Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1 - The Bhakti Yoga of Arjuna
Srimad Bhagavatam cleanses kalimala or the pollutant of Kali, destroys
sins, shows the indweller, the Lord, in oneself by bringing Vairagya towards
the materialistic world, and gives pure devotion, crystal clear, and clean
knowledge.
|| Hari Om ||
 |
| Hare Srinivasa |
कल्यण अद्भुत गात्राय कामितार्थ प्रदयिने ।
श्रीमद् वेन्कटनाथाय श्रीनिवासय ते नम: ॥
Your benevolence for granting wishes
is incredibly vast and unsurpassed.
Divine Lord Venkateshwara! Destroyer
of Sins! An abode of Mahalakshmi! Srinivasa!
My salutations to you.
भवाय नस्त्वं भव विश्वभावन त्वमेव माताथ सुहृत्पतिः पिता ।
त्वं सद्गुरुर्नः परमं च दैवतं यस्यानुवृत्त्या कृतिनो बभूविम ॥ ७॥
Vishwabhavana! From you, the whole
universe has arisen. Suhrtpati! You are the mother, the father, you are the
friend, as well as our teacher. Sadguru! It is you, who makes us walk on the
right path. You are our lord, as well as being worshipped. We are safe and
successful by taking refuge in your lotus feet which are auspicious.
Lord! You
are the only cause of our success.
व्यासाय भव नाशाय श्रीशाय गुण राशऐ ।
हृद्याय शुद्ध विद्याय मध्वायछ नमो नमः ॥
Charming & the beloved Vyasa,
the destroyer of emotional & behavioral disorders, the Lord of Goddess of
abundance having heaps of attributes, bestower of clean knowledge, my repeated
salutations to you and Acharya Madhwa.
यः स्वानुभावमखिलश्रुतिसारमेकमध्यात्मदीपमतितितीर्षतां तमोऽन्धम् ।
संसारिणां करुणयाह पुराणगुह्यं तं व्याससूनुमुपयामि गुरुं मुनीनाम् ॥
This Srimad Bhagavatam gives the
experience of the Lord and has the essence of all Vedas and Vedanta. It sheds spiritual light on the transcendental philosophy required to surpass the intense cycle of death and birth which is wrapped in ignorance. However, it is
very secretive in nature. Hence, I pray to you Sri Shukacharya for your
continued blessings.
दयादाक्षिण्यवैराग्यवाक्पाटवमुखाङिकतः ।
शापानुृग्रहशक्तोऽन्यो राघवेन्द्रन्नविध्यते ॥
The face symbolizing Compassion;
Modesty; Dispassion towards sensual pleasure; Eloquence; Power to remove curses
is none else than you, Guru Raghavendra.
My salutations to you.
My salutations to you.
We have noted the
underlying message of Mahabharata that one has to take refuge in the Lotus feet
of Lord Sri Krishna for abundance, victory, prosperity, and righteousness. Only
devotion or bhakti in Lord and jnana or knowledge of him would redeem our sins
that have entangled us with Prakriti.
In the 23rd verse of the
second chapter of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Sri Krishna says,
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः॥ BG 2-23 i.e. Bhagavad Gita, 2nd
Adhyaya, 23rd Shloka॥
Arjuna! There is no
weapon that can injure the Jivatma or a Soul, nor there a fire that
can burn it. Also, the Soul remains unwetted by any liquid, or is there the air
that can dry it up.
Yet we experience joy
and happiness or sadness and sorrow. This is because our Atma is wrapped in the
following seven concealments causing ignorance:
1. Bhagavat Iccha; 2. Prakriti; 3. Lingadeha; 4. The Kama; 5. Karma; 6.
Jeevachadika; and 7.
Paramachadika.
It is Bhagavad Iccha or
the Lord’s wish to create the entire universe, including our body and sensory
organs, mind, and intellect with Prakriti. The Prakriti is Jada or non-living
substance having three characteristics or Gunas. This is Satvika, Rajasika, and
Thamasika Gunas. This has been the raw material to create the
Universe.
In, The Influence of Arishadvarga and Gunas for Bhakti,
for a better understanding and to have clarity, we had taken the help of the
shlokas in Bhagavad Gita:
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः ।
निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् || BG 14-5 ||
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् ।
सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥ BG 14-6॥
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् ।
तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥ BG 14-7॥
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।
प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥ BG 14-8॥
The Prakriti constitutes
Jada or non-living substance with three Gunas of viz. Satvika, Rajasika, and
Thamasika. They would bind over the Soul or the Jiva or the being tightly who
is not destructible. The Chaitanya or living Prakriti, Goddess Mahalakshmi will
take three forms of Goddess Sridevi, Bhoodevi, and Durgadevi who are
responsible for Satvika, Rajasik, and Tamasic Guna respectively during the
creation.
Of this, Satvika Guna
influenced by Goddess Sridevi is stainless and the reason for acquiring
knowledge, curing the defects of diseased and binds the being to the Lord and
Gods through a desire for happiness and knowledge.
Rajasika Guna influenced
by Goddess Bhudevi is the reason for entertainment and would bind the being
with action. The action to satisfy the desire. The desire for objects or
subjects or issues.
The reason for Ignorance
or wrongful knowledge is Thamasika Guna influenced by Goddess Durgadevi. This
causes negligence, dissolution, laziness, and sleepiness. The extreme of this is the expressions in Lord of Kali and his evil associates.
प्रकृतेर्गुणसम्मूढाः सज्जन्ते गुणकर्मसु ।
तानकृत्स्नविदो मन्दान्कृत्स्नविन्न विचालयेत् || BG 3-29 ||
Lord Sri Krishna says to
Arjuna that the sensory organs generated from Prakriti get engrossed
and stuck with actions. Hence, the knowledgeable ones who know this should not
mislead the others.
The sensory organs
include the Eyes, Ears, Nose, Tongue, and Skin. Also, manas or mind and buddhi
or intellect.
To Arjuna’s question
that though an individual doesn’t want to commit Sins, due to some pressure he
does. Who motivates this?
Lord Sri Krishna says,
इन्द्रियस्येन्द्रियस्यार्थे रागद्वेषौ व्यवस्थितौ ।
तयोर्न वशमागच्छेत्तौ ह्यस्य परिपन्थिनौ ॥ BG 3-34॥
Each of the sensory
organs has likes and dislikes. Hence, they associate with Kama or Desire,
Krodha or Anger, Lobha or Greed, Moha or Attachment, Mada or Pride, and
Matsarya or Jealousy or Arishadvargas. These likes and dislikes are impediments
to one’s progress and hence should not get subjugated to these organs.
काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः ।
महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम् ॥ BG 3-37॥
The one who instigates
Sin is the evil Kalanemi through his power to create DESIRE. And so too KRODHA
or RAGE.
These two manifest from
Rajasika Guna. No amount would satisfy the wants. The dissatisfaction would
lead to Anger. These are the reasons for committing Sins. The want is the
cruelest enemy impending progress.
Of all six
Arishadvargas, Kama or Desire is the most powerful one as it is a cause for the
other five viz. Anger, Greed, Attachment, Pride, and Jealousy. Hence, one
should make all efforts to control wants.
यदनुध्यायिनो युक्ताः कर्मग्रन्थिनिबन्धनम् ।
छिन्दन्ति कोविदास्तस्य को न कुर्यात् कथारतिम् ॥
The thread of actions of
life getting bunched up and tangled results in tight knots. These knots get
tangled over several births with further knots. A thoughtful and introspective
person with a sword called Meditation of Lord would shear these knots.
Wouldn’t the wise love
to hear such stories of the Lord which help us to meditate!
कर्मग्रन्थिनिबन्धनम् – The materialistic world attracts making us do more and more
Karma or Actions by tying down to samsara or the cycle of death and birth. We
encounter difficulties and have to put up a fight!
Sri Suthacharya has told that all those कोविदा or learned by यदनुध्यायिनो propitiating the Lord through
hearing, singing and meditation on the attributes and glory of him tie up their minds to him or practice The Yoga of Mind will छिन्दन्ति or sheer these knots and tangle that has wrapped our Soul.
Lord Sri Krishna says to
Arjuna,
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु
कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः।
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत॥BG 2-14॥
“The Son of Kunti! The
likes and dislikes of sensory organs with sense objects are the cause of
happiness and sorrow. However, these are constituted of Prakriti which is Jada
or non-living substance having no feelings of joy or sorrow for touching heat
or cold. “
Like, coming together of
the gas, burner, and the fire or their disassociation, when switched off, would
not lead to a feeling of joy or sorrow to Gas, burner, or the fire. When God
Hanuman had been to Lanka, his tail was tied with clothes and lit a fire.
However, he remained unaffected by the fire.
Arjuna! It is the Jiva
or the soul that feels happiness and sorrow. However,
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः॥ BG 2.23॥
Arjuna! There is no
weapon that can injure a being or a Soul, nor there a fire that can burn it.
Also, the Soul remains unwetted by any liquid, or there the air that can dry it
up.
But the ignorance of the
same or the belief that Prakriti or sense organs are a part of the individual
is causing joy or sorrow.
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।
जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था
अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥ BG 14-18॥
Those of Satvika Guna,
with the power of Knowledge accomplished by Prasada or blessing of Lord, go to
the higher worlds of Jana Loka and beyond. Those of Rajasika Guna, satisfying
the desire for sensory organs will move in the middle worlds of Heaven and
Earth. The ones with Thamasika Guna filled with ignorance and carrying out bad
deeds go to the lower worlds of Hell and beyond.
वदन्ति तत्तत्त्वविदस्तत्त्वं यज्ज्ञानमद्वयम् ।
ब्रह्मेति परमात्मेति भगवानिति शब्द्यते ॥
सत्तामात्रं तु यत्किञ्चित् सदसच्चाविशेषणम्।
उभाभ्यां भाष्यते साक्षाद् भगवान् केवलः स्मृतः॥
The Lord who is
unchanged from past, present, and in the future has his form as knowledge and
bliss. There is no one equivalent to him or surpassing Him. He has the complete
knowledge for creation, sustenance, destruction,etc., of the universe. He is
also well known as Brahman, Paramatma, Bhagavan. Hence, the Philosophers call
him Tattva.
The Saints who have
extreme faith and devotion in the Lord do the Jnana Yagna or Sacrifice of
studying Srimad Bhagavatam with dispassion to worldly matters. This
consolidates their knowledge of the Lord and is able to see him in their Lotus
of Heart.
मायाजवनिकाच्छन्नमज्ञाधोक्षजमव्ययम् ।
न लक्ष्यसे मूढदृशा नटो नाट्यधरो यथा ॥ १९॥
To understand you, I
should understand me. With the concealment of Jeevachadika, I do not have
the ability to look into myself as my Indriya or the sensory organs are always
looking only outwards for happiness. Also, the veil of Paramachadika between
you and I is obstructing me to know you. Though I am born with a human body
that diseases & decays, I have been caught in the grips of your Vishnu Maya
causing illusions and chasing the mirage of happiness outwards.
Whenever I close my eyes
and sit down to meditate your form & fame, I only see darkness &
short-lived contemplation of your fame though you are present in me as my
indweller. Omniscient Lord Adhokshaja! You know everything and have surpassed
the knowledge & happiness that come from Indriya. You are a supreme actor
playing immeasurable roles with several acts and unique outfits. How can a dull
and ignorant person like me recognize you? Only your blessings will bestow the
knowledge of myself, you, and the happiness therein.
Sir Sutacharya continuing the narration says,
वासुदेवाङ्घ्र्यनुध्यानपरिबृंहितरंहसा ।
भक्त्या निर्मथिताशेषकषायधिषणोऽर्जुनः ॥ २९॥
Sri Shaunaka! Arjuna had
developed a deep devotion in the Lotus feet of Lord by remembering, thinking,
and meditating on it. He had toiled day & night causing churn in his heart
with its centrifugal forces separating & draining malady, perversion &
all behavioral disorders. This had allowed the devotion to occupy quite deep
within him.
गीतं भगवता ज्ञानं यत्तत्सङ्ग्राममूर्धनि ।
कालकर्मतमोरुद्धं
पुनरध्यगमत्प्रभुः
॥ ३०॥
At the beginning of the
war of Kurukshetra, Lord Sri Krishna had initiated Arjuna into Tattva Jnana of
Bhagavad Gita. But he had forgotten for the reasons of inadequate knowledge,
time, duty, actions, and the influence of Prakriti having characteristics Thamo
Guna and Rajo Guna.
Subsequently, as Arjuna
had toiled day and night, the brightness of knowledge had regained its
brilliance in his mind. His Indweller, the Lord blessed him his sight to cause
the Aproksha Jnana or Atma Jnana. Also, known as Brahma Jnana.
भिद्यते हृदयग्रन्थिश्छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशयाः ।
क्षीयन्ते चास्य कर्माणि दृष्ट एवाऽत्मनीश्वरे॥
As the Indweller reveals
himself in the Lotus of Heart, the thread of actions tied and entangled with
the soul will break and all the doubts will disappear.
दृष्ट एवाऽत्मनीश्वरे, with the sight of the Lord who is
brilliant and is the cause for the brightness of Moon and Sun, full of
Knowledge and bliss in the Lotus of Heart, भिद्यते breaks the ग्रन्थि or knot tying हृदय or Lingadeha.
The Shastra is saying
that there are two minds. One which is made of nature or the exterior and the
other with Swaroopa or in Jivatma. Similarly, eyes for seeing, ears for
hearing, nose for smelling, tongue for taste, and skin for touch. All Sensory organs that are seen in the
exterior, the same is in swaroopa or Jivatma including cause for thought and
intellect. The ones that are exterior are prone to get the disease. However, those in Jivatma is not
destructible. The exterior sensory organs are the cause of samsara or death and
birth. These exterior sensory organs are made of Prakriti having a guna of
Sattvika, Rajasik and Tamasik, and reason for Arishadvarga. These external
sensory organs are tied to हृदय or Lingadeha with ग्रन्थि or Knot.
Sri Sutacharya continues
to say,
विशोको ब्रह्मसम्पत्त्या संच्छिन्नद्वैतसंशयः ।
लीनप्रकृतिनैर्गुण्यादलिङ्गत्वादसम्भवः ॥ ३१॥
Sri Shaunaka! The ब्रह्म सम्पत्ति, the wealth of Brahma jnana blessed
by the Lord, had destroyed the concealments of Jeevachadika. Arjuna had
self-realization. He got the ability to take a look at himself. And by the
destruction of Paramachadika, Lord had revealed himself and he was able to see
his Indweller at his will.
As Lord Sri Krishna had
said to him in the 37th verse of fourth Adhyaya,
यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन।
ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा॥MG 4-37॥
Arjun! Like the way fire
turns a piece of wood into ashes, so too the fire of Knowledge will turn the karma
or the actions into ashes.
The compassionate Lord
had blessed Arjuna by revealing himself and showering the Aproksha Jnana that
destroyed all the Sanchita Karma of the Jiva.
Arjuna was left with
only traces of Lingadeha, Kama, Karma, Prakriti, and Bhagavad Iccha as an
identity for the rest of his existence in Vaikunta.
संच्छिन्नद्वैतसंशयः or श्छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशयाः, All the doubts including the relationship with the Lord, his Lordship on Gods, or on the Creation, on an individual, Or about oneself had disappeared
giving crystal clear knowledge. Hence, Arjuna was able to see the brilliant
Lord with the divine sight of Jivatma.
Arjuna had realized that
the concealments of Prakriti causing ignorance was only a blessing of the Lord
to enable the Jivatma to experience happiness and sorrow. He had also realized
that the happiness and sorrow had guided the soul to come to the Axiom,
blossoming himself to his fullest potential.
शृण्वतां स्वकथाः कृष्णः पुण्यश्रवणकीर्तनः ।
हृद्यन्तःस्थो ह्यभद्राणि विधुनोति सुहृत् सताम् ॥
The most attractive,
Lord Krishna in his dark skin like the color of monsoon cloud, standing in हृद्यन्तःस्थो, the Lotus of Heart like a सुहृत्, friend. A dear friend for the सताम् or virtuous waiting with great
patience as if he has nothing else to do except for ह्यभद्राणि विधुनोति, destroying all our Sins that cause
inauspiciousness and ready to pour his mercy.
He is waiting for us to श्रवणकीर्तनः, to hear, and sing his Glory. So that
he could pour पुण्य, the mercy, and high merit.
Like he did to Kuchela,
with a torn dress and made him Sudhama, having in abundance just for three fists of
beaten rice. The rice field with Love, brimming with devotion through hearing
and singing the Glory of Lord.
So too, he came as if he
was at the beck and call of Prahlada! Also, in a form only dedicated to him!
The same Lord had now
blessed Arjuna with moksha breaking the cycle of death and birth. The Sins had
disappeared.
1.
Sanchita
Karma or the sins accumulated over several births had completely disappeared at
the sight of the Lord.
2.
A
very little traces of Prarabdha Karma required for life after moksha had not
disappeared. This had absolutely no ability to cause sorrow nor make Arjuna
sad.
3.
And
the Agami Karma or the sin which was yet to be experienced by Arjuna had got
drastically reduced after aparoksha jnana and had no impact on his future life.
|| Hari Om ||
|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||
Comments
Post a Comment