Presentation at Vision Centre Of Chinmyaanand ,Geeta study group
Richmond, Va U.S. A .Date 9th Feb. 2020
CH. 2 , Shlokas ,20,21,22
Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
These shlokaas of 2nd ch. 20,21,22, along with 23 &25 are very well known .Every now and then ,in condolence meetings we hear this,or, we see in news papers as tribute to a person who has passed away . In India it is common, here I don't know . Anyways.
Last sunday I said that Sankhya is science of soul.Sam = balance +Khyaa = To tell. Samyk Viveken Khyat means; To tell ,to make mind balanced. That is Sankhy yog - Gyaan yog . When Arjun became "Vimudh" =vacant minded; Krishna HAS to show him his original nature and his "svadharm ", to make him balanced minded.
At this stage Krishna gives explanation or knowledge or understanding about Aatma and Being. He tells ,before this life and after this life ,there is an Evident; the stage in between is Immortal. So This Aatma is neither slayable nor slayer . All bodies that you see here are the bodies only .At the same time you are also a body .And AAtma is undestroyable CAN NOT be a killer or can be killed.
There are so many characteristics of AAtma which shows it can't be destroyed. They are
Avinaashi =Immortal |Avikaari = Unchangeble
Ajnmaa =unborn Avadhya = not to be killed
Adaahy =non burning Apramey =Non theorem \ without definition
Avyay =Inexhaustible| Achhedya =Uncuttable
Sthaanu = Steady
Shaashvt =Eternal Achal = Firm
Akuledya =non wetable Avyakt = Un menifested
Nitya = Always Achintya = Unthinkable
Puraatan =Ancient Anaasheen = Nondestroyable
Sanaatan= Perpetual or eternal Ahnya = Non slayable
Some English version may not be correct as you know ,I can't get proper English words !
So, who is Ajnmaa ithas to be Avinaashi ;who is unborn ithas to be immortal. Who is Sanaatan-- eternal\perpetual ithas to be Puraatan -Ancient .Who is Avikaari -unchangeble ; is to be Anaasheena -nondestroyable . HERE Vikaar means changes-- Birth, Existence ,Growth ,Ripe , Decline or decay and Death . These are 6 vikaaraas of a Being .These are Not in Atoms, IT is unmanageable, so It is Avinaashee ,NON Vanishing Tatv .
Our "deh buddhi "älways bind us , with the help of ignorance,and makes us "sthul" -"jad" \senseless. Some time we pick up one thought & then we become stubborn on it . That is "jadtv " In gujraati we say to such person " shu aam jadni jem tmaari j vaatne valgi rhyaa chho ! JADTV CHHODO ANE SMJO " Here Arjun had picked up the idea ,that he will be the killer of his relatives & so he became stubborn on idea to leave the battle . THIS Misunderstanding was to be removed, so Krishna explained AAtma is SHAASHVT. It is eternal, ever existing. In "Kaththopnishd " there is similar verse said byयमा
न जायते म्रियते वा विपाश्चीन
न यम कूटश्चिन ,ना ब भुव कश्चित
अजो नित्य: शाश्वतो, यं पुराणों
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे
The word Vipaashchn means,a person with knowledge, always full of consciousness. Sometimes we can't see sun in the sky, but we know it IS there and so we Definitely know it's day time . Same way if we know , that there IS eternal Aatma- soul in us , we understand,with that knowledge that soul is inslayable. i
It is Amar .
After explaining thus Krishna asks Arjun in 21st shlok--How can a person ,who Knows that soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable, kill any one or to be killed by any one ? Which is inevitable is not to be grieved .
Still further Krishna tryes to give solace by giving example of clothes, Just as we change our old clothes into new ones, this Aatma changes the Being ,-Body when it becomes "jeern"- old-warn out or when the "karm fal " ends, Abut which we will learn in coming chapters. I will give another example .
Waves come from ocean, which is endless and beginning less. ,;go up and then come down shatter at the shore and ultimately vanish After that the water goes back to the sea calmly and dissolves in it . same manner, this Aatma comes (from where we do't know &goes where we don't know : but we can imagine comes from BRHMN-Parmaatmaa or as a part of parmaatmaa, " kyaathi aavyaa , kyaa javaaanaa e bhed bharam ni vaato " but It comes) to this world in form of body\ being ; which grows, goes up
to the height of life , flows and then goes down being old and ultimately goes back, vanishes into the place from where it has come ; ceases into indismisal subject again and again ;just like ävirat " -non stopping waves of ocean ,in this "bhav-saagar " JUst like jaayant wheel . The seats go up and down but the center of it stays where it is . Aatma is the center of jayant wheel of life . We can color the seats , the passenger may change but the cemter of wheel is permenant . There is a shlok in AATMASHATAKAM
" PUNARAPI MARANM, PUNARAPI JNANM , PURARPI JNANI JATHRE SHYANM
Geeta says body and aatma are separable,so whatever happens to body does not affect Aatma . We can say Aatma is boundless and body has boundry, The being -body HAS to be destroyed, Aatma HASN'T . So use "smatv buddhi änd do your karm .
We learn philosophy of Aatma in these shlokaas. This is it for today . Thank you for listening patiently.
