BHAGAVAD GITA 10.4-5 Intelligence, wisdom, non-delusion, mercy, truth, self-restraint, calmness, joy, sorrow, existence, non-existence, fear, fearlessness, courage too; Non-injury, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame, ill-repute, are traits of beings, (that) from Me alone emerge. Human beings are endowed with intelligence and wisdom, both positive traits. These include the state of mind when we are beyond the mode of illusion, and such commendable qualities as mercy, the quest for truth, and self-restraint. But there are many more qualities of humans which are not so positive. Two of these, fear and sorrow, are listed here. All these include emotional states like joy and sorrow, psychological phases like contentment and peace of mind, actions towards others like non-injury and charity, accomplishments like fame and infamy. Where do all these come from? Krishna says that they are all derived from the Divine source. We normally tend to think of the Divine as the creator of the physical world, of the sun and planets, of stars and galaxies, and such. But we seldom think of our many intellectual, emotional, psychological, and ethical traits as derived from God. Of course, as to the particular positive traits and states we happen to have, we look upon them as results of previous karma or as blessings bestowed upon us by the Almighty. But what is said here is that all these potentials of the human experience, not just the dosage of them which each of us happens to have of of these, were also creations of God, like the sun and the stars. As an analogy consider the material possessions a person has. These are specific instances of what may be called the wealth of the nation as a whole. But we don’t see that abstract national wealth. We only experience the portion of it we happen to have. Likewise we must regard these various traits mentioned here as intangible aspects of the whole world: These emanated from God. Note that many of these would be impossible without humanity. How can there be joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, truth and mercy, charity and peace of mind without the human presence on the planet? They were all there, says this shloka. They are/were there in the abstract. It is just that before the advent of humankind on the planet there was yet no experiencer of these. We are reminded of the old question: When no one is in a place, is there the buzz of the bees, the rustle of the leaves, and the beauty of flowers. If human beings happen to be in the woods they would experience these. That is to say, through them these otherwise indifferent qualities of the woods would be appreciated. So it is with our joys and sorrow, elation and depression. We happen to be particular spots in the world through which these potencies are manifested. This is a rather unique perspective. From the scientific point of view, all these: happiness, joy, sorrow, fear, and such emerge in the brain as a result of particular external impinging on it. Before that they were no more than vibrations of air or of electromagnetic waves. They had had no experiential dimension whatever. But from what the Gita says here, every single mental and moral state of the human mind, every emotional and psychological experience, emerge from the Divine, or that they are brought about by Divine action on the human psyche and sensations. From a simplistic perspective, all these elaborate claims of Krishna may be seen as no more than instantiations of the idea that God is everything. Once a person grants this – and all theistic people do – then it is unnecessary and superfluous to go on listing every imaginable item as emerging from God. But that is what much of religious literature is all about: the elaboration in many ways and words of the central thesis that God is everything, and doing this in poetic and specific ways. Recall the line in the Bible (Romans, 11:36): “From him and through him and for him are all things.” This idea is also expressed in the simple aphorism savam brahma mayam: Everything is Brahman. It is elaborated in a musical composition by Sadashiva Bruhmendrar: kim vacaneeyam kima vacaneeyam kim racaneeyam kima racaneeyam kim pataneeyam kima pataneeyam kim bhajaneeyam kima bhajaneeyam kim boddhavyam kima boddhavyam kim bhoktavyam kima bhoktavyam sarvatra sadá hamsa dhyánam kártavyam bhomukti nidánam. What can be spoken and what cannot be spoken, What can be created and what cannot be created, What may be studied and what cannot to be studied, What may be recited and what may not be recited, What may be taught and what may not be taught, What may be enjoyed and what cannot be enjoyed (Everything is His work.) Always immerse yourself in meditation: that will take you to liberation. V. V. Raman June 24, 2013 To join this GITA discussion, send mail to : Varadaraja Raman
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 16:47:52 +0000
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