop the right receptivity.
Complete Incarnation (Purna Avatar)
Yes, I did say, “Krishna were,” because Krishna does not appear to be one person, he
appears to be multiple persons at the same time. And the difference is so much that there
are people who believe that Krishna of Mahabharata was a different Krishna when
compared to Krishna of the Bhagavad.
Osho believed that Krishna was born much before his time. And the time is not very far
when we will be able to comprehend Krishna better. He is the most significant
personality in the whole history of mankind. It is not that other significant people did not
happen in the past or will not happen in the future, but Krishna’s significance is quite
something. Of all the significant people born on this planet earth Krishna is the only one
who accepts life fully as it is on this earth. All others talk of a life on the other world.
Buddha sees this life and this world as suffering and we have to work towards ending this
suffering. There is nothing wrong in what Buddha is saying, but Krishna’s approach is
totally different. He is surrounded by problems. Attempts have been in play to kill
Krishna since his birth, yet the man has a flute in his hand. He is always rejoicing,
smiling and dancing. Can you ever imagine Jesus with a flute and dancing in Raas leela.
Krishna’s freedom is here and now. Life as we know it never received such deep and
unconditional acceptance by any one else. Krishna is a complete incarnation because his
life encompasses all there is to life. It seems impossible, but this impossibility has
manifested itself in the form of Krishna. Krishna represents contradictions. He can fight
and kill Kansa and then is willing to accept defeat from Jarasandha or even run away
from a fight. All this is possible in the same person. He is so inconsistent (in a positive
way). Jesus or Buddha or Mahavira are consistent. There is logic, a rhythm and a
harmony in their life. Krishna can be unpredictable to say the least. When Arjuna
wanted not to fight (at the beginning of Gita), he must have been expecting Krishna to
agree with him. Arjuna must have been shocked when Krishna took a totally unexpected
stance.
There has been no sect that formed around Krishna. It is not possible. He represents so
much. It is unfortunate that Krishna has been boxed in as a Hindu God. In fact he should
have universal access. He should be available to every one in the same way as Yoga and
Meditation are. Krishna in Gita is so methodical, so scientific and so clear; it is a
disservice to the world to box him in with one religion or the other. And the future of
religion lies in the concepts outlined by Krishna, a life affirmative religion.
Krishna is whole also because he is multidimensional. He will be a perfect thief if he

chooses to do so. There will be no qualms or complaints. His whole life was so eventful.
Yet his death was such a non-event, as if he never died. The Ishavashya Upanishada says
that, “From Wholeness emerges Wholeness and if you take away Wholeness from
Wholeness, Wholeness remains.” Krishna is one such Wholeness. And this Wholeness
is ready to come anytime with us. Krishna was at ease in Mathura, Vrindavan and
Dwaraka five thousand years ago and will be as happy in the streets of Delhi or Bombay
today. So let us look at what if Krishna were with us today.
End of mediocrity
People are happy singing bhajans and saying Hare Krishna on the streets. If Krishna
comes with us he is going to make us all feel very uncomfortable. He probably will not
go to Vrindavan or Mathura. He might head for Delhi, Bombay or Bangalore, a place
where there is action and there are potentials.
It is important to understand what Krishna stands for. Krishna in Gita does not talk about
end of suffering, happiness or how to get enlightened. He talks about how to excel, how
to arise and fight when you have to and how to become totally fearless. He is not
advising anyone to run away from life. Krishna stands for excellence, and he has the
methodology how to get there with a happy face.
Krishna will put the whole country to work and will demand to work for excellence. He
will reiterate the meaning of nishkam karma and will draw a clear distinction between
nishkam (unattached) and nishkarma (not doing anything). I have met many a people
who do not work because they are not interested in the results. And nishkam karma has
become an excuse for laziness. Because the results are not important, we have really
become unconscious about the quality of work or quality of product. When Krishna
talked about nishkam karma, he did it to enhance productivity and performance and not
to go down the drain. If one is not interested in the results, there will be more energy
available for the doing. I grew up in Patna and I know where all the energy of many
people went. It was gossip, gossip and gossip. Krishna will definitely change that in a
hurry. There is need for work in peace and in war. A country should be working to excel
all the time.
What are the Brahmins of today doing in our country? Doing karma kand puja and
blessing a couple in marriage is not the only duty of a Brahmina. They are supposed to
be intellectuals. Barring few names like Abdul Kalam or Vivekananda or Rabindra Nath
Tagore, where are the people who can research and invent. Why do we have to be behind
every other country in development? Our Brahmin community should be working on
zillion of projects, from writing our history to where the next five thousand years should
head to. It is shameful that people write our history from another country and then we
can just complain. Krishna existed or not should not be even a question. Why can’t we
send some of our researchers to do Tapasya and see if there is something in Kailash or in
Vindhyachal. Maybe some time will be wasted but we may find new dimensions in
research. The intellectuals, the think tanks or call them Brahmins have to wake up and do
their duty, perform or perish is the world of today. India has to get that sooner rather than
later.
Krishna is unpredictable. He will not conform to my ideas of how he should behave, but
one thing is clear at least in my mind. He will not stand for mediocrity. Krishna stands
for excellence and that is what he will make us strive for. His presence amongst us will
be the end of our so so approach to life; we will have to give our 110% in what we do.
End of social hierarchy:
What has happened to India and its caste system? And we are always ready to blame
Krishna for this present caste system. Because Krishna said in Gita (4:13):
catur-varnyam maya srstam

guna-karma-vibhagasah
tasya kartaram api mam
viddhy akartaram avyayam
The fourfold varna was created by me on the basis of Guna (aptitude) and karma.
And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the
non-doer, being unchangeable.
Krishna is so clear in what he says. There are four types of individuals based on their
work (what they do). The work is based on what their aptitude, interests, tendencies are.
And that is what the universities of today are trying to find. A medical school wants to
attract students who have basic brightness and the aptitude to be a doctor. Every one
does not have the same aptitude, attribute or an interest in becoming a doctor. A singer
requires different attribute that an engineer.
This hierarchy has to go. Every one has to do his part. The engineers have to find new
tools and new ways, doctors have to find new cures and the inventors have to dig their
gray matters to come up with innovative products. But, most important of all, India has
to believe in itself. And there are signs that this is happening. It has to gather
momentum. The ksatriyas do not only have to know how to fight, they need to develop
the best fighting army in the world. Weapon superiority is as important as the readiness
to die. The vaishyas of the country have to create wealth. The country can achieve
nothing if there is no wealth to support it. And the shudras have to keep the country
going. Ganga needs to be cleaned and so are the streets of every city.
And no one should be refusing from taking up different roles in their life. A brahmana
can also take up the cleaning job when that has to be done. He may be primarily an
intellectual, but if the country needs him to fight he should be able to pick up the arms
and go for it. It is so strange that when Bakhtiayr Khilji attacked Nalanda, he had
instructions to kill the people with shaven heads. And they were the monks and the
Brahmins. His job was so easy. There is no need to expect compassion from a person
like Khilji, but at the same time there was no resistance from theses monks and Brahmins
either. They were willing to die, all in the name perhaps of, “Atman never dies.” They
were weak but fearless. Krishna will make sure we all become strong and fearless. And
therein lies the beauty of Krishna
Krishna will not put up with this hierarchy. He will also not let the division become
watertight compartments. Brahmin for puja and ksatriya for fighting will not be
exclusive. A Brahmin should be able to clean if needed and fight when challenged.
After all Krishna played different roles himself all through his life. If you look at
Krishna he is a Brahmin when Gita flows from him, he is a kshatriya when he fights with
Kansa and he is a shudra when he becomes a charioteer and is ready to wash the horses
for the next day drive. He might have been a Vaishya when he settled in the port of
Dwaraka for all that matters. Krishna will not be kind to the people who have distorted
this fundamental system to suit their interests.
End of pacifism:
With coming of Krishna will come realism in our life? He is neither a hawk nor is he a
dove. But there are always hawks and dove present in the sky. Krishna defaults to peace
but has no problem being involved in a war if the situation arises. He will not avert a war
at any cost. Krishna has his own threshold. Krishna will not compromise destruction of
the value system of the maya loka, dharma. Krishna has been misunderstood for many
centuries now because of the Mahabharata. Some believe that India might have been still
affluent had there been no Mahabharata. And this perhaps went deep into the psyche of
India. Several spiritual and other leaders of course have reinforced this ever since the
Mahahbharata. And there has been some contribution to this from Mahavira, Buddha and
Gandhi as well. We have become pacifist at heart and it takes a lot of effort for us to
standup for ourselves. And the results are in front of us.
Krishna will bring us back to the center. Peace is important but should not be agreed
upon at any and all costs. Pandavas were ready to give up everything they had except
five villages for themselves but that did not bring peace then and even if India gives up
Kashmir to Pakistan; there shall be no peace today. Krishna will argue that this will not
bring the peace that we want. There are certain values and principles that have to be
protected. And if it means a confrontation then Krishna will still be there right in the
middle of the confrontation. He will not run away and he will not let us run away either.
Let us examine this a little further. We became pacifist after the Mahabharata. And
whom did we invite. We invited invaders. We let our guards down. We became slaves.
And this gives us lesson number one and that is that if you want to maintain peace you
have to be strong. Any way, we were slaves. And we then fought for these rulers and
killed our own people. We worked in the army of Akbar and fought against Rana Pratap.
We worked in the army of British and fought against Jhansi ki Rani. We the pacifist
peace loving people were forced to fight against our own people. And we can’t see the
irony of all that.
Krishna will not let us become weak. He made sure Pandavas were strong then and he
will make sure India is strong today. No body listens to the weak and meek. And even to
make a peaceful and meaningful world, we need to be strong. That does not necessarily
mean that we have to go to war. But that will certainly not be sending invitations to
others to come and rule us. No country wants to own another country these days. It will
be too much hassle. What power meant 100 years ago is different than what power
means today. The power today is the economic power and the power of tomorrow will
be the intellectual power. India has to get there. And Krishna will make sure we
understand that.
Waiting for Krishna:
We do not have to worry. Krishna will come back when the load of baddys on this planet
is heavy. He will take care of it. After all Krishna said:
yada yada hi dharmasya

glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham
paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge
Krishna said himself that he will come back. And that gives us an excuse to be
complacent. Lord Shiva or Lord Ganesh will protect our lives. Who are we kidding?
Rama worshipped Shiva before he invaded Lanka. Krishna asked Arjuna to remember
Ma Durga before the start of Mahabharata. And there is divine help, which we
sometimes need. But, that does not mean we drop any effort on our part. Rama had his
intensive training and Arjuna had his. Where is our effort? We are all waiting for
Krishna to come and sort it all out. I think we will all be surprised. Rama was nicer. He
killed Ravana himself. Krishna is not like Rama. Krishna had Bhima fight with
Duryodhana and Arjuna fight with Drona and Bhishma. Arjuna lost his son Abhimanyu
in that war. Krishna did not do it then and is not going to do it now. Krishna may decide
to bear no arms again. And we will have to do it ourselves. So friends, let us get used to
it. Let us prepare ourselves so that when and if Krishna comes with us, he will find us
ready for him.
Conclusion:
Krishna is not with us in physical form. I am sure he is around us in incorporeal form

ready to manifest when we are ready. Let us spend few moments in his dhyana on this
occasion of janmastami. Let us pray to our favorite laughing, smiling dancing Krishna
today and surrender ourselves to him in that prayer. And once the prayer is over let us go
for that Dahi Handi and see who wins. Let us fill our hearts with his love and proceed on
his path of excellence.
Be Happy for 24 hours
We are treading the path of Nishkam Karma, which is one of the biggest contributions of
Krishna. Many people believe that if they do not worry about the result, they are doing
nishkam karma. That may be true for them, but to me nishkam karma is much more. It is
a positive phenomenon. The biggest question is as to whether it is possible to do karma
without any desire or motivation? Krishna believes that when there is no desire or
motivation, then a pure karma arises from man and that is what nishkam karma is.
Nishkam karma is spontaneous and is an overflow of his energy manifested through
nishkam karma (unmotivated act) in a person.
We shall explore this as we go along. But in order to be able to understand this better, let
me request all of you to try this simple technique, “Be happy for 24 hours.” This will
help us get an insight of this nishkam karma which will be much more authentic than just
a theoretical exercise. Just make a sankalp (resolution) that you will be happy for the
next 24 hours. Ask your friend or family to join in. Make a group sankalp if possible.
Just for 24 hours.
How do you do that? How do we be happy? Let us understand unhappiness a little. We

have made and maintained a system to be unhappy. I am not talking about people who
are happy all the time. This experiment is only for those of us who realize that
unhappiness is our state of being most of the time. This is what Buddha calls dukkha.
So, we maintain a circle of events that will keep us unhappy. You come home and find
that your wife did not smile. You say something sarcastic and before you know it there is
an argument on. The house is full of wrong vibrations; subtle but they are there. And
even without your knowing every one in the household has spent tremendous amount of
energy because of this simple act of not smiling. Some people believe that the
Mahabharata happened because of a subtle laughter by Draupadi on Duryodhana and her
comments of blind son of a blind father. These incidents happen all the time, they
happen at work, at home and on vacations.
We shall try to change our behavior only for 24 hours. We shall try to conserve the
wasted energy and also change the quality of vibrations around us for 24 hours. Just 24
hours. Let us leave the desire alone. We can handle it later. So, let us go along our life
as we normally do. The only thing to do is to accept the result as it comes. Do your
work like you have been doing, when the result comes that is your expected result. In our
example above if the wife does not smile, just expect her not to have smiled. And,
suddenly you do not have to be sarcastic. And the cycle is broken. I am not suggesting
an inappropriate response. Somebody dies in the family. Tears flow. Let it flow.
Accept it. In fact you can show respect and responsibility to your wife by saying nice
words for a change. That may not generate a happy response from her, but accept that as
your expected result. I made a bad judgment in my office recently. I got help from
someone who had left our office and had upset many of our staff and also my wife. I got
her back for a few hours help in the office. It was a bad decision. And what do you
expect. It could have been a mini mahabharata, but I was in the mode of, “Be happy for
24 hours at that time.” And things did not get that bad after all. That is when I decided
to share this technique with my readers. If something works for me, it is possible it will
work for others as well.
Try this for 24 hours. If it does not work out, that is ok as well. Just accept it and move
on. It is easy to extend it in 24 hours segments as well. All we have to do is to accept
life as it comes. That is our expected result. And this eliminates frustration. The
energy that is normally wasted in arguments and what not is conserved. The
vibrations all around us changes. And before we know it becomes infectious. We
can remain happy all the time. With a little abhyasa (practice), this can be normal state of
affairs. It all sounds like a wishful thinking, but it is possible.
So far we have talked about change in behavior. But, this can become a meditation. All
you have to do is bring awareness to the whole process. Different words have been used
for meditation. Buddha used vipassana (witnessing) and J. Krishnamurthy uses the word
attention. Whenever you act with awareness (dhyana) it is meditation. And meditation
is and should not be a one-hour affair. It should be a continuum. Even when we do
the one-hour thing, the idea is to maintain it until the next one-hour session. So, bring the
awareness to this “Be happy for 24 hours” and suddenly you can see the energy saving
and feel the vibrations. Most important of all, you can for the first time feel the
conserved energy rising by itself and when it manifests, it manifests in karma, and
that is the nishkam karma, karma pure in itself.
Krishna is a happy person. He is happy all the time. I am not talking about going in the
morning to a garden and having a laughing session. That is good but is different. I am
pointing to an inner state of being, a being of utter satisfaction and happiness. Krishna
will be happy to see us try to be happy for 24 hours. Moreover, it will help us understand
Krishna fully, conserve wasted energy, spread good vibrations and even use that
conserved energy. Let us meditate and move on.
Krishna, Gita and Terrorism
A new low in value system of the world was reached on September 11th when planes fully
loaded with fuel and passengers were run into the world trade center’s twin towers in
New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Something so brutal and heinous could be
done, done in the name of Jihad by another human being or human establishment
shocked the world. Where are we going and what else remains to be witnessed? George
W. Bush, Jr., the President of America says that his Government has a job to do and he
does seem to show the resolve, the resolve to root out the terrorists from the face of the
earth.
Can we draw any inspiration of advice from Bhagavadgita in this context? Will Krishna
have advised President Bush to arise and fight or will he have said to wait and be a nice
man even if things are so bad and likely to get worse? If he advised us to go and fight
with these shadow like enemies would Krishna put any conditions to that fight. If we go
and fight the terrorists then will we not become like the terrorists? What happens to those
innocents who get killed in the process? All these are ethical questions that the whole
world has to consider and it will be harder to consider this as the time goes by and people
start forgetting this incident.
Krishna never talked to people or individual from a temple, mosque or a church. He was
always available to people in the playing field (karmakshetre). If Krishna were here
today, he would be amongst those heroes moving the rubbles in New York. Krishna will
be sitting with the National Security Council and helping President Bush formulate the
plans to fight those forces that are eroding the value system of the universe that we in
India have called Dharma. I have been writing theses columns on Gita and it is time for
me to take Krishna’s cue and try to address these issues from Krishna’s perspective.
What are we fighting for?
This question has to be answered before any war and it has to be addressed today as well.
We have been attacked. The damage that is immense by any proportion has been done.
We have an idea but do not know who the real perpetrators are. Are we going to war
because of hate or because this is the right thing to do? Krishna will be totally against
any kind of revenge. Any kind of hatred will make us behave like the terrorists. Krishna
will definitely not advise us to sit and do nothing. As we have discussed before, Krishna
will have a different perspective. Krishna values Dharma and he will advise us to fight
only for the upholding of Dharma. Therefore to understand Krishna we ought to
understand the concept of Dharma.
Fight for upholding of Dharma

Dharma does not mean religion. Dharma actually is the value system that is behind the
functioning of the whole existence and that includes all religions. We have to try to
understand this value system and try to see what it encompasses. When our president in
the USA says that freedom has been attacked, he is trying to say in my understanding that
this value system is in danger. The people who support terrorism are instrumental in the
deterioration of this value system (Dharma).
Let us try to understand this from a different perspective. We do not have any one word
in English dictionary that explains Dharma fully. When we say that human being has
basic rights we do not address that basic rights should be denied to certain individuals
when they try to take away the life of innocent souls. When we say that we should do the
right thing, who really decides what is right? When we say that we should love thy
neighbor, what does it mean? Is it conditional or not. Should Iran love Iraq or should
Pakistan love Afghanistan? None of these words really explain Dharma, but Dharma
addresses them all. Righteousness or freedom or liberty comes close but does not address
the whole meaning of Dharma.
I live in the United States. It has its own laws. And we all have to comply with the law.
These laws sometimes need to be changed and the there are measures in place to do so.
These help maintain certain order and values in the society. We talk about family values
and moral issues. They are not written laws; they are just loose values that are expected
from a fellow human being. Some of those values e.g. gun control, or issues relating to
abortion are not so clear and debates go on. There are certain values, which are not laws
in our records, but are laws of nature. You simply do not run a commercial airplane into
a building full of real people. You do not kill a 9-year-old boy to air your opinion. When
things like this start happening, the value system of this existence, the Dharma has to be
re-established, upheld and maintained.
Resolve
It is not easy to resolve to uphold Dharma. It can only be done when there are no ulterior
motives. There ought to be only one goal and that is the upholding of the universal
values, the Dharma. And this is important. In the current situation the goal is to get to
the roots of terrorism and if that means fighting with the terrorists, so be it. There ought
not to be side deals for one reason or the other and there should not be change in the
direction until and unless the goal is achieved. There is a beautiful word in Sanskrit
Sankalp. And Sankalp should never be out of reaction. It is always a positive thing.
This is a sensitive topic and we shall address who the enemy is or should be and what
kind of bhavana (feelings, emotions) should guide this war. It is not a war with Islam; it
is a war with people who are destroying the value system of existence, the Dharma. It is
possible that a small minority from one religion or the other have hijacked the whole
institution of that religion, but that distinction has to be made. And every one should be
given a chance to side with the people trying to maintain and uphold Dharma or the ones
who are trying to destroy it. And Krishna will always stand by the side that is trying to
uphold this value system (Dharma). We will also address the role of nishkam karma in
our next article.
Karishna, Gita and Terrorism II
We discussed in our last column how this war on terrorism is against people who are
destroying the value system of existence, the Dharma. Let us try to recap this value
system that we in the east have called Dharma. Dharma has composite meaning and one
of them relates to this value system. We all experience this in our life. When there is a
sense of freedom, people are not suspicious of each other and happiness abounds then
Dharma is in abundance. When people become fearful, they cannot express or live
freely, when civil liberties are threatened, when suspicion abounds and leads to the point
of hatred, then Dharma is in the process of deterioration.
The terrorists also know this value system. And that is how they want to gain power and
draw attention. They are not insane people; they are actually generally very smart
people. They do the math of fear and destruction. They are also good organizers and
know the sentiments of people who will be attracted to them and how. Look at what
happened. The terrorists trained in our country, learned how to fly, took our planes and
crashed into our icons of prosperity and strength and made money on the stock market in
the process. No one can call them dumb, but every one can call them terrorists. They
want to destroy this value system because that is what gives them their strength.
Who is the enemy?
Mahabharata happened many thousand years ago. But the events now are coming close
to what happened then. Krishna’s life was threatened ever since he was born. Many
attempts were made to kill him even when he was a child. The finale was the
Mahabharata war. Duryodhana was the one who always tried to destroy the value
system. Ultimately he got what he wanted; he was able to drag Pandavas into a war. He
wanted to get rid of the Pandavas who were the icons of this value system, Dharma.
Krishna stood on the side of the Dharma; he sided with the Pandavas but he was only
present there as a chauffer and had had vowed not to fight.
The amazing part was that many good people of those times sided with Duryodhana for
one reason or the other. Some felt obliged because they had worked for Duryodhana’
father for a long time and others felt obliged because they thought this was in the interest
of the country. Some of them even knew that they were against Dharma. This has to be
understood before we understand who is the enemy today. All those people who stood
with the side that was against the value system Dharma had to be eliminated. No matter
what, not only Duryodhana who was the icon of Adharma (against Dharma) needed to be
killed, every one protecting him and siding with him had to be eliminated as well.
Coming to our current scenario, we all know few icons of terrorism e.g. Osama Bil Laden
as person or Al quaida as an organization. We know that they have dragged the USA into
this war. We know that there are several other terrorist organizations that network with
each other. We do not really know who is taking whose side yet. This is in a flux. It is
not very clear to many that they are destroying the very freedom of mankind. And these
people may be drawn to the terrorist organizations in the name of holy war. Some may
be drawn into it because they feel national pride of being an Afghan or of being a true
Pakistani.
And then, it may become difficult to pursue the war against people who are in the process
of destroying this very core of existence, the Dharma. Arjuna had this dilemma at the
beginning of the Mahabharata war. He could see friends and even respected teachers on
the other side and wondered why he should be killing them and for what gain. Those
who truly want to defend this value system will require a great courage, determination,
understanding and patience. Krishna will always be with them as long as they pursue that
path.
Who is a friend?
We are not talking about whom we grew up with or whom we went to school with. This
issue of protecting the value system Dharma is a big challenge. It should not be a cheap
political game or tactics. George W. Bush, the President of the USA has declared a war
against terrorism and is asking the world community to side with him in dealing with this
menace. An opportunity has been given even to countries like Pakistan to decide once
for all which camp they want to belong to. The Pakistan newspaper Dawn reports that
President Musharraf of Pakistan got a phone call from the President of USA and the
question was, “Are you a friend or a foe.” This vital question is crucial. The choice has
to be made and most importantly have to be followed through. This is not a friendship
for two days.
And great vigil is required because of possibilities of political maneuverings that will
take place during this war as happens in politics all the time. Krishna was on top of
political moves all the time. In spite of the great strength and vigil of Pandavas and of
Krishn’a presence on their side, the Pandavas lost Abhimanyu, Ghatotkacha and many
dear and invincible warriors. There will be change of sides, there will be unexpected
political moves and there will be losses. Friends today may become foes tomorrow and
therefore relationships will have to be re-evaluated all the time. One simple rule is that if
a country or an individual is making side deals in return, there may be change of heart
when he is not happy whether he got what he wanted. If the support is unconditional, it is
a different matter. The country or individual may benefit from this friendship but at least
that is not the reason he came in to start with.
In our next column we shall address the vital issue of bhavana (emotions, attitude,
feelings) with which the war should be fought. Krishna talked to Arjuna about sum-
bhava and we shall try to understand those as we go along.
Krishna, Gita and Terrorism III

We covered the concept of universal value system Dharma in our last two columns and
how terrorism is a threat to its sustenance. Let us look at it from another angle. We have
a system of law enforcement in our state and federal level. This law enforcement system
that protects certain value system is a small part of the larger value system Dharma that
we have been talking about so far. We all know what happens when this system breaks
down. We all have witnessed the looting and rioting in different parts of the world when
the laws are broken by demonstrators for one reason or the other. No one questions with
the need for re-establishing normalcy in these situations. Curfews are put in place,
criminals are arrested and measures are taken to bring the chaos to normalcy so that the
country or state can run properly again.
There is similar yet much larger value system that is not written, yet a definite entity that
encompasses the whole universe. It is perceived by all of us but we find it difficult to
define. It encompasses not only the universe that we can see and comprehend but also
the universe of incorporeal bodies that we call soul or astral bodies. We can definitely
feel the tremors when this value system, Dharma, is hit by sources that want to destroy it.
When the airplanes tore through the twin towers of the World Trade Center, they really
pierced through the heart of this value system (Dharma), and every one who heard or
witnessed the scene felt the pain. We all shook up. The value system has been
threatened. Our liberty, freedom, and daily lives have changed because of this event. To
Krishna it is a law and order problem, albeit at a higher plane.
Why the war?
Our lives have changed since the incidence of September 11, 2001. Civil liberties are at
stake. We have to plan our trips differently. Economy has taken a tumble. We ought to
do something. Is it revenge? Should we hate those terrorists or should we nuke them?
Pacifists will come out with their own arguments. We ought to make sure that innocents
do not suffer. We should find the culprits and bring them to justice similar to what we
did in the bombing of Oklahoma building.
Krishna will like us to act; he will ask of us to arise and fight the root of terrorism and
any one who takes their side or protects them. But he will make sure that what we do is
not out of reaction, revenge or hatred. Hatred has never solved anything. If we respond
out of hatred or revenge, not only we will not be so successful, but also we shall create
more problems than we started with.
Arjuna was in a similar dilemma. He could not understand why he has to kill good
people in the war. Krishna had to tell whole of Gita before Arjuna could understand that
he had to fight these forces that were eroding the core of the value system Dharma. As
we mentioned above, Krishna sees it as a law and order problem. When you are stopped
for speeding on a highway, do you hate the cop or do you think of revenge. Some of us
feel that we were unlucky that day. There is and there should not be such feeling. Most
of us pay the fine and get on with our lives. Krishna does not see it very differently at
least in my view. The value system of existence (Dharma) is threatened and for proper
running of the universe, this has to be re-established and sustained. We can then have our
freedom and liberty that we so much enjoyed when we had it.
The goodness fights
Goodness suffers from a basic weakness; it wants to keep away from conflicts and wars.
There are times when the voices of good, simple and gentle cease to be effective. This
happens because people inclined to evil don’t hear them, don’t fear them and blindly go
their own way. As these good people shrink back just out of goodness, at the same time,
the mischief makers become bold and behave like having a field day. Goodness then has
to fight, and when goodness fights it does not do so fir the sake of fighting, it fights
simply to prevent evil from winning; it fights to re-establish the value system Dharma
that has been eroded by these evil terrorist like people. Arjuna was simple and good but
he and his brothers were dragged into the Mahabharata war and they ultimately did fight
and fought for preventing a reign of terror that might have happened should Duryodhana
have stayed unabated. A similar situation has arisen; terrorists have been having a field
day thus far; time has come to stop them from eroding the system any further. There will
be rocky times in the near future, but it has to be done.
In our next column we shall cover what conditions Krishna would have liked to put to the
forces of the good; we shall cover Krishna’s anasakti (non-attachment) and other issues
that may be an important factors in this war against the terrorism.
Operation anasakti (non-attachment)
We have discussed about the value system of existence Dharma and why it is so
important to protect it, uphold it and sustain it. And even if one has to go to war for it, it
is o.k. However, we all feel a little uncomfortable about war and killings. We all like to
ask the question whether killing can ever be morally justified?
Krishna is not a warmonger. He is not a Hawk. Krishna supports life; he stands for life
and will fight for it if needed. If the great values of life (Dharma), without which life
would cease to be life, are in peril, Krishna will advise us to defend with all we have.
And then he brings the values of anasakti (non-attachment) to the equation so that no
ulterior motives are served in the name of war for values. Who otherwise will determine
what is Dharma? But before we analyze this anasakti or non-attachment let us look at
some common terminology used in this context, peace, justice and revenge.
Peace:
There have been statements from the Pope and Dalai Lama after the terrible incidents of
September 11 and they both have pleaded for a peaceful solution of the problem of
terrorism. Gandhi and Bertrand Russell have always supported this path of peace.
Buddha, Mahavira and Jesus Christ have always talked of love and peace. And as I see it
Krishna is as much for peace and love as Buddha or Mahavira are, but he is also willing
to travel beyond, beyond of where being peaceful or neutral may not be righteous.
Suppose you are going by and an innocent girl is being beaten and is on the verge of
being raped. And you have the means of protecting her. Will you be peaceful?
The pacifist thinks that peace is always righteous and the warmonger is looking for any
excuse for a fight. Krishna is fluid. He will default to peace. The war of Mahabharata
happened in spite of Krishna. He tries to avert the war with all his heart, and when he
fails, he accepts the inevitable. He does not go and start praying in the Himalayas for
peace to come on this earth, he involves himself in the war so that the lost value system
could be re-established.
We discussed about the weakness of goodness last time. Goodness has the weakness of
avoiding conflicts and war and also has the weakness of not being able to see the
crookedness of others. We did not know that they (terrorists) will use our system to book
tickets, get training to fly in our flying schools, will hijack our planes and will ram into
our icons and symbols of prosperity.
We were having a great time here. I came to Maine, USA in 1992. A large number of
people did not lock their cars and some not even their houses. We turned up to the
airports as if we were going for a bus ride. Generally speaking there was a sense of
freedom and content. All that changed after September 11th. And now I can say that the
only parameters of knowing that the universal value system Dharma is intact are our way
of life. That which helps life grow, flower and dance essentially is Dharma. And that
which impedes life’s growth, stifles life’s flowering and smothers life’s joy and festivity
is Adharma. And the big question comes as to what do you do about it?
The evil (terrorists) no longer hear or fear the good people. The goodness shrinks and
sits on the sideline praying to God and the evil takes over. And then it makes a slave of
the goodness. The goodness works for the evil and then he is ordered to kill others. And
the same good person is killing another good person on orders given by the bad person.
If this sounds like flights of imagination, look at what happened to countries like India,
Germany or Russia in the past. Hitler knew it, Cenghis Khan knew it and so did Stalin
know it. They all knew this weakness of a good person and fully exploited it in their
times.
Jesus said to turn the other cheek when someone slaps you. No body asked him what if
he kept on slapping. And there are people who will go on turning the cheek until the
person slapping gets tired and pauses for rest. Even Jesus picked up the whip and turned
tables when he saw injustice being done by the moneychangers.
Krishna with his flute loves peace and is happy to be dancing and making other people
dance. But if war happens in spite of his flute, so be it. He will accept it and move right
into it, but will be detached from it all the time. For Krishna, it is not so much a question
of moral justification; it is more a matter of protecting the essential values of life, liberty,
happiness and freedom.
Krishna’s anasakti (non-attachmnet) is in my view a revolutionary concept and allows
room for understanding with clarity. We shall explore it in the next column.
Krishna, Gita, and Terrorism (final): Anasakti
In our last column we learned that Krisna is as much for peace as is Jesus, Buddha, Dalai
Lama or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but when war becomes inevitable, Krishna is
willing to travel the extra mile that others (mentioned above) are not prepared to. A
Krishna can play his flute for peace, love and happiness, but will have no hesitation in
picking up his sudarshan chakra, if he has to. It is impossible to imagine Jesus, Buddha
or Mahavira with a flute or a weapon. Krishna will stay on in the middle of the war
(karma kshetre) to make sure that the value system of the existence (Dharma) is applied
to war and the war is fought for the upholding of this value system.
Some who are in the camp of peace do agree that justice should prevail. People
committing a crime should be punished. But then who really is the judge and what is a
crime. Eight christians have been caught in Afghanistan who are charged with the crime
of trying to convert muslims to Christianity. Is this a crime? May be in some people's
eyes. That may be the law of the land. Revenge is an easier topic. Most moralist agree
that action should not be taken for revenge only. But, most agree that the terrorist should
be brought to justice. And then the problem arises. The whole moslem world at present
is asking for a proof. If a cime can be committed without being caught, the criminal can
walk free.
Krishna's focus is totally different. He definitely is against hatred and revenge. It would
have been easy for him to excite Arjuna by reminding how the Duryodhana brothers
insulted Draupadi and it could have worked. No, Krishna did not want Arjuna to fight
out of hatred, anger or for taking revenge. Krishna also is not interested in bringing
Duryodhana to justice. Duryodhana has to die because he has been the instrument to
deterioration of Dharma. And every one who is on his side has to be taken care of as
well. There were some very nice people on Duryodhana's side. And that was one of
Arjuna's main dilemma. Why should he be the cause of death of such good people?
Krishna does not want any attachment to be part of this war. He wants Arjuna to fight
without any attachment. For taking revenge you have to have some attachment. If love
is attachment, hatred is reverse attachment; if helping is attachment, revenge is also a
reverse attachment. Even when you think of justice, an attachment is necessary. No,
Krishna wants Arjuna to drop all attachments. The reason for Arjuna to fight then is only
to uphold the Dharma.
This anasakti (non-attachment) needs to be understood. Non- attachment does not mean
detachment. The Mahabharata war was a unique war. At the end of the day, people
crossed into enemy camps to meet each other. Both camps visited Bhishma who was in
the Kaurava camp regularly. The two mothers stayed together and mourned for deaths in
both camps. Krishna was in the middle of the war. This can be hardly called detachment
by any standards. It appears that there is too much attachment with each other. So, what
then is anasakti.
Let me try to explain it from medical point of view. There is a friend of mine and his son
was shot in an event and my friend had to take part in the surgery of his son. He could
see his son’s life slip away in front of his eyes. I could understand his situation and so
could most of you. No doctor wants to be in such a situation. It is one thing to operate
on somebody who you are not attached to than on somebody you have a deep relationship
to. This does not mean that there is no love or feeling for patients. There is always a
relationship and doctors always want to do what is best for patients. Attachment,
however, is a hindrance in a Doctor’s work. And Krishna knows very well that Arjuna’s
attachment to anybody will have deleterious effect on his performance of fighting.
Asakti (attachment) and choices are closely related. Non attachment allows one to
become choice less; decisions are independent of attachment and come from this
choicelessness. It is very close to being established in adwaita. But I must emphasize
that this is not a negative approach to life. Krishna is not only spritual but he is also
practical. Attachment clouds judgement similar to kamana (desires) clouding action.
Arjuna is confused because of his attachments. He respects his Gururs, he loves his
cousins and feels for the people in the enemy camp and then the question comes as to
how he can kill them who he feels so close to. Attachment factor clouds his brain and he
is willing to quit from fighting.
Krishna is not teaching Arjuna to become ruthless. A choice less person can never be
ruthless. Ruthlessness can only happen to a person of attachment, attachment to killing.
A ruthless person simply enjoys being ruthless. Krishna will have no attachment to
killing; killing has to take place because the value system Dharma is in danger. The law
and order has to be maintained.
We discussed that non-attachment does not mean detachment. This also does not mean
running away from duties and responsibilities of relationship. Krishna maintained his
relationships with every one on both sides on the fighting teams. He met with Gandhari
or Kunti as much as he met with Draupadi. He did not have any qualms in meeting with
Duryodhana or Karna at any time. Krishna tired to remind every one of these
relationships. Humanity was cared for all the time. Injured were helped at the end of the
war by all. No body tired to gouge out the eyes or cut the ears in hatred. Duties and
responsibilities had to performed and taken care of. But, when it came to the war, non-
attachment was necessary in Krishna’s approach.
Krishna tried his best for peace. When war became inevitable, Krishna stayed in the
middle to make sure that the war was fought for upholding of Dharma. He instructs
Arjuna to fight without any attachment, and if you do not have any attachment, there is
no possibility of a desire and when there is no desire there is no expectations. Any result
is expected and welcome. When there is no attachment, there is no desire and there are
no expectations, there is no fear. And when there is no fear, who can defeat such a
person. Krishna wants a fearless Arjuna who can protect Dharma by his fullest
capabilities.
In summary, Krishna, in my view, will have following suggestions to India and the USA
at this time of crisis.
1. Stay on the side of Dharma (value system of existence)

2. Be strong – A weak cannot make any difference. Even talking about peace by a
weak person has no weight.
3. Act with anasakti (non-attachment) - There is no need to hate Pakistan or
Afghanistan. But the institutions or persons in the business of producing people
who are danger to the value system must be dealt with.
4. Appropriate political posturing is necessary. Mama Shakuni was a shrewd
politician. He knew how to exploit the goodness in Yudhisthir. And the
Pandavas needed to know that and also had to know how to counter his moves.
Krishna was a great political strategist. As long as this is meant for upholding of
the value system (Dharma), it is o.k. to play games.
Dharmam Raksham Karisyami

Krishnam Sharanam Gachchami
Price of peace
Does peace have a price too? This is a question that we all have to ask ourselves in the
wake of all the terrorist acts that have happened recently and the responses that have
followed. The attack of 9/11 followed an overwhelming response from the US army and
the target was Afghanistan. The people who attacked the WTC died but the response was
aimed at the source. There is peace in Afghanistan now but how long is it going to last.
The attack in Israel was followed by fresh attacks on Palestinian outfits and there is no
real peace in that area so far. The event of 12/13 aroused a massive response from the
Indian Government. So far there is a relative peace on the border.
But, what happened at Godhra recently is a different story. It was no less a terrorist
attack than the ones described above; the difference was that they were people from a
certain minority community who did it and they were known faces. The faces of
terrorists mentioned above in the first paragraph were unknown or they were dead. The
sources were in another country. Godhra people were our own. The people in the
train were also our own and watched their fellow travelers being burnt alive. They
could not help and must have felt angry and frustrated.
What happened at Godhra cannot be justified, and what followed next is also not
justifiable. But, the response did happen and happened with a vengeance. Before the
peace ensues, both communities would have paid a big price. Will the healing take
place? Will harmony prevail again? The two communities, Hindu and Muslims have co
existed in India for a long time. And, they will coexist in future. Peace will return and a
new equilibrium will be established.
But, in the mean time we have seen the press taking its own mileage out of the story.
Most press was quick to blame the Hindus for inviting the attack on them. The political
parties took their own line. The police took the blame and so did the Gujarat
Government and administrators.
Is there any one interested in the common man? We have to ask this soul-searching
question to ourselves, be it leaders, officers, Hindus or Muslims. What has led to
situations like this to erupt? Even if ISI is involved, how are they able to exploit our
peace loving people? And who pays the price of the peace that comes? It is always the
innocent people who pay the price.
Hindus have been termed tolerant and peace loving. That was the name given when
others ruled India. Gandhi has become the hallmark of non-violence and every time
some one looks at India, they see Gandhi in its existence. Since the independence, the
intellectual elite, the successive central governments and the media have had a sort of anti
Hindu stance. Minorities have been appeased for several known and unknown reasons.
The Hindus have felt this pain all along. The Ram janma bhumi is an ongoing issue and
one such example.
The tolerant and peace loving Hindu generation of Mahatma Gandhi is gone. A new
breed, both of Hindus and Muslims have come around. The tolerant part is being seen as
cowardice. The Hindus are becoming assertive. Madarsas are not helping the feelings of
Muslims. And that is calling for a new equilibrium. The relationship is being
questioned. The political leaders are misusing secularism word and even writers like Vir
Sanghvi are questioning how it is being exploited in the current situation.
A new equilibrium will perhaps only happen after some disturbances. And this is
unfortunate. The strategic thinkers (think tanks) should be thinking as to how to respond
to such a change in the situation. The media has to look at its reporting practices. The
new assertive Hindus are not going to let matters like ‘Rama Janmabhumi’ go away.
They are not prepared for that. The issue is no more local to Ayodhaya; the issue is of
a new equilibrium where a Hindu wants the same rights as the privileged minority
as to how they are judged, perceived and reported.
The root problem has to be understood before we can get to the right approach to solve it.
The riots have to be controlled; but it is more important to find ways to prevent this
altogether. It is, however, important to understand the peace that we talk about in
common terms and the peace (we will call it shantih) that our Rishis have talked about.
When a Rishi says, “Om shantih, shantih, shantih,” he is talking about inner peace
and we should all strive for that. If individuals are peaceful, it is hard to imagine a
society that will do what the mob at Godhra succumbed to. Until then, we will all
have to pay a ‘price for peace.’ A pro-active step with proper understanding of
situations, however, may prevent a lot of blood shed.
KARMA
The whole gist of life centers on karma. The virtual currency unit in the virtual
bank of Samskara is karma. We have to develop the understanding of karma, nishkam
karma, karma sanyas, and why one performs one or the other karma. A man is born with
certain Samskaras; his past pushes him towards doing certain karmas and these karmas
are then deposited in the virtual account. The process continues. What is the way out?
How do you reach a zero balance? These are all the areas we will explore in this chapter.
The first thing that must be understood is that no one lives without doing a karma.
Karma is not optional. Once born, you have to perform karma
A child is born. The first thing he or she does is to cry, the cry expands the lungs
and then on it breathes and does its karma. Krishna is saying that life is synonymous
with karma. One can choose what karma to do but one cannot choose not to do karma.
Arjuna has the choice to fight or not to fight but by not fighting he cannot escape from
karma.
However, most of the vital work (karma) is not left to the individual. The body
breathes. This breathing is not left to the choice. If it were left to human choice, the
person might forget to breath, or may just not want to breathe. Several such vital actions
are not optional. The beating of the heart is not your choice. If you do yoga you may be
able to control your breathing or heart but in doing so you have developed the integrity
and the wisdom not to interfere in the nature’s process. Your Karma that is left unto you
is really not that important for the universe. It may be very important for you but for the
existence it is totally immaterial.
So the question arises. If you have to do karma and every time you perform
karma it is deposited in the Samskara virtual account, how can you ever achieve the zero
balance that we talked about in our first chapter? Normally what we understand by
karma or work is a response, a pratikarma. Pratikarma is actually a pratikriya to karma,
response or a reaction to another action. You go home and your son is angry at your.
You are the father and you reply to that action of anger by your reaction of anger. Both
you and your son make a deposit in the virtual account of samskara. These two karmas
had their origin from a reason, it was a response to some reason and there was an
expected result. The son must have been angry because of something and he is showing
anger to get a response. Most of our lives we live doing pratikarma.
Karma in strict sense is a different phenomenon. Karma is spontaneous. It is not

a reaction or a response to another action (karma). When the son shows anger and no
response arises inside you, and then what comes out is karma. You irritate your baby son
and he pushes your hand away. Instead of anger, tremendous love arises inside you. You
smile and hug that child and the child gives you a giggle. This is spontaneous. A young
baby’s anger is authentic and so are its smile and the giggle. The identity of I has not
developed. And the karma here has a different quality.
A man goes up to Gautam the Budha and spits at him. Budha wipes the spit with
his shawl and asks the man if he had to say anything more. The man gets disturbed. This
is not the response he was looking for. He had answers for why did he spit; he had
answers if Budha’s disciples tried to restrain him. But, the man was puzzled. Budha
clarified that he realized that the man was angry and did not have words to express and
therefore he spit on Buddha. Buddha acknowledged that this problem of expression
happened to him many times when he had difficulty expressing with words. The man
further asked why Buddha did not get angry in response. Buddha was very clear. He
said, “You are not my master.” Why should I react to what you do? I am not your slave.
The next day the man came back again and this time he was crying and putting his head
on Budha’s feet. Buddha again asked him if he had to say anything more. The man said
I am asking for an apology and you are not saying anything. Budha said that again you
have problem expressing with words and you are using tears to express. I acknowledge
that and want to know if you have to express anything more. As far as apology is
concerned anger did not arise in me yesterday and therefore there is no question of
pardoning you. Karma in itself is spontaneous and comes out of a man who has akarma
inside, he is silent inside. You throw a stone and no ripples arise. This karma of such a
person does not get deposited in the account of the samskara similar to the no deposit of a
baby’s giggle. Once you stop depositing karma all you have to wait for is the return of
your deposited karma and the zero balance gets closer. This karma can be performed by
Karma Sanyas and Nishkam karma yoga. We will come back to it a little later.
We should also understand a little about vikarma, a karma that should not be
done. This is where it gets tricky and Krishna says that the gati of karma is mysterious.
Let us examine why Krishna says that the gati or movements of karma is mysterious.
There was a war going on in Kargil between India and Pakistan. And the saying
goes, “Everything is fair in war and love.” Pakistan had been refusing to take back the
bodies of their soldiers because they were stuck with the statement that the Pakistan army
was not fighting in the war. The lines between vikarma and karma start getting blurry in
this situation. One has to be aware of not only what you see but also of what you do not
see. There is this famous puzzle that clarifies the point a little further. A Brahmin is
walking by. He sees a cow running. He keeps walking when he meets a butcher carrying
his big knife. The butcher asks the Brahmin if he has seen a cow going by. That was his
cow and she had run out of his butchery. She (the cow) is due to be killed, and he is
going to kill the moment he finds her. The Brahmin is in trouble now. Lying is a
vikarma and so is killing (specially of a cow). The Brahmin is in a bind. The butcher is
telling the Brahmin that all he has to answer was yes or no. Did he or did he not see the
cow. The Brahmin wants time to think. The question for him is not the cow but which
vikarma to choose. The emphasis in the east is not so much on the karma or vikarma but
more on the status of the subject behind the karma, the doer.
Let us first take up the issue of karma sanyas. The truth of karma sanyas is based
on the realization of the fact that the usual mundane karma ultimately leads to nowhere.
The person can see that by building a house, getting married, having children and
gathering belongings has taken him nowhere towards the realization of his self (Atma)
and the parmatma. You keep coming back and getting entangled in the same rut and at
the end, you carry the garbage of bodily experience, the samskara, only to return back to
start all over again. This realization drives you towards the Sanyas from this routine
mundane Karma. It is a result of certain kind of awakening. The awakening is similar to
drawing a line in water. No mark is left in the water. The line is obliterated the moment
the hand that draws the line moves forward. In reality whatever we do is nothing more
than drawing line in the water as far as existence is concerned. All our actions in the
past, in this life and previous lives, have not taken us anywhere. It is the awareness that
actions do not take you anywhere that leads to the sanyas from karma. It appears that the
person has renunciated, it appears that the person has stopped working. But in fact the
actions have dropped from such a person. Even this person eats, drinks and walks. The
difference is in the quality and the status of the subject behind. He is the awakened one.
He does not engage in the same kind of karma. We do karma for ourselves where as the
awakened one engages in any karma for others out of compassion. Mahavir lives on, not
because he has any clinging to life, but because the universe wants him to live. He in fact
used to put conditions to his living and the whole existence used to meet those
requirements. He worked even on the animals to get them further in the search of truth.
There are sayings that animals used to come to him in his teachings. This is a result of
compassion, the karma flowing out of his being for the benefit of the existence.
I recently went to a museum where several people came to visit. Amongst them
were many children, children of the age of 4 and 5 years old. Adults were all listening to
the guide and reading the writings on the plates. They appeared to be trying to appreciate
the art and beauty of the paintings. They all looked interested. Watching the young ones
was fun for me. They were running around. Sometimes just picking up pebbles and
putting them back. At times they will go over the benches and other time under the
benches. Energy was flowing out of them. There were no plans, no blue prints. They
did not question whether there was value for money or whether or not the trip was
enjoyable. They did not bother about the weather forecast or how they will be going
back. If you analyze their karma, there is nothing to analyze. They are children. But
there is much to learn. We are children for the existence. We stand on a piece of land
and claim it is ours. We are willing to die for it. The existence looks at us and laughs. If
it could talk in our language, it would say to us, “Many others have made the same claim
many times before.” This realization by an individual is what makes the possibility of
karma sanyas, the individual decides not to engage in the same karmas again.
Now, if every one realized that it is not worth staking claim on a piece of land and
followed the path of sanyas (renunciation) then how would the world run? The balance
will be maintained as long as there are no counterclaims. But it is easy to disturb the
balance. A situation like in the past when Mahabharata happened or now when the India
Pakistan disagree on Kashmir is more of a practical question in real life. Renunciation is
not the answer. Krishna knew that it is not worth staking claims on a piece of land but he
also had to balance the counterclaim of the Kauravas. Arjun actually was trying to do the
renunciation. He did not have the realization but was choosing to leave the battlefield.
This is where Krishna interjects the notion and details of Nishkam Karma Yoga.
Nishkam karma does not focus on Karma; it focuses on the aspect of the
anticipated result. Karma Sanyas wants you to understand the futility of doing any
karma. It wants you to be aware of the dream like status of any karma. It is often useful
when you face a situation that looks critical to you. It is quite upsetting and you do not
know how to handle it. You can look back and find a similar situation in your life in the
past. Those are just like dreams and all that is left is memory.
Nishkam karma requires you to forget about the result. The expectation of results
and desires are inter twined. You develop a desire, you go for an appropriate action and
you get a result. Nishkam karma says that you stay in the middle, no desire, no results.
Just the karma.
This sutra is the key to nishkam karma. You have the right to do the karma but
not to the result. This does not mean that there is no result. And this also does not mean
that there is no path to get results. Karma is the only way to get any result.
I do the work, the karma. Work flows from me. The result comes from the
whole, the samasti. There may be divine hands in the production of the result. You may
have heard quite often that a certain person is lucky. He made less effort in the work but
got results much more than expected. The luck factor actually is that unseen hand that
either compounds the results to make you lucky or reduces the results to make you
unlucky.
The importance in Nishakam Karma is on the trust; the trust on the existence or in
the Parmatma. When the trust is total the unknown provides all the results. This has to
be understood. When the shradha is total, the trust is absolute it is the Parmatma’s
responsibility now to give the results, the results happen. This is sometimes referred to as
you do karma in samarpan to the Parmatma. You become the flute through which the
Parmatma is playing the tune.
Even if you do not believe in Parmatma, if you do not have your focus on the
result all you have is your karma and the total energy goes to the karma. The result has to
happen better and total as well. It is interesting that people who have too many desires
are the ones who do the least karma. And then it is not a surprise to know that these are
the people, the people full of desire that end up getting the fewest results. And these are
the people you will find complaining against God. They are never happy.
Most desire and result oriented karma are done to achieve happiness, but in the
end the happiness seems to be eluded all the time. Happiness in desire/result-oriented
karma is always in the future. The present is unhappy. The happiness is in the future.
The truth is that you will always be in the present and future will always be in the mind.
Once you start being happy in the present the future has to bring more happiness. You do
not depend on something else to come and give you happiness. How many times you
have been on vacation. The dream was to go to the perfect vacation. Hawaii was the
dream. Now you are in Hawaii. You go to check in and find that the hotel does not have
the room that you wanted. Suddenly you are miserable. You raise hell. You make your
point, make phone calls and before you know it is not only you who is unhappy but your
family, the travel agent and the hotel employees; every one involved is unhappy. No, it is
not the room or the meals or the manners that is the cause of unhappiness in this instance.
It is as if you are looking for the unhappiness and the room is an excuse waiting to be the
cause. The dream vacation has come but you have the habit and momentum of remaining
unhappy. Nishkam karma is based on this realization, that the expectation of results of
karma is the cause of unhappiness. Does it mean that there should be no planning?
Planning and expectation of results are two different things. Planning, budgeting or
forecasting is different than the painful desire and expectations that drive your being and
literally inhibit you from giving your full energy to the work.
Another interesting thing follows as a shadow of Nishkam karma. Once there is

no interest for a result there is no frustration. When there is no interest in the result no
work is small and no result is too small. Not indifference, but a steady state of happiness
in whatever the result is. A deep acceptance arises inside. The acceptance of whatever
may happen in result is so fulfilling that the individual gets to the steady state of
happiness; some call it anand and others call it bliss. Have you wondered about the fact
that all misery arises from not accepting the isness. The wife is trying to change the
husband and the husband is trying to change the wife. They both have done research
about each other before marriage, every thing has been figured out. Happiness is bound
to happen. Then the marriage takes place. The next thing you know is that change has to
happen. You can experiment it any day or every day. Decide that today you will accept
everything as it comes. This does not mean that you do not take appropriate action. Let
us take the worst-case scenario. Your house is on fire. If you do not accept it to the
extent that you go mad you cannot take any action. Take a deep breath and then accept
the fact that the house is on fire. In medical terms it is said that you may fall into denial
phase especially if you hear a bad news typically “you have cancer.” However, once you
accept the fact that the house is on fire, after you have taken a deep breath, you can try to
get the support services available to deal with the fire. It is quite obvious in this instance
that the appropriate action is to accept and then respond. But, in smaller situations at
home, the ones with your son, the ones with your daughter, you fail to realize that taking
a deep breath is the trick for happiness.
Nishkam karma yoga is the preferable one not only for Arjuna but also for most
of the people of today. The reason in both is the same. Arjun was an extrovert and
today’s world is mostly extrovert. Sanyas of karma is not natural to an extrovert
personality. An extrovert is interested in the karma, he does not see the futility of karma
easily. It may be easier for him to see that the results can be more than he can ask for and
that his productivity may increase if he does not waste his energy in influencing or
manipulating the results. If you go back to the Upanishadic times, the equations were
different. A king in those times will go to a poor Brahmin and touch his feet for his
blessings. The introvert was on the top and the extrovert respected the quality of his
interiority. Situation is totally different today. Even the Swamis of today are recognized
by whom they associate with. The extrovert is at the top now. The sadhus are valued
because of the ministers company they keep but not vice versa.
Another reason why this Nishkam karma yoga is of more value in today’s world
is that this gives an alternate theory to the age of competition, productivity, frustrations
and burnouts. James Moore has written a book entitled The Death of Competition.. In
this truly epochal work of business strategy, Moore boldly demonstrates that for many
vibrant companies the future is now; that today’s great enterprises no longer compete for
product superiority or even industry dominance. He thinks that what matters now, and
from now on is total system leadership. Beyond the death of competition lies the advent
of something new and better. But what is it? Moore envisions a future characterized by
organized chaos. Now, time is not very far when the writers will soon be seeing the
benefits of Nishkam karm yoga. Organized chaos is very close to unpredictable results.
Focus on the karma not on the result. The question of competition does not arise.
Competition has its good points and its limitations. It seems that there has to be
several tiers of systems and understanding suited for different level of existence. Arjuna
was the one who could be a candidate for Nishkam karma yoga. His excellence would
flourish under these circumstances. Bhima may be a different story. For him a challenge
by Duryodhana may produce a better result. Remember, Krishna, Buddha or Ram cannot
be produced by the method of training or competition. They are unique flowers.
Patanjali and Einstein also are in similar boat. Competition can produce average; the
superior is out of the reach of competition. People like Tiger Woods (the champion
golfer) have noted this point too. He feels and teaches others to think to produce their
own best rather than compete with others. Why be limited by the limitations of others.
Excel with yourself. This in many terms is similar to doing karma according to your
swadharma.
Karma Yoga: Common myths
The comcept of sanyas must have changed after Krishna. Krishna proposed to Arjuna the
concept of nishkam karma, a methodology whereby Arjuna could follow his swadharma
and yet not be bound by the laws of karma. This is what we call karma yoga. This has
created some misunderstanding, at least as I perceive it, and that is what we shall try to
discuss today.
The destiny:
Every thing in life is predetermined. Is that so? If it is then why work? And some will
answer that our working is also pre-determined. This concept of destiny has done much
harm to our society and the country and therefore a proper understanding of these
concepts becomes important.
Karma produces results. If we do not do karma there will be no results. Karma comes
from an individual, but the result comes from the whole universe (samashti). And that is
what makes the result so unpredictable. We can choose to perform a certain act, but
cannot choose the result. A mountaineering team can choose to climb Mt. Everest. They
can train hard, study the weather and experience of other climbers, but cannot guarantee
that they will get to the top. There are so many other factors that affect the result.
So, how do we resolve the issue of predetermination of results? I really do not know
whether all the results are pre-determined or not. But, if I have to speculate, I shall go
with “what if” theory, which says that if the situations were such then this will be the
outcome. The outcomes are predetermined but there are some freedoms to it. Arjuna is
free to choose whether to fight or not, but if he chooses not to fight then the outcome will
be different than if he chooses to fight. In my eyes that freedom is given to us. Krishna
has been emphasizing that to Arjuna throughout Gita. Krishna is not deciding for Arjuna,
he wants Arjuna to decide for himself.
It is like saying that if some one is sleeping on a railway track and if the train comes
while they are still sleeping they will be run over by the train. They have the option of
waking up before the train comes, but if they don’t, then their fate is pre-determined. This
‘what if’ theory does give some incentive for us to work. If the people sleeping on the
railway track believed in the fate of being run over, why would they ever wake up? And
this is happening with us all who believe in absolute pre-determined fate, the destiny.
We can always explain away why India was enslaved for so many years. No, it was not
India’s destiny, it was because we were sleeping on the railway track when the train
arrived and we were run over. We need to wake up and be ready to take the train for a
ride rather than be run over by it.
Sakam karma is bad
Krishna talks about nishkam karma being superior to sakam karma in Gita and we are
ready to condemn sakam karma completely. If Krishna says that niskam karma is better
then sakam karma must be bad. Krishna did not say that sakam karma is bad, but we are
more than ready to come to that conclusion. Krishna is saying this to Arjuna who is at
the peak of sakam karma. Krishna can see clearly that Arjuna is now ready to get into the
concepts of nishkam karma. This readiness has to be understood. Arjuna is confused
about who is going to die in this war. His confusion arises because of the thinking of the
world of sakam karma. That confusion can be cleared by the superior theory of nishkam
karma. And that is when Krishna gives him the teachings of nishkam karma.
Before this, the same Krishna had asked Arjuna to go to Indra and do Shiva’s worship for
certain learning and acquiring weapons. The same Krishna had asked Arjuna to pray to
Devi Durga before the start of the war. Arjuna had exhausted the sources of sakam
karma and to be more effecive and to be more effective in the war, he is being taught the
next best thing, the sakam karma.
No, in my eyes sakam karma is not bad in itself. Most of the Vedas have talked about
sakam karma. Most of our lives in today’s world is based on sakam karma. When we are
ready to jump then we can move to nishkam karma, but until then let us perfect the sakam
karma. Of course, there is good sakam karma and there is bad sakam karma. Morality
belongs to the world of sakam karma. When we talk about doing a yagya for the welfare
of the whole world, we are talking about sakam karma, when we talk about eradicating
malaria or small pox from the planet earth we are talking about sakam karma. Nishkam
karma is great but sakam karma is not bad.
Nishkam karma is doing karma without expecting any results.
Krishna says that an individual has rights to do whatever karma he wants to but he has no
rights or control over what result he is going to get. In other words results also depend
upon other factors. If I am preparing for a competition, I can do my best. The result of
who will win between my opposition and me depends at least on how the other player
prepares and how we play on that particular day. Now, that does not mean I should not
prepare. I have to do my preparation. If I know that results depend upon other factors,
some of them possibly out of my control, then I would not waste a lot of my time
worrying about it. I, in that situation, would be able to give all my energy and attention
to the preparation for the competition. This is the secret about not expecting a given
result, but in my view this is only a small part of what nishkam karma is all about.
Let us take it one step further. If I care about my success in the result, then I may obtain
success by preparing for the competition or hurting the preparation of my opponent or
even blackmailing him for a win in my favor. This is another advantage of not worrying
about the result. An individual who is not so much focused on the result will find it hard
to succumb to such lower acts. Does that mean that he should not be aware of such
methods, just in case the opponent decides to play those tricks? No, Krishna would not
allow that. A person who is ready to go on the path of nishkam karma has the awareness
where he can easily figure out what the opponent is going to be up to and take necessary
actions to prevent that.
The focus of nishkam karma has to be on the karma and not so much on the results. A
person doing nishkam karma happens not to worry about the results, because he knows
that it is not in his control. But, he prepares for the best. A planning is necessary. If
there is a war going on and Arjuna has to fight, he has to plan a strategy on day-to-day
basis. If I have to get to Delhi from New York, I have to call a travel agent to book my
flights. Yes, flights may get cancelled or the plane may crash. But, one thing is sure and
that is if I do not book the ticket, I will not get to Delhi.
Krishna simply says that we have to drop the attachment and the expectations and start
accepting the situation as it presents to us. We also have to plan and respond to what life
has to offer. We shall explore more of nishkam karma in our future columns. For now,
let us change our focus from the result-oriented understanding of nishkam karma to a
karma-oriented understanding.
Karma sanyas means no karma
I have several friends who are willing to say that it is better to do seva than be a Saadhu
or a Swami. A man who is not doing mundane karma is taken to be a liability simply
because we do not see their contributions. What for example is Buddha doing? “Sitting
under a tree and doing nothing” is hard to understand. It is easy to understand
contributions of a mother Theresa, but it is hard to understand the contributions of
Mahavira who is walking naked in a forest begging for his food. But, at a deeper level,
Buddha and Mahavira have been contributing much more than somebody spending his or
her lifetime in the service of poor. Buddha goes on to say that you can really do service
only when you have known yourself. And this is hard for us to comprehend.
Let us take up the issue of karma sanyas. The truth of karma sanyas is based on the
realization of the fact that the usual mundane karma ultimately leads to nowhere. The
person can see that by building a house, getting married, having children and gathering
belongings has taken him nowhere towards the realization of his self (Atma) and the
parmatma. You keep coming back and getting entangled in the same rut and at the end,
you carry the garbage of bodily experience, the samskara, only to return back to start all
over again. This realization drives you towards the Sanyas from this routine mundane
Karma. It is a result of certain kind of awakening. The awakening is similar to drawing a
line in water. No mark is left in the water. The line is obliterated the moment the hand
that draws the line moves forward. In reality whatever we do is nothing more than
drawing line in the water as far as existence is concerned. All our actions in the past, in
this life and previous lives, have not taken us anywhere. It is the awareness that actions
do not take you anywhere that leads to the sanyas from karma. It appears that the person
has renunciated, it appears that the person has stopped working. But in fact the actions
have dropped from such a person. Even this person eats, drinks and walks. The
difference is in the quality and the status of the subject behind. He is the awakened one.
He does not engage in the same kind of karma. We do karma for ourselves where as the
awakened one engages in any karma for others out of compassion. Mahavir lives on, not
because he has any clinging to life, but because the universe wants him to live. He in fact
used to put conditions to his living and the whole existence used to meet those
requirements. He worked even on the animals to get them further in the search of truth.
There are sayings that animals used to come to him in his teachings. This is a result of
compassion, the karma flowing out of his being for the benefit of the existence.
Let me say it again. Sakam karma is not selfish action, nishkam karma is not selfless
action and karma sanyas does not mean doing nothing. Sakam karma is not always bad,
nishkam karma is not limited to not expecting results and destiny is not absolute. We
shall get back to our discussion of Gita shlokas from the next column.
Karma Yoga: Common Terminologies

The whole gist of life centers on karma. The virtual currency unit in the virtual bank of
Samskara is karma. A man is born with certain Samskaras; his past pushes him towards
doing certain karmas and these karmas are then deposited in the virtual account. The
process continues. What is the way out? How do you reach a zero balance? The first
thing that must be understood is that no one lives without doing karma. Karma is not
optional. Once born, we have to perform karma.
In common terms karma means sakam karma. We really do not understand pure karma
and that is one reason why Krishna or any one else uses the word nishkam karma; we can
only understand karma relative to kamana (desires). The key formula for understanding
of karma is given below.
Karma (nishkam) plus kamana (desires/expectations) = sakam karma
Vital functions
A child is born. The first thing he or she does is to cry, the cry expands the lungs and then
on it breathes and does its karma. One can choose what karma to do but one cannot
choose not to do karma. Arjuna has the choice to fight or not to fight but by not fighting
he cannot escape from karma. However, most of the vital work (karma) is not left to the
individual. The body breathes. This breathing is not left to the choice. If it were left to
human choice, the person might forget to breath, or may just not want to breathe. Several
such vital actions are not optional. The beating of the heart is not your choice. If you do
yoga you may be able to control your breathing or heart but in doing so you have
developed the integrity and the wisdom not to interfere in the nature’s process. Our
karmas that are left unto us are really not that important for the universe. It may be very
important for us but for the existence it is totally immaterial.
The Destiny
In our last column, “Be happy for 24 hours,” we examined a small aspect of nishkam
karma. We talked about accepting any result as our expected result and how this saves
wasted energy and makes it available to us to act. We had known this technique in India
for a long time. We called it destiny or fate. Whenever anything good or bad happens in
our life we explain it or accept it as our fate. And this has also caused us harm because
we forgot the reason why this was used to start with. It is a good technique for people to
conserve energy from getting into frustrations and complaints of life and it should not be
used as an excuse to become lazy. Everything is due to what is written in my destiny so
why should I work? What we do does have something to do with what result we are
going to get. It may not be in our control but results will not happen if we do not act (do
karma).
Sakam Karma
All of us are familiar with this karma. Most of us live and die performing sakam karma.
The desire starts at the mun-indriya-vasana complex, the buddhi helps and finds ways
achive the desires and then we act accordingly. The beginning is at the periphery and the
results are also there at the periphery. Every act is associated with expectation of a result.
And when we do not get what we want, frustrations arise. We end us being unhappy and
waste a lot of energy being grumpy and complaining. We do another karma and the same
cycle follows. This continues throughout our lives until we die. There is a lot of
unfinished desires left at the time of our death (samskaras) and we come back to
complete those unfinished acts. And the cycle of sakam karma continues.
Most desire and result oriented karma are done to achieve happiness, but in the end the
happiness seems to be eluded all the time. Happiness in desire/result-oriented karma is
always in the future. The present is unhappy. The happiness is in the future. So the
question arises. If you have to do karma and every time you perform karma it is deposited
in the Samskara virtual account, how can you ever achieve the zero balance?
Karma Sanyas
The truth of karma sanyas is based on the realization that the usual mundane karma
ultimately leads to nowhere. The person can see that by building a house, getting married,
having children and gathering belongings has taken him nowhere towards the realization
of his self (Atma) and the parmatma. We keep coming back and getting entangled in the
same rut and at the end, we carry the garbage of bodily experience, the samskara, only to
return back to start all over again. This realization may drive some of us towards the
Sanyas from this routine mundane Karma. It is a result of certain kind of awakening.
A man may drop doing mundane karma as an escape from the world or it may be because
of the desire of getting to Parmatma. The desire may still be there.
Sakam Karma – mundane karma = karma sanyas (the desire is still there)
On the other hand karma sanyas of Buddha or Mahavira has a different quality and can be
expressed as:
Nishkam karma – mundane karma = karma sanyas
Nishkam Karma
The question Krishna is raising is as to why leave doing mundane karma? Why not drop
the root cause, the desires and the expectations (kamana). The bottom line is kamana. It is
difficult for us to imagine how any karma can be done without kamana. We have learned
and taught that we should be ambitious, we should be competitive and we should
succeed. All these are rooted in kamana.
We should understand this well. If we attempt to get into nishkam karma without fully
understanding the details, we may do a lot of harm to our society. This can become a
technique to justify all our failures. Krishna has outlined the subject of nishkam karma to
make Arjuna achieve the peak of success; we have used it to justify all our failures. The
basic understanding of nishkam karma lies in the principle that once kamana is dropped
pure karma arises from inside of the individual. Karma then becomes an overflowing of
an individual’s energy and this is pure karma. Kamana restricts from doing this pure
karma. Since we do not understand pure karma, it has been termed nishkam karma
(relative to kamana).
Tulsidas wrote the Ramayana. He was asked as to why did he write the Ramayana. He
said:
Swantah sukhaya Tulasi Raghunath gatha.
(I wrote the story of Rama for my shear pleasure.)
Swantah sukhaya cannot be really translated into ‘my shear pleasure.’ It still sounds
as if there was a desire of getting pleasure. But that is the problem of language.
Ramayana was an overflow of inner energy of Tulsidas and that outflow is pleasant.
And Tulsidas simply admits that.
Let us try to understand the movements of karma (karma ki gati) in future columns
through the exploration of the songs of Krishna (the Bhagavadgita). Nishkam karma
or pure karma can flow out of all of us. That outflow is always positive and is always
pleasant.
Results: Expect, Not expect or Accept
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These are some questions based on our last column, “Efficient Working:
Karmasu Kaushalam(2:50-51).”
Please send your questions or comments to………………………… We will try

to answer selected ones.
Question 1.
Vinay Agarwala wrote: - Before engaging in any action one obviously has an intention
to accomplish something. One then plans one's action so the intended outcome is
achieved. This is where the skill comes in. Once the action is planned one simply follows
the plan without worrying about the results. If the planning were good, the intended
outcome would be there.
Answer:
This is a great question because it really deals with our practical life. This sounds so
simple. Plan, execute (do karma) and then do not worry about the result. And I might
agree with that as well. But, it is not that simple. Krishna has made a comment in gita
later that the ‘gati (movements) of Karma is gahan (complex).’ The movements of
‘karma to result’ are not always linear in real life.
Don’t worry about the result is used quite commonly and its use has become similar to
‘don’t worry, be happy.’ Just by saying ‘don’t worry,’ the worry does not disappear.
Similarly, as a doctor I tell patients not to get tensed up (and relax). But, this does not
work. “Don’t worry about the results” has become like a slogan and nothing more than
that. Expectation is normal. When we say not to expect a result, what result are we
talking about? The result can be an expected result, unexpected result and an un-
expectable result.
Planning needs a clear mind. The conditioning of moha normally clouds mind. Once
moha is dropped then clarity sets in and one can plan with a decisive mind. That much,
although not very simple can be comprehended. Then comes the karma. The result is not
that simple.
The whole progress is not linear. Examples help. We had a family vacation in St.
Thomas. All of us had a great time. We returned home. We were all tired. When we
came home we found out that there had been a fire in our house. Our neighbor
fortunately noticed smoke early, and called the fire brigade. The house was there but
there was a lot of smoke damage. This result was unexpected. We did not expect this
result. Does it mean that it was ‘nishkam karma’ on our part? Most of us will agree that
it doe not. Every one has this kind of example in their life.
Now let us look at what happened on 9/11. Two jet liners fully laden with fuel slammed
in to the twin towers of world trade center (WTC). We all know what happened next.
Recently, train was set ablaze in the town of Godhra. These results were to my
understanding un-expectable. What happened could not have been imagined or
predicted.
The purists of karma yoga will say that whatever happens has a karma behind it. The
karma might not be obvious and it may not relate to this life only. Whatever be the truth,
one thing is clear; Karma to result is not a linear or even circular relationship. Karma to
result most likely is a chaotic movement and is not always predictable.
And that is why I find ‘accepting the result as it comes’ a better way of understanding
Krishna’s views in these shlokas. There is no other choice any way. This acceptance,
when looked closely, is based on total trust in the existence. That is why we have a
saying that ‘whatever Parmatma does is right.’ Wrong does not happen in existence. The
result to many can be acceptable or unacceptable. When it is not accepted, tensions arise.
And, that may even lead to illnesses. Arjuna is in a state of shock. He cannot accept the
fact that he has to fight for real and kill people who have been so close to him. And this
brings in the next question, “Accept and then what.”
Question 2.
Natalia Gruscha from Finland writes: I like your attitude on life. You take
whatever comes to you and stay content. How do you deal with the feeling
that you could be better? Or do you ever feel like that?
Answer:
Natalia points out to the fact that ‘accepting and staying put’ will
lead us to stagnation. And I would agree with that. But Krishna does
not say that you should stay put. Accepting the result as it comes is
the first part. Once you accept it, then comes the next part of a
proper response.
What happens if we do not accept the result? We get frustrated and

angry. How can our mind be clear for an appropriate response in such a
situation? The intellect is covered with the emotions arising from not
accepting the result. A clear mind is required for any response. The
response can be proper only if the mind is clear, as we learned in the
earlier part of Buddhi yoga.
So, when I propose that we should accept the result, I mean to say that
accepting the result as it comes helps us get to a proper response. And
without a proper response, there is no chance to become better.
Q 3 From Nata as well
I realized today that I'm slowly sliding towards misery. Lately I

have been giving up things so fast - tea, chocolate, sugar - because
I have this continuous complain inside of me that says I should do
more. All the time, little by little it starts to feel it is not
possible for me to live happily in this society if I don't stop being
so strict. The seed of fear has started to grow in my heart, and I
need to do something about this. Now.
Do you ever have this kind of problems? What to do when your self-
esteem is based on self-discipline and you can't go any further in it?
Answer:
We all have had this trouble. My wife and me have these differences
too. She believes that we must be dissatisfied to proceed further.
If we are fully content, there will be no desire or ambition to
proceed. The second point you bring in is the point of goodness. We
all want to be good in our own moral rights and values. Both of them
in my view are related.
A moralist person (like Mahatma Gandhi) believes in imposing goodness

on mankind. And there is nothing wrong in that. But, if the self-
discipline is not that good, such a man is always behind schedule.
He/she is never perfect, because perfection is not possible.
A Dharmik person (e.g. Krishna) has total trust in existence. He

believes in spontaneous overflow of energy that has to be translated
in work (karma). And, we then are not limited by our own limited
desires. Such a person is capable of much more than he can imagine.
Look at people like Vivekananda, Prabhupaad, and the like. They seem to
have unlimited energy and cross the human boundary of achievements.
And therein lies the secret of achieving great heights that we cannot
even dream ourselves. If we drop our desires we suddenly open up to
the desires of the existence (say Krishna) and all the energy that
was not available to us becomes available. Competition is limited by
the capabilities of the opponent, excellence is limited by our own
capabilities, surrender to Parmatma or Krishna (total trust in
existence) is only limited (if at all) by the capabilities of the
beyond.
Parampara
To understand why we seem to not understand very well our culture, samskara, Dharma
etc. it is important to understand the concept of parampara, what we can learn from from
parampara, and how a disconnect in parampara can be disastrous for the civilization.
This is why people in India like to remember a series of past generations of an individual.
In many families the whole series of ancestry was and to some extent even today is more
important than the individual living today. Rameshwar comes from the family of
Satishwar who was a saint….Rameshwar has to have an element of sainthood because
Satishwar was a saint and his forefathers were all saintly people. It is as if a flow, a
continuum of Satishwar that is flowing through Rameshwar. It is very important to grasp
this point before we get any further with any kind of Samskara. As if the river Ganga
originates from Gangotri…It flows…all its white waters…a melody… a music and the
name changes to Alaknanda…and it flows there is a continuity, there is the same essence,
the same melody, the same purity…Just the name is different. It flows to Haridwar, via
Varanasi, other rivers and riverlets join in …but the same Ganga flowas with the essence
in continuity. It has covered distance in space and time, it has changed in quality and
quantity. But its reverence has remained the same.
Parmeshwar to Satishwara to Rameshwara…the flow of santliness has continued.

Krishna has described it beautifully in Bhagwadgita in the 4th Adhyaya (chapter) when he
mentions about:
Ewam paramparpraptmimam rajaryayo viduh

sa kalenneh mahatta yogo nashtah parantap
He is talking about a method of knowing and calls it knowing by parampara. Arjun is an

intellectual. He has been through the education system of the time and was the best at the
time. Krishna is not only dealing with the best-educated person of the time but also with
a brave heart of the time who also happens to be his sakha (friend). And to him he says
that there is another method of learning that seems to have been lost. In the preceding
shloka he has said that he told this yoga to Sun. Knowing that he is talking to Arjuna he
says in this shloka that there is another method of learning. Learning by parampara.
What is the meaning of parampara. In fact there is no word in English that can explain
what is the meaning of parampara. Parampara is more like a continum or a flow as
described above. It is not the same as tradition. It is not learning by reading the shastras,
it is not part of learning as you grow; it is a flowing. This knowing by parampara is a
flow.
The knowledge Krishna is talking about is of a different nature, a higher nature. There
are other knowings by parampara. Purohits in our villages mostly learned by parampara.
There was no school of purohits then. It just flowed through a system. For thousands of
years people in India have poured their entire energy for the search of truth. You can
visibly see the flow of Ganga. Ganga is not an ordinary river, its flow was not just
melting of the glaciers, it is not a random phenomenon. It is alchemy; it is science of a
kind, which we have not mastered yet. For a simple fact that Ganga water is always fresh
no matter how many years it has been bottled in is one parameter you can see for
yourself. There is another flow that permeates through India and that is the very essence
of India. India is an eternal journey, a path of nectar, stretching from eternity to eternity.
The Ramas, Krishna, the Budhas, the Mahavirs, Kabirs, Nanaks and many others have all
contributed to this flow of nectar, which forms the very essence of India. This is why we
never wrote a history. Some of these events are beyond time and space. It is a
continuum. And then there is the esoteric history, which is so very difficult to
authenticate. For example it is not an accident that 22 out of the 24 Jaina Tirthankaras
went to die on the same mountain the Samved Shikhar. The gap between the first
tirthankara Adinath and the last one is thousands of years. But they all went to leave their
bodies at the same peak. The namokar mantras developed by Mahavira may appear
simple spoken words but they were developed with a specific goal and for a specific
purpose. How can you really incorporate all this in a written history? That is why the
emphasis of the flow, the learning by parampara, the learning by shruti. What happened
to this flow? What happened to this learning by parampara. What has happened to the
Samskaras, the samskaras as mentioned earlier represents this flow, which is truly beyond
time and space and also represents the sacrements, which appear to be bound in time and
space
In Krishna’s time part of this was lost, the part that Krishna has touched in Gita. In the
present time It seems that most of it is lost. The flow seems to have been interrupted.
Maithili Sharan Gupta raises the same point when he says:
Ham kaun the kya ho gaye aur kya honge abhi.
This is a concern shared by most people. We have to remember and remind others that
the destiny of India is the destiny of the whole humanity - because of the way we have
refined human consciousness, because of the lamps we have lit within man, because of
the flowers we have cultivated in man and because of the fragrance it can produce in
man. Nowhere else in the world has this been done. It has been ten thousand years of
ceaseless perseverance, of ceaseless yoga and incessant meditation. And for the sake of
this we have lost everything else. But, even in the darkest nights of man, we have kept
this lamp of human consciousness burning. No matter how dim the flame may have
become, the lamp still burns. The lamp is burning.
Hindus knew a lot of things - it would be surprising if they did not, having been
on a religious quest for thousands of years. For over ten thousand years most of their
most intelligent and wisest people have devoted their lives to the same end - the search of
the ultimate, the search of truth. They were possessed with the only desire of knowing
the truth hidden behind the existence, to see that which is invisible. They wanted to
encounter that which is formless. It would be really amazing if such people did not know
anything after having single-mindedly dedicated all their intelligence and energy to the
single quest, and that too for over ten thousand years. They developed the science of
yoga, tantra, mantras, and meditations. One book Vigyan Bhairva Tantra describes 108
techniques.
But, during the last 200 years certain very disturbing events happened. It is worth
understanding and taking serious note of this. There have been hundreds of foreign
invasions on India in the last several years, but no invader could ever attack the vital core.
Some invaders looked for wealth, some occupied land, and others captured palaces and
forts. But, none could touch the core (interiority) of India - the attention of invaders was
not drawn towards it. Then for the first time attacks were made on this vital core of
India, on the interiority of India when the western civilization invaded India. The easiest
way to attack it was to disconnect the country from its long history and to destroy the
past. A gap was created between the people and their history. In this way people became
uprooted and powerless. Suddenly the learning by parampara was interrupted. The flow
was obstructed.
If western civilization were to be destroyed today, there would be no need to

destroy its buildings, its cinemas or its theaters. If just the top ten universities were
destroyed the whole western culture would disappear. The western civilization would
slowly die and become lost. The real basis of all cultures is its sources of knowledge.
The roots of a civilization are in its long chain of knowledge…it is in the knowing by
parampara, it is in the flow of knowledge that passes from generation to generation
without any conscious awareness about it. Let me give an example. Their father sent
two brothers from a family in India to a Convent school. The family was a large family
and the two brothers used to touch the feet of their father each morning…before they
went to the boarding school. The father decided to visit the sons in their school and went
there. The two brothers came to see their father and happily said hello to their father.
The father simply asked the sons to pack up and go with him back to home. The sons
were surprised and did not even know what has happened, what went wrong. The father
remarked, Sons, “I sent you to this school to learn what is new, not to forget what you
knew.” But, there are many fathers who will be proud when their son will say hello to
them. What is in touching the feet? Very few know that it is not just a custom. It was a
science of energy transfer. It developed as a science whereby father or a guru could
transfer energy to the one touching the feet by touching on their head. This was part of
the technology of shaktipat. On the other hand, It will be interesting to know how hand
shaking developed in the west. It was a way to ascertain that the person coming to meet
you is not hiding a weapon in his hand. The first method of is product of trust while the
other one is a product of distrust.
If the history of just two generations were taken away, a country would become
cut off from all possibilities of further progress. That is the difference between human
beings and animals. Animals are not able to make progress because they do not have
schools. They do not have any way to transfer knowledge from older generation to the
new generation. At its birth an animal begins life right from where its father began, and
its offspring will do the same. The human being through education can help his child’s
life begin from where he left off. So there is a continuity of knowledge. All human
progress depends upon transfer of accumulated knowledge from generation to generation.
If you visit Mexico and see the ruins of Mayan civilization, you will be
astounded. They rose to fame around 900 AD. Now there is not more than 3.5 million
Mayans in the world. They do not know how their civilization lost the glory. They are
known to be an intelligent race, they built several beautiful structures including pyramids.
Their pyramids are present as far as in St. Louis, Missourie in the USA. The parampara
is lost, there is disconnect between their past and the people. They are now made to
believe that they were primitive culture that used make human sacrifices to rain god for
every little trivia. They have ruins of this ball game that can only be hit using feet,
elbows and waist, but again they have been made to believe that the loosing team captain
had to be sacrificed after the match. Not only did they loose the parampara of their own
history, their history has been distorted to make them look inferior and primitive. In one
centel (water pond) in Chichnetza one Christian priest went and postulated that children
were sacrificed in that well by Mayans. That is the truth now. Every one else has to
prove otherwise. Several divers have been inside the well and none found remains of
children. But, then there are theories of what might have happened and why there are no
bones of children. No body asks why the certain priest thought that children were
sacrificed.
Just imagine if for twenty years all adults decided not to teach anything to their
children. It would not just be loss of twenty years worth of knowledge but all the
knowledge collected over ten thousand years could be lost. And such a loss could not be
made up for in the next twenty years. Several decades will take to make up the gap,
because of the discontinuity created in the accumulation of the knowledge.
In this way, those two hundred years of British dominance in India created
a great gap. Most of its links with the ancient knowledge and wisdom were broken, and
it had to establish an identity with a totally new and alien civilization with which its older
civilization had no relationship. Indians think that theirs is a very old civilization.
However, they are mistaken, they are only two hundred years old. The British in some
sense are now far older a community than Indians. The education imparted by McCauley
system has controlled many of our minds. That which the West chose to give India is its
knowledge. Whatever India knew before 200 years ago was lost in one stroke.
When the threads of a branch of knowledge are lost, people seem just like
ignorant fools. If you go out now with tika on your forehead, and someone asks you why
you are wearing it, you will feel ashamed because you have no good answer. So,
applying a tika cheerfully is difficult these days. Of course a simpleton can do it. He has
no fear of others. But he is doing it not because he knows its purpose but because he
thinks it is the thing to do.
When the links of real knowledge are broken, the outward symbols of it become
difficult to carry. Then, a certain tragedy is bound to result. Those with intelligence keep
away. And a traditional knowledge remains meaningful only as long as intelligent people
are involved it. It is interesting to see that whenever such a misfortune overwhelms a
civilization, whenever it looses its connection with the past knowledge, the intellectuals
drift away from it because they do not like to look foolish. And the ignorant masses try
to preserve the symbols and follow the rituals. The symbols and rituals continue for
some time and unless revived die a natural death. It often happens that a valuable
heritage is preserved by ignorant and backward looking people and the people who claim
to understand disappear at the first opportunity.
If India wants to restore the broken links with the past, people will have to look at
every ritual and sacraments that is being performed by the so called ignorant and illiterate
masses. What they are doing is not without any reason. Their outward symbols are
linked with the past of twenty thousand years. Some day we will have to thank them for
at least having saved the symbols of that knowledge- symbols on which research can be
done. Only by doing the research in to these things can we revive and give new life to
the deep understanding that grew over a period of twenty thousand years. Then we will
be surprised how suicidal we have been
So, How do we get there? What can we do to find the links that we have lost? I
do not know the full answer but one thing is sure that we can make efforts. I feel that
small steps have to be taken first, small steps taken by a large number of people and this
has to be continued. I shall give some of my ideas here, but there are many such steps
that are out there for us to take.
First of all we ought to bring spirituality to our life. When I say that let Gita
descend in our lives, I do not mean let hindu Gita descend in our life. On the contrary, I
mean let the essence of Gita, which has no ism, descend in our lives. Spirituality can
happen to the right body, so make it healthy and sound. Right mind is necessary and that
requires right education. Education system can have curriculums to teach yoga,
meditation and the lot. But, before these changes can happen, you and me can start
packing a Gita or any such book in our luggage when we travel. The rest will follow.
Just start being aware that Gita is an essential part of travel, as essential or even more so
than the toiletry bag. These simple steps will create the right emotions (bhavana) in our
lives. We can spread friendliness, happiness and compassion in and around us. But, all
this will happen only after taking some basic simple steps.
The next step I feel is the step of being adventurous and being outrageous at times
in our live. There is a hill besides where you are. Climb it. There does not need to be
purpose. Spiritualism is the ultimate adventure and it does create outrageous people,
outrageous not in the sense of creating a terrorist, but a revolutionary like of Krishna. Let
us try to expend our energy in such adventures. When we were in medical school, a
group of us used to go in the medical college and Engineering College campus to do
meditation. I always felt what others might be thinking. But, today I know that the
hesitation was more inside me that what was out there. I commonly hear people say that
they do not have time for meditation or it is not yet time for them to do it, they will do it
when they are older. In my view, there is always time to do meditation. Meditation can
be done while traveling in a train or on a bus. If you are flying and have a wait in
connection, I do not see why you cannot sit on the airport and meditate. As far as waiting
to be old to do meditation, there is no chance. It is like saying that I will practice
Brahmacharya when I am 90 years old. No, then there is no energy flowing that can be
transformed into something divine.
Let me thank the India Post and the team for letting me share all this with you.
The whole effort of my writing is to try to take you and me from words to no-words.
That is what Krishna means when he says that there is something beyond the words of
Vedas. It is so contradictory. The journey is from words to no-words, from effort to no
effort, and from stasang (attachment) to nissang (non-attachment). Some of us say that I
am waiting for the right Guru and the right technique. J Krishnamurthy will say that no
technique is necessary. But, nobody has ever reached without any technique or effort.
Gautam the Buddha, after leaving his Palace, tried every possible technique that was
thrown at him but he achieved when he was sitting under the Bodhi tree doing nothing.
Many of us believe that moksha or mukti is the end goal, but to me it is far from
truth. It is just the beginning, because it is only after reaching there that there is any
possibility of finding the lost links. All who got enlightened have spent the rest of their
times in spreading their message. They did not stop working once they got their moksha.
And we have to take cue and lead from them. We have to start with small steps. We
have to look up to the stars of enlightened people like Ramakrishna, Maharshi Raman,
Vivekananda, Maharshi Aurovindo, Mehar Baba, J. Krishnamurthi , Osho and the likes.
There is something in what they have to say and we ought to listen to that.
The search from words to no-words, effort to no effort, technique to no technique
ends in knowing ourselves and then and then only can we find the links to the lost
Parampara. We all have to take the sankalp and start the journey. And let me tell you
that once you start the journey the divine forces work with you. Life has less obstacles,
you are luckier than the rest, you are more effective, you are more successful and more
you are more attractive. The quality of life changes completely and it changes for the
better. We shall continue the Gita from where we left off in the next column.
A technique for non-attachment
Gita has a simple beginning. Simplicity is the hallmark of Gita. No conditions are
attached. No high sounding sermons appear. Gita happened at the time of Mahabharata
war. The book starts with a simple question, a simple request, and a simple desire.
Krishna has been scientific, methodical and very practical. There is great depth in Gita,
but it is obtained and attained by simple conversations. And there is a flow in Gita as
well. One has to open the heart and let Gita flow. And when Shankaracharya felt this
depth and flow his heart sang in ecstasy:
Satsangatve nissangatvam
Bhaj Govindam, Bhaj Govindam

Govindam bhaj, murha matey
Sampraptey Sannihitey Kaley
Na Hi Na Hi rakshati duukrina karane (1)

Satsangatvey nissangatvam
Nissangatvey nirmohatvam
nirmohatvey nischaltattvam
nischaltattvey jeevanmuktih (9)

Bhaj Govindam.....

Bhagavadgita kinchitdheeta
Ganga jalaalvakaanikaa peeta
Saakridaapi yeena muuraarisamaarcha
Kriyatey tamya yameyna na charcha (20)
Shankara here has give clues that form the four steps to Samaadhi or say enlightenment.
It forms simple yet definitive steps. Many Gurus and spiritual masters teach to us that
desire (moha) should be dropped and there are zillions of people trying to practice
‘dropping of the desires.’
Shankara knows better. And this is Krishna’s approach in Gita as well. Moha or desire
is not like a cricket ball that you catch or drop. It is more like a habit or addiction.
J Krishnamurthy calls it conditioning. No body has quit smoking by throwing a
packet of cigarette. The individual when ready to quit, throws the packets of cigarette,
but only when the individual changes that this happens. Similarly no body quits drinking
by breaking a bottle of Johny Walker whiskey. Again, once the changes in the individual
happen, he is ready to throw away the bottles. The change to get rid of a habit or
addiction has to happen at the level of the personality and outlook of the individual
concerned.
Shankara therefore starts at the level of an individual and emphasizes the importance of
satsang as the starting point. Satsang is similar to right company. We all know that for
advancement of our career we need the right company. I as a urologist go to urological
conferences and socialize with other urologists. We listen to talks and interact. We come
back to our towns and apply that knowledge in our practice. There are conferences in
every topic around the country and people come for developing better understanding in
their field of interest. There is no reason to get attached or hooked to these conferences;
there is no need to get attached to these conventions.
Similarly, in the field of spiritualism satsang should lead to nissang (anasakti or non-
attachment). This is so significant and is worth pondering over. Basically, Shankara here
is defining what satsang is. Any company that leads to non-attachment is satsang.
Conversely, if it does not lead to non-attachment, then it is not a satsang. This is
immensely helpful in finding the right Guru. This is just one simple formula. If a Guru
tries to bind you down and is producing attachment, he is not the right Guru. A Guru
who is simply pointing his fingers to the direction you should go and is showing you the
path to non-attachment (anasakti or nissang) is the right Guru for you or me.
What is satsang and how does it work? And the missing link is awareness. The guru or
the right company encourages you or me to bring awareness to our lives. This company
of awareness is ultimately the right company or the true satsang. The awareness that
‘every action occurs at the periphery and nothing happens at the center’ is the starting
point. And then, by and by, it becomes obvious that the natural state of being is non-
attachment. There is never a connection between me the center and I the periphery. And
this realization is the realization of anasakti or non-attachment.
Krishna does talk about abhyas (practice) yoga and he lays a lot of emphasis on this yoga.
But we have to know what we have to practice. We cannot and should not try to practice
non-attachment, because it is not an acquired phenomenon; non-attachment is our default
status, it is the natural state of being. All we have to do is realize it. But practice is
required and the practice is required in bringing our awareness to it. The mind
likes to get attached to the periphery and keep us busy there. Practice is needed in
bringing it to the center and keeping it there. Acts will still continue, but will continue
with awareness. All techniques of meditation and all modes of satsang try to make this
happen. And once this becomes the steady state, it becomes hard to get attached or
detached.
It is also important to realize that both attachment and detachment happen at the
periphery and that effort is needed for both. To come close to some one needs effort and
similarly effort is needed to hate some one as well. Non-attachment does not require an
effort; it is simply realization of our natural state of being. And once it happens, it
produces qualitative changes in life. There may not be any changes obvious to some one
watching from outside. Krishna still eats food and drinks water. He still plays tricks like
any one else, but there is qualitative difference in him and someone else doing the same
thing. Krishna is established in the center, and all acts for him are happening at the
periphery. There is no possibility of any attachment.
Satsang leads to non-attachment and in simple terms satsang is living life with awareness;
satsang is spending time with the center and watching the actions at the periphery as a
witness. Any company that promotes this to happen is the right company. We will
examine how non-attachment leads to dropping of desires in the next column.
Shankaracharya truly has taken the gist of Gita and put it in a formula for us here and it is
worth spending some time on understanding these gems of Bhaj Govindam.
Two steps to dropping Moha (desire complex)
nischaltattvey jeevanmuktih
Bhaj Govindam (9)
We examined in our last column how satsang can lead to non-attachment (nissang or
anasakti). Awareness is the key. Shankaracharya then says that nissang or non-
attachment leads to dopping of moha (let us call it desire-complex) Let us try to
understand this part today.
What is the starting point for attachment and how does it progress? Krishna has dealt
with it in much more detail in verses (shlokas) to come but let us try to keep it simple
here today. What brings on attachment? The link is the thoughts. You are walking
along and see a beautiful girl standing by the roadside dressed in a bikini. She is just
waiting for a bus. You look at her and that look is no different than looking at a flower
blooming or a river flowing. But, then a thought goes by in your mind. The thought may
be whatever but this is the first step to attachment. The thought says that she is beautiful.
It may be a very simple and benign thought and it may be true as well. Now you are
identified with this simple and benign thought that this girl is beautiful. The next thought
comes in and that is ‘why not try to make a contact.’ The cascade of thoughts starts and
before you know it your desires are catching roots. You are now drunk and intoxicated
with the thought that you want her at any and all costs. This is moha (desire comples) at
its peak. What happens next is a discussion for another column. But for now let us
understand that this moha clouds the judgment overshadows the intellect. Clarity is
lost. If there is obstacle in achieving this desire, anger and frustrations follow.
We examined in our last column the similarity of alcohol intoxication with the
intoxication of moha. Let us try to take it a little further. The thought comes to the mind
that why not have a glass of wine. A glass of red wine a day after all prevents heart
disease. So far this thought is benign and is for a good reason. I get identified with the
thought and get a bottle of chardonnay. I get a company and we are having fun. The
wine in the bottle disappears and we get another one and then another one and so on. The
mind is clouded and judgment is impaired but we go on drinking. Suddenly the alcohol
has taken over. Now, I drink everyday and who cares about where the money comes
from and who suffers because of it. Of course this leads to physical illness and what not.
We all know the drawbacks of an alcoholic.
But an alcoholic does not understand it. He is confident that he can drive home and can
drive with arrogance. There is fog outside and this drunken person is driving with his
confidence. And it will be a miracle if he does not meet with an accident. This is so
clear to all of us. And it is clear because most of us are not living a life of an alcoholic.
But, if we were to live in a society of drunken people, these alcoholics will judge our
normalcy. They will conduct a research. Ten non-drunk persons have to drive on the
road where everyone else is drunk. And then the incidence of accidents will be
compared. We all know what the research will show. There probably will be no
statistical difference.
That is what is happening in our lives every day. We are all living intoxicated with this
moha. We are all walking with a little anger, a little jealousy and a little frustration in our
life arising out of our deep-rooted desires. There have been a few awakened ones like
Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Shankaracharya, Osho and others in our lives. They have
been trying to shape us up, but we instead have been putting them on our pedestals and
judging from the accident rates on our parameters. We can measure body temperatures by
thermometers. I wish we had an instrument to measure our intoxicated states that we live
in. I went to India once from England. My son was only 2-3 years old and he could not
remember the name of one my cousin brothers. He started calling him angry-face-uncle.
All of us carry some burden around and that reflects in our faces. Perhaps, all children
notice these faces, but most keep quiet because they have to be politically correct to
survive.
Even when we are drunk by alcohol or intoxicated by moha (desire complex), there is
still a little awareness that can be touched by us or these awakened people. They can
shake us and tell us some techniques. And, Shakara here gives us this beautiful yet
simple technique of four steps to samadhi. He tells us to start from the starting point of
attachment, the thoughts. Just become aware and do not get identified. Become a
witness. Bring awareness to your being. Now you are in satsang. This will lead to the
recognition that you are and you always have been non-attached. The center has never
been maligned. The atma is always untouched. The body may have suffered from the ill
effects of alcohol or that of the desire-complex, but the atma has always remained
unaffected. This recognition is great, but it is just the staring point.
Osho desciribes this technique beautifully as follows:
“The river is flowing - don't push it! There is no need. It is flowing by itself. You just wait on the bank and let it
flow. If you are courageous enough, then drop yourself in the river and flow with it. Don't swim, as swimming
means fighting - just float.”
Just let the thoughts flow. There is no need to get identified or attached to it. Become a
witness.
By and by the effects of intoxication has to disappear as well. We have realized that
alcohol was bad. There is no more drinking. But the effects of alcohol withdrawal and
what not have to go as well. The desire complex has been intoxicating us for such a long
time. It has been with us for many lives. It is not just going to disappear. Samskars help
here. And this is where practice (abhyas yoga) helps. Keeping the flame of awareness
burning works. There may be times when we fall down and go back to old habits. But,
meditation techniques of satsang will help.
The other technique to witnessing is to use the same technique of thought identification to
good thoughts. Instead of getting attached to a beautiful girl in bikini, we can get
attached to Kali Ma (Goddess Kali). And this eventually may lead to the same place of
non-attachment and dropping of the desire complex moha. This is also satsang and it
works too. Who should follow which technique will depend on their personality types.
Satsang brings the recognition of non-attachment. Awarenss to the thoughts (the first
step to attachment) is one way. Getting attached to good thoughts is another. They both
when practiced over time lead to dropping of moha (desire complex). And dropping of
moha for the first time leads to clarity of mind (nischhal tatva). We shall examine the
next line of Shankara, “Nirmohatvey nischaltatvam” in our next column.
Three steps to decisiveness
nischaltattvey jeevanmuktih.
|| Bhaj Govindam (9)||
We have already discussed two of the four steps to samadhi before. The first is non-
attachment and is the beginning. The key to attachment is thoughts and the key to non-
attachment is awareness to these thoughts. Once we get identified with the thought
process, the attachment begins. Detachment also begins with thoughts; it is a sort of
reverse attachment. Becoming a witness to the thoughts, doing what Buddha calls and
Goenka teaches today as Vipassana, leads by and by to non-attachment. There are
several such techniques and can be grouped in one word as meditation. Shankaracharya
calls any such technique that leads to non-attachment as satsang.
Attachment and detachment both lead to moha (call it deep attachment or call it desire
complex). The person gets intoxicated with this moha. We are all walking around with a
little anger, a little hatred, a little jealousy and a little frustration. It is our usual state of
being. On the surface we may look calm but the anger is simmering underneath waiting
to erupt. All it needs a stimulus. We all need varying degree of stimulus and are more
than ready to explode. Most of the times the explosion or eruption is not in our control.
It just happens. Being aware of these states about us is the starting point of moving
towards dropping of the moha (desire-complex). It happens slowly. By and by it is not
difficult to realize that the problem is inside us and not outside in the stimulus. I am not
angry because my secretary did not do what I said, I am angry because anger is inside
me. This does not mean that I will worship the secretary. If the secretary does not do
what is in her job description, appropriate action will need to be taken, but anger will not
have a place in that decision-making.
When we are under the effect of moha, our intellect is divided. The intellect or buddhi is
pulled apart in different directions by different self-interest desires. The son wants one
thing, the daughter another and the wife has her own expectations. And I have to meet all
of those at the same time. It is like a session in the Indian Parliament. Many times the
session has to be halted and postponed, because one desire makes so much noise.
Shankara here says that once the moha is dropped then one gets to nischaltattva. This is
what Krishna calls ek-buddhi. The person who reaches this state has also been termed
sthitapragya or yogi by Krishna. And as far as I can see this part of Krishna or
Shankara has not been fully comprehended. If these aspects were understood then
no body would have ever called eastern thinking as negative.
We usually skip this step number three in our spiritual understanding. Once moha
is dropped we jump to the last step of jeevan mukti or samaadhi. In my mind we
have just become free of intoxication. We just have come out of an intensive treatment
of our alcohol problem. The conditioning has just been shaken off. Now we have to for
the first time enjoy life as a free person. And such a person for the first time can be
decisive. He has reached to this ek-buddhi (because there is no similar word in English, I
have used the word decisiveness or sometimes the word clarity). Then there is no fight
between right and wrong or good and bad. Right and wrong or good and bad are all
relative. Krishna, Buddha or Shankara do not do anything because it is right or wrong.
They are not eager for a seal of approval from the majority. But they all have done
karma. They have all used their intellect (buddhi). And whatever karma they do or did is
always right for the existence. It may not have been good for Duryodhana, but it was
right for the sake of Dharma. Krishna did not do it for Arjuna or Pandavas, he did it in
the interest of whole existence. If there is no personal interest, interest of whole
existence becomes your interest.
In fact it is not possible to take a wrong decision when you have no personal desires or
interest. It is almost impossible to understand how we can live without any interest or
desires. It is like living with a group of alcoholics. If everyone is drunk and life
continues, it will be impossible to imagine a life without alcohol. Anyone who will try to
live without alcohol will have severe alcohol withdrawal. And the argument will build
up as to why put someone through such a torture. Human rights questions will crop up.
But we all know that it is better to lead a life without the addiction of alcohol. Similarly,
a life without the intoxication of desire complex is better, but we cannot comprehend it
because it is not in our immediate grasp.
Life can and will continue without desires and interests. And this is a life of divine
properties. For the first time intellect is not divided. The person has centered. No
stimulus can disturb the flame. Karma flows spontaneously from such a person and
buddhi (intellect) co-operates fully and is always undivided. Clarity ensues. It is so
wonderful to be there. You can not only witness the coolness in yourself, but you can
clearly see how someone is making his whole being suffer in anger or hatred. Have you
ever really noticed others or yourself how your whole being is taken over by anger or
hatred and the whole body starts shaking. The face gets all twisted up. Is it all worth it?
If you would like to get to this nischaltattvam, start from the first step and that is,
“satsangatvey nissangatvam.” And before you know it, by and by, you will get to this
third stop, “nirmohatvey nischal-tattvam.” We shall examine the fourth step in our next
columns.
Four Steps To Samaadhi

nischaltattvey jeevanmuktih.
|| Bhaj Govindam (9)||
We have discussed the three steps before and now we are on to the fourth and final
step of samaadhi (jeevanmuktih). Once the nischaltatva or sthitapragya stage is
reached the fourth is a natural outcome. All effort has to drop here because this is
more a divine grace than something that we can make an effort for. Many believe
that this is the end of our goal, we all strive for getting to the samaadhi stage.
But, it is far from truth. Samaadhi, nirvana or enlightenment is not the end of our
life’s journey. In many ways this is just the beginning of life of a different kind. When
Buddha got his nirvana, he kept silent for a few days. And then he decided to share
his experience with us for our uplifting. Vivekananda got his samaadhi by the grace
of Ramakrishna, but then Ramakrishna kind of took it away from Vivekananda and
returned it to him only 3 days before his (Vivekananda’s) death. And all this was
because of Ramakrishna’s compassion for us. Vivekananda had a bigger duty of
telling us the ways, and so he did. Not every one who reaches samaadhi can spread
the message. But, this is from where the real truth can be revealed to us.
The third stage of Nischaltatva or sthitapragya (we have called it decisiveness) is an

important stage. A man, who has reached samaadhi or has become a brahmagyani
(gyanyoga), if he chooses to share his knowledge with us, has to come to this
nischaltatva level to do that. When Ramana Maharshi tells us techniques of “who am
I” he is talking from this level and not from his samaadhi level. There is actually
nothing to tell once the samaadhi is reached. All communication happens at the prior
three levels and all karma (actions) happens also at the first three levels.
It should be noted that Shankaracharya has deliberately avoided the word

karmayoga. And this is because all karma happens, as mentioned above, at the level
of attachement, moha or nischaltatva. The karma at the level of nischaltatva, where
the attachments and moha have dropped, is what Krishna calls nishkam karma.
When Krishna starts talking about Karma yoga in Gita, he actually uses the word
Buddhi-yoga and does talk about ek-buddhi, which again can be translated, to clarity
or decisiveness. A man who has reached to this stage or one who is centered is a
yogi or sthitapragya as per Krishna. He has come to the stage of nischaltattva
according to Shankara. The journey is not from Dwaita (duality) to Adwaita
(non-duality). There is a stop in between and that is ek-buddhi (clarity).
There are no doubts here; there is what we may call nirdwandwa (absence
of duality or doubts) stage of mind.
Normally we deliberate over all the possible outcomes and come to a decision.
Different interests are taken into account. All politicians think this way. They have to
consider all options. A centered person will also do that. But he can keep himself
outside of all this as well. When Arjuna and Duryodhana both come to Krishna for
help in the Mahabharata war, Krishna obliges them both. Krishna actually gives the
decision in the court of Duryodhana. Duryodhana could choose between Krishna on
one side and his whole army on the other. Duryodhana chose Krishna’s army
because Krishna had said that he would not pick up arms. It is really difficult to
differentiate between what Krishna is doing and what Duryodhana is doing. But, it is
somewhat akin to how a medical student behaves compared to an experienced
doctor. A patient, who does not know who is an experienced doctor and who is a
medical student, may get more impressed by the medical student. The student might
give more time, attention and explanation to the patient. Similarly a person acting
out from nischaltattva or sthitapragya stage may appear the same as one who is
acting out from the stage of attachment. Krishna addresses this in detail in shlokas
to come and we shall examine it with him in more detail there. We all do karma at
whatever level we are. Duryodhan fights and so does Arjuna. So, where is the
difference? Krishna is teaching Arjuna the art and science of Buddhiyoga and asks
Arjuna to arise and fight, but fight with clarity and fight with anasakti (non-
attachment) and without any moha. We shall explore all this as we go along further
in Gita. But, let us understand here that Karma-yoga and buddhi-yoga are
interrelated.
Let us recap some of the steps again. Thoughts are the beginning of attachment.
Becoming aware to thoughts is satsang. There is no need to get identified with the
traffic of thoughts. This leads to the realization of the fact that non-attachment is our
default status. Non-attachment then leads to dropping of moha (desires or let us call
it emotional attachments). The conditioning has to go as well. Awareness to the
emotions is the satsang here. It is relatively easy to become a witness to
(aware) the traffic of thoughts but is relatively harder to be a witness to the
emotions without getting identified to it. Emotions have deeper roots. But, it
is possible to get there by practice (abhyas yoga). Once moha is dropped we
get to the stage of nischaltattva. There is no conditioning left. Nothing has to be
suppressed, because this is our natural state. It is like an alcoholic who gets rid of
alcohol and its effects on his body. He is free of alcohol and its effects for the first
time and his outlook to life is then totally different.
How does a non-attached person live in this world? Anasakti or non-attachment is

not against materialism. It is against attachment to the material things. There is
nothing wrong in possessing a Rolls Royce or a Mercedes car. That is not the
point. The point is how much of possessiveness is present inside of us.
Similarly dropping of desires does not mean that there is no relationship. In fact a
non-attached person can fulfill his obligations of relations better than a person full of
desires. An attached person is more likely to react from an emotional stimulus than a
non-attached person. A non-attached person is more likely to respond appropriately
to a situation rather than react emotionally. Let us examine this by an example. A
wife is angry because the husband came late in the evening. She feels that the
husband was with another woman. The husband was late because he had a meeting
with another women. He knows that he just had a business meeting. So, when he
comes home, he becomes angry because his wife does not trust him. Arguments
break out and soon they are talking about divorce. This is a typical response of an
attached person, a person who has not dropped his desires. A non-attached person
will have a more intelligent approach, not because he wants to keep the marriage
but because he can see things more clearly.
It is not that difficult to practice some of these techniques. I really admire these four
steps to samaadhi and the importance Shankaracharya has placed on the state of
nischaltattva (sthitapragya in Gita). Although Shankara has not talked here
about Karma-Yoga, these points will help us understand the intricacies of
the karma-yoga. Karma yoga after all is intimately related to the buddhi
yoga, which is the basis of nischaltattva. We shall get back to Gita from our next
column for a more detailed understanding of these points.

Gita For Me

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INTRODUCTION 4

GITA IS A SEARCH FOR ME 6

THE BEGINNING (1:01) 11

DURYODHANA’S PERSPECTIVE (1:02-1:11) 14

DECLARATION OF WAR (1:12-1:13) 17

LET’S PLAY HARDBALL (1:14-1:19) 19

THE UNSEEN FORCES IN MAHABHARATA 22

THE UNSEEN FORCES OF MAHABHARATA (1:20-1:27): 23

ARJUNA’S PERSPECTIVE – TO KILL OR NOT TO KILL (1:28-1:39) 25

ARJUNA’S STATE OF MIND (1:40 – 1:47) 28

YOGA = CENTERIGN GROWTH 32

VISHAD-YOGA: AN ART OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT 35

RELATIVITY OF RIGHT AND WRONG (2:01-2:03) 37

IS EGO REALLY BAD? 40

EGO, IMAGE AND VALUE SYTEM (2:04-2:09) 45

DHARMA = VALUE SYSTEM OF THE MAYA-SPACE 50

MAYA=NETWORK OF EGO (2:10) 52

THE TURNING POINT (2:11) 55

SUM-BHAVA: A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS (2:14-2:15) 63

SUM-BHAVA AND APPLIED ADWAITA (2:14-2:15) 66

MAKING OF A MEDITATIVE MAN (2:16-2:18) 68

NA HANYATE HANYAMANE SHARIRE (2:19-2:21) 71

DON’T BELIEVE, JUST LIVE (2:21-2:22) 73

ATMA AND I (2:23-2:25) 77

THAT WHICH CANNOT BE SAID MUST BE SAID (2:26-2:30) 80

IN DEFENSE OF VARNA SYSTEM (2:31) 83

SOME MEN ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS (2:32-2:37) 86

FROM PEAK EXPERIENCING TO PEAK PERFORMANCE (2:38) 89

KNOWING (GYANA) IS POWER (2:38) 92

FROM CONFUSION TO CLARITY (2:39-2:41) 95

ATTRIBUTES OF NISHKAM KARMA (2:40) 108

KARMA YOGA: EK BUDDHI (2:41) 111

HEAVEN IS NOT THE ULTIMATE GOAL (2:42-2:44) 114

A CLEAN SLATE (2:45) 116

FEAR OF LOOSING GOODNESS (2:46) 118

KARMANYEVAADHIKARASTE (2:47) 120

PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE (2:48-2:49) 121

EFFICIENT WORKING (KARMASU KAUSHALAM) 2:50-2:51 123

HOW DOES HE WALK THE WALK? (2:54) 128

ATMANYEVATMNANA TUSHTAH (2:55) 130

A BUDDHA IS A BUDDHA IS A BUDDHA (2:56-2:57) 132

WHEN IS A BUDDHA NOT A BUDDHA? (2:58-2:59) 134

WHAT IS THE WAY? (2:60-2:61) 136

DESIRE PATHWAY (2:62-2:63) 139

THE ALTERNATE PATHWAY (2:64) 145

ANTAHKARAN: THE INNER CORE (2:65) 147

A DISSOCIATED (AYUKA) PERSON (2:66) 149

GONE WITH THE WIND (2:67-68) 151

IT IS NIGHT, IT IS DARK (2:69) 152

BRAHMISTHITI (2:70) 157

FROM VISHAD TO GYANA (SANKHYA) 159

END OF SECOND CHAPTER 161

DID KRISHNA LOVE TO FLIRT? 162

DRAUPADI: A ROLE MODEL FOR MODERN WOMEN 164

IF KRISHNA WERE WITH US TODAY! 171

BE HAPPY FOR 24 HOURS 176

KRISHNA, GITA AND TERRORISM 177

KARMA YOGA: COMMON MYTHS 194

SAKAM KARMA IS BAD 195

KARMA YOGA: COMMON TERMINOLOGIES 197

RESULTS: EXPECT, NOT EXPECT OR ACCEPT 200

A TECHNIQUE FOR NON-ATTACHMENT 211