DICTIONARY of WORDS IN THE GITA (Chapter - 1)

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DICTIONARY OF WORDS IN THE GITA

CHAPTER 1

1.                        ATHA : –  Veda Mantras start with the sound ‘Atha’ .  This term also denotes Shri Ganesha .  In the Gita , beginning of a chapter is indicated by the phrases ‘Atha Prathamodhyaayah’ ;  ‘Atha Dwiteeyodhyaayah’, etc.  Iti is the term indicating conclusion .

2.                       DHARMA (I - 1) : –  It is impossible to express the term Dharma, through a single word in English .

Dharma is that which sustains creation and all lives .  The Cow , Brahmin , Vedas , Noble women , the Truthful , non-greedy men and the large-hearted men who share , are the seven which sustain this world .

Manu Smriti defines Dharma in these words .

Dhritih Khamaa Damoasteyam Shauchamindriyanigrahah

Dheervidya Satyamakrodhah dashakam Dharma lakshanam .

Dhruti , Kshamaa , Dama , Asteyam , Shaucham , Indriya Nigraham , Dhee , Vidya , Satyam , Akrodhah .. are the ten indicators of Dharma , according to Manu Smriti .  (6 - 92) .

Dharma is a potent weapon that can help men reach great heights in this and the next worlds .  Dharma is also a means to attain Moksha or Ultimate Liberation (Budha Smriti) .

Trait or Character .  Dharma is the basic trait due to which any object is what it is .  The character of fire is heat .  It no more remains fire , if heat is removed from it .  The trait of a stone is hardness .  If hardness is removed , it no more remains a stone .

Duty .  In todays’s context , duty is that which is thrust from outside and it comes with the job or profession we take up .  In Hindu view , Dharma or duty is natural responsibility and is accepted voluntarily .  It is not prescribed by law of the land .  Yet , one is expected to fulfill these duties .  Putra dharma (duties of a son) , Pitru Dharma (duties of a parent) , Acharya Dharma (duties of a teacher) , Kshatriya Dharma (duties of a Kshatriya) , etc. are known words .  If a son does not fulfill Putra dharma , then he is a not a son .  If a Kshatriya does not fulfill his duties , then he is not a Kshatriya .  Thus duty and trait are one and the same .  Only with the desired traits does one become a son , teacher or kshatriya etc.

Religion .  To some extent , Dharma is also used to denote Religion .  Religion is defined by the form worshipped , the book followed , the Prophet , the way of worship and the place of worship .  By that definition , Christianity and Islam are Religions.  Shaiva Dharma , Vaishnava Dharma , Bouddha Dharma , Jaina Dharma etc . include these five and goes beyond these .  Thus Vaishnava is not merely a worshipper of Vishnu , but one who nourishes qualities lke Love , Compassion etc.  Hindu Dharma , that encompasses all these individual paths is unconcerned with Forms worshipped , books followed , methods of worship .  Only the qualities prescribed and attitudes make a Hindu .

3.                       Aacharya (I - 2) : –  Teacher .  The exact meaning of the word Acharya is not teacher .  It is one who follows and inspires others to follow , one who treads the right path and guides students to follow the same .  (Yah Aacharati Sa Aacharya)  Teachers of Vedas are usually called Acharyas .  Upadhyaya is one who teaches recital of Vedas .

4.                       Upa (I - 2) : –  Close to or proximity to .  This is not a whole word , but only a prefix .  Upavasam , Upanayanam , Upanishadam , Upaasana , Upanyaasam , etc. are some of the familiar words .  Vasam is ‘to stay’ .  Upavasam is ‘to stay in proximity to God’ .  Upavasam is not mere fasting .  Being close to God , being immersed in His thoughts , one forgets hunger and food .  Staying close to God is primary activity and fasting is natural secondary activity .  Ceremony of wearing the Sacred thread is called Upanayanam .  Upanayanam literally means ‘travel closer to Guru’ .  Hence , the ceremony has to be followed by learning of Vedas .  That is primary .  Ceremony with reception , gifts , music , vediography , not followed by learning Veda is mere skeleton .  Upanishad is that which builds conviction of God , that which takes you closer to God .  It is also called Vedanta , the portions in the end of Veda .  Although whole of Veda is on God , there are also many rituals described therein .  Upanishads are essence of ideas on God .

5.                       Shishya (I -3) : –  Student is the direct meaning .  Literally , Shishya is one who accepts and follows voluntarily all the regulations and disciplines of a teacher .  Learning is not primary .  The greater the student’s determination and the quicker his ability to grasp and follow the thoughts and words of the Guru , more effecient and deeper are his learning and transformation .  The English word ‘Disciple’ is also rooted in ‘discipline’ .  Discipline is the primary trait of a disciple .  The regulations and disciplines in a Gurukulam and those of Brahmacharya (studentship) are tough .  A shishya is one who heartily accepts and follows these .  That is why Upanayanam is conducted at an age of seven or earlier and the boy sent to a Gurukulam , before he is introduced to worldly comforts and pleasures .  Upanayanam means ‘to be taken closer to Guru’ .  Upanayanam , the thread wearing ritual is only to make him a good ‘shishya’ .  The stories of great disciples like Upamanyu can not be understood if this idea of Shishya is not grasped .

6.                       Dwija (I - 7) : –  Twice born .  ‘Ja’ is a suffix indicating ‘birth’ .  ‘Jalaja’ is ‘born in water’ .  ‘Pankaja’ is born in ‘dirty surroundings’ .  ‘Anuja’ is ‘born next’ .  ‘Dwi’ is ‘twice’ and thus ‘dwija’ is ‘born twice’ .  First birth is bodily birth .  Second is ‘reaching a Guru in an effort to gain Knowledge’ .  This term applies equally to three varnas , the Brahmins , Kshatriya and Vaishya .  But , in practise , this term is used only to denote Brahmins .

7.                       Vriddha (I - 12) : –  The mature .  ‘Old man’ is a word that denotes physical age , age of the body .  A Sanatana Hindu enters Brahmacharya ashrama in tender age , studies , enters Grihasthashrama , marries , experiences pleasures , then gradually snaps ties with the world and enters Vanaprastham .  Thus , he not only grows old but also matures .  Hence , he is known as Vriddha .

Words in a language speak of the culture in the society speaking the language .  ‘Old man’ is a word of abuse in society which regards sensual pleasures as everything .  ‘Old man’ is another word for a man who is unable to experience sensual pleasures .  No one wants to become an ‘old man’ , at least , none wants to be known as one .  Everyone desires to flaunt his youth .  Discoveries from false teeth to hair dyes , silicon pads to viagra are products to satiate this desire .

Words in Samskrit reflect Hindu philosophy .  Vriddha is a respectful word for the old aged .  Vriddha indicates a man , who having experienced worldly pleasures , knows what is right and wrong and resolves to renounce the wrong and travel on the right path .  Auvaiyaar, Aadi Shankara and Tirugnaana sambandhar became Vriddha at a very young age .  There are also examples like Yayati who refuse to become Vriddha even at ripe old age .  Most old men in the modern world fall in this catagory .

8.                      Shankha (I - 12) : –  Conch .  This is an important instrument in worship .  All forms of God hold a Shankha (conch) in their hands .  Shankha is Divine .  Shankha is used for performance of Abhishekam on forms of God .  The sound of Shankha is regarded Divine and a purifying effort .  Shankha Dhwani is raised (conch is blown) on every auspicious occassion and when death occurs .  Aadi Shankara used the Shankha to reconvert Buddhist converts back to Sanatana Vedik religion .  Initially , he argued with Buddhist Gurus , won over them and reconverted their followers by chanting Mantra in their ears .  When the numbers increased , he sprinkled Ganga water and all those receiving a drop were deemed to be reconverted .  When masses gathered , Shri Shankara blew a conch and everyone who heard the Shankha Dhwani were deemed to be reconverted .  Modern scientific observation confirms that Shankha Dhwani kills microbes and bacterias and purifies air .  As warfare is also Dharma , Shankha dhwani has been rised on the battlefield .

9.                       Dhwaja (I - 20) : –  Dhwaja is flag .  All the God forms have dhwaja .  Dhwaja and Dhwaja-stambha (flag and flag-post) have prominent place in every temple .  On every important occassion in a temple , first the Stambha is worshipped and flag hoisted and then begins the ceremony .  During temple visit , Dhwaja is to be viewed first (Dhwaja darshan) and then the Sanctum Sanctorum is to be visited .  In a temple , Namaskar or prostrating is performed not to the deity alone but also to the Dhwaja-stambha .

There is a practise among the Hindu families settled in Africa and West-Indies of hoisting a flag atop a bamboo pole planted in the front .  They offer worship to the flag daily and there is a special annual worship .  There is a beautiful background for this practice .  Hindus were taken to Africa and West Indies islands during 1856 -1890 as slaves or indentured labour .  God is the center of Hindu life .  “Do not live in a town that has no temple” .  That has been Hindu’s life principle .  He was uprooted from his beautiful village and dumped in sheds in bamboo woods .  He had to live with bare minimum facilities and in minimum space .  To have a temple nearby , was a natural desire in him .  He cleaned space around a bamboo and started worshipping the bamboo , regarding it as temple Gopuram .  Bonded labour (Hindu) is in dilemna .  Place is alien .  The boss professes a different religion and wants to convert the Hindu labour into Christianity , by any means .  He has to find time for his God in a day of 16 to 18 hours duty .  So , he made it a practise to be in the bamboo woods after 11 in the night .  It was a bamboo in others’ eyes , while it was verily a temple in the Hindu’s eyes .  In due course , he hoisted a saffron flag atop the bamboo , installed a hand-made clay idol at the base .  By the time he was liberated from slavery , each of his secret worship sites was a full fledged temple .  Now , in South Africa one would find dozens of Hindu temples , 120 to 140 years old .  The practise of installing a bamboo with a flag atop near the front door and worshipping it , continues till date .

(Hindu in Arabic states is in a similar situation today .  He is also a slave .  It may be said that he has volunteered into this slavery .  He has created hundreds of , nay thousands of , worship sites , secretive and semi-secretive .  If on any day , by remotest chance , religious freedom is declared in Arabia , all these sites will spring up into huge temples overnight .  Religious freedom ??  In Arabia ???  I hear you heckling .  We do not know what is in store in future .)

A king is regarded verily as God and hence , he also has a flag .  All the Hindu kings had Saffron flag , with different symbols .  Dhwaja is also carried by Sannyaasis .  Sannyaasis lead a life close to God .  They remind us of God .  This dhawaja is called Dharma Dhwajam .

Yagya was most prominent activity in ancient Bharat .  Yagya shala or the site of Yagya was the nerve center of society .  There were no temples in those times .  In due course , temples replaced Yagya shalas .  Flags in shape and colour of fire flames found their place on temple tops .

10.                   Priya (I - 23) : –  Likes .  This term reminds us of the continuous inner conflict in a man .  Which of the two should I choose - Priya or Shreya ?  That which I like or that which is good ?  Man usually chooses that he likes .  In this shlokam , Arjuna wishes to see those who support Duryodhana because they like him .  If they had opted for good , they should have supported Yudhishtira .  Uttanapada , father of Dhruva had two wives .  Suniti was Dhruva’s mother and the second wife was Suruchi .  Niti is that which is right and is greater .  Ruchi is taste or like .  Uttanapada , an ordinary man discards Suniti and keeps Suruchi by his side .  Usually , human mind does not prefer the right .  It prefers to chase its likes , even when it those are harmful .

11.                    Manas (I - 30) : –  Mind may not be the exact translation of the Manas . All of us feel Manas .  Manas is very close to us .  Yet , it is not known and properly understood by most of us .  In this life as a human , this gross , physical body is an instrument , provided to us .  This is made of five basic elements .  It has five organs of Gyaana (knowledge) and five organs of Karma (action) .  The other body is subtle one (Sookshma shareera) and Manas is an organ or instrument of the subtle body .  Buddhi , Chitta and Ahankara are the other instruments of the subtle body .  These are called ‘Antahkarana’ or the instruments within .

‘Manaschanchalamasthiram’ (VI - 26) and ‘Pramaathi balavad drudham’ (VI - 34) says Gita about Manas .  The manas is restless and unstable .  Manas is obstinate and has brutal strength .  It is the Manas which experiences pain and pleasure , honour and insult , repute and disrepute , fame and notoriety , like and dislike , affection and contempt , worry , depression and enthusiasm and every other emotion .  It is the Manas which regards the non-existant as existant and the other way .  It is the Manas which refuses to accept and tries to wish away glaring but bitter truths .  It desires repetition of pleasurable experiences .  It also wishes to avoid unpleasant ones .  Manas is unconcerned by the effects , if beneficial or otherwise .  The Manas incites man to passionate action .  Extra-ordinary acts , dare devilry , heinous acts , exemplary acts etc . are all acts incited or motivated by Manas .  The Gita insists on equilibrium , a state unconcerned and unaffected by the pairs of opposites .  Spiritual practise should result in ‘Mano-nasham’ or extinction of Manas and lighting up the Buddhi .

12.                   Shreyas (I - 31) : –  That which is right or that which will result in good .  Jeevan mukti or Liberation is Shreyas for Human lives .  Personality that refuses to chase likes and favourables , thinks and applies discretion and opts for Shreyas (that which will result in good) is greater .  Dhruva was a five years old child .  He was refused access to his father’s lap .  He returned crying to his mother Suniti .  Suniti was a great mother who showed him the Shreyas path .  That her son is only five years old , that she herself is separated from her husband and the child is her only solace , mattered her least .  If these thoughts had dominated her , she would have picked up the crying child , held him close to her bosom and tried to console him with kisses and tears .  Such an act is soothing and likeable .  We would have been deprived of a Dhruva , had she done that .  Suniti is the best example of a great mother .  She motivates him to meditate , shows him the road to forests and blesses him for successful sojourn on the path towards Divine .  Arjuna in Mahabharata was sad on the battlefield .  He announce his disinclination to fight the war .  He piles up arguments to rationalize his thinking .  Shri Krishna refuses to budge .  Shri Krishna shows him the Shreyas path by divulging the Gita .

13.                   Aatataayina (I - 36) : –  Terrorist .  Arjuna uses this term to describe Duryodhana and his brothers .  Vashishta Smriti defines a terrorist as one who ‘burns down assets , poisons and kills , possesses and does not hesitate to use deadly weapons , loots money , forcibly encroaches on land and abducts women’ .  The news magazines today use two words , extremism and terrorism in the same context .  Extremism is abnormal behaviour .  An extremist need not be a terrorist .

14.                   Paapa (I - 36) : –  Mahabharatha defines Paapa or sin as ‘Paapaaya para peedanam’ .  Harming other lives is Paapa .  The two words , Paapa and Punya , have kept Hindu society on right track for thousands of years .  These have clarified a Hindu’s purpose in life .  ‘Accumulate Punya and avoid paapa’ .  That has been a simple guideline for a Hindu’s life .  Hindu society has been least criminal and has required minimum policing , thanks to these two words .  This is more glaring in countries where Hindus have settled for a couple of centuries .  Police officers posted in Hindu settlements feel relaxed and peaceful .

Paapa is very subtle and difficult to grasp .  We may regard an action as Punya , but it may be harming some other life and hence Paapa .  Visiting a temple and standing in front of the deity may be regarded as Punya .  But , this act may obstruct view of the deity to another person .  Annadanam , Pooja etc . may seem to be Punya karma .  But , these very acts may be hindrance to someone else , and hence Paapa karma .  An act may be Punya , but the thought behind may be Paapa .  That is why , texts have not listed Paapa karma and Punya karma .  Each one of us has to determine the nature of our actions .

15.                    Lobha (I - 38) : –  Greed or avarice .  Greed is discontent in present status and thirst to have more .  This is one of the six enemies of a man , potent enough to cause his fall .  Greed stills thinking faculty , blinds inner vision (discretion) .  The greedy does not use the things he accumulates .  He just enjoys the act of accumulation .  He spends more time on counting money than spending it .  He gets happy with addition and sad with depletion .

16.                   Chetasa (I - 38) : –  An awakened mind .  A mind that knows Sat and Asat and chooses Sat.  Jada and Chetana are opposite words and opposite expressions .  Jada or Achetana is a state of inertia , lifeless state .  Then , Chetana that which is alive , conscious .  The Manas plunged sensual pleasures is intoxicated or unconscious .  Chetasa or Conscious Manas is that which has realized the transient nature and unworthiness of sensual pleasures .

17.                    Sanaathana (I - 40) : –  Eternal .  That which has always been and will always be .  The world is ever changing .  It is perishable .  Anything that appeared has to disappear .  Anything that was formed has to be destroyed .  The Truth is eternal .  It never changes .  It never perishes .  Another name for Hindu Dharma is Sanathana Dharma , because it professes the eternal truth .

18.                   Varnam (I - 41) : –  Colour is the direct meaning .  But , here the term is used to denote shades in human society .  There are three basic colours in printer’s view .  Rest are all various shades and combinations of these three .  Similarly , there are four basic Varna in human society .  These are Brahmin , Kshatriya , Vaishya and Shoodra .  Brahmin is the thinker , the teacher , the innovator .  Kshatriya is the fighter , ruler , protector .  Vaishya is the producer , trader .  Shoodra is the follower , assistant or servant .  This explanation may tempt one to conclude that these are divisions based on professions .  Differentiation is based more on attitude or temperament .  Brahmin is thinker .  Buddhi is the dominant factor in him .  Khatriya is fighter .  Strength is dominant factor in him .  Purusha Sukta aptly describes this .  ‘Brahmin is born from my Head .  Kshatriya is born out of my shoulders .  Belly is the primary cause for all production activities and trade .  Vaishya works for filling up own belly and also of all others .  Hence Vaishya , according to Purusha Sukta , is born out of Viraata Purusha’s stomach .  Our legs are our humblest servants .  Humilty and service attitude are characteristics of legs .  Hence , Shudras are born out of His feet , according to Purusha Sukta .  On hearing this , there rises an instant outcry of discrimination and exploitation .  These divisions are based on ‘high and low’ and hence discriminatory .  Nature is full of variations and differences .  It is human folly that he attributes ‘superior and inferior’ tags to these differences .  Rejection of and refusal to acknowledge the differences in Nature ,  in the name of opposition to discrimination on the basis of high and low , is either childish ignorance or brutal arrogance .  The Nature is least bothered and She continues to manifest differences .  The four varnas are prominent in humans , but also found in animal and plant worlds .

19.                   Pinda Udaka (I - 42) : –  This is a word unique in Hindu dictionary .  Pinda is ball of cooked rice and Udaka is water and are offered to ancestors .  ‘Human life is not an one-time affair .  Human is not merely the body .  Aatman dwells in the body and empowers the body .  Body is perishable .  Aatman is Imperishable .  Death is only of the body and is not an end of human life .  The Aatman carries on and is reborn in a new body .’  This is basic Hindu thought .  Many words and practices have sprung out of this thought .  Our ancestors have not died .  They have merely left the body and will return to this world taking a body suitable to their Vasanas .  Hence , it is our duty to feed them .  Pinda is the food offered to them .  How will this reach them ?  A person in Bharat wanting to send money to someone in America , merely deposits Rupees and properly fills up the requisite forms .  The person in America receive s the money in dollars .  This is somewhat similar .  Pinda (ball of cooked rice) and Udaka (water) offered to the elders reach them and satiate their hunger .  That is the Shraddha or faith among Hindus .

20.                  Jaathi (I - 43) : – Literal meaning is ‘birth’ , but is more commonly used to denote ‘caste’ .  Jaathi is the social system evolved out of the idea of Varna .  Today , Jaaathi is seen as a factor that divides society .  What we see today is a decayed version of what it was .  The bases of Varna are ‘quality (Guna) and occupation (Karma) and not birth or family .  Inertia or tendency to remain in the current status being a major factor in any society , birth became the basis for classification and gradually , Varna was replaced by Castes (Jaathis) .  ‘Truth remains and the super structure perishes’ .  This is Law of Nature .  Jaathi Vyavastha will be eliminated in due course but Varna Dharma will live on .

21.                   Narakam (I – 42, 44) : –  Every action has an effect .  That is the basic tenet of Karma philosophy .  Benevolent acts (Satkarma) result in soothing and pleasant effect and wrong , sinful acts (Dushkarma) result in painful effect .  Pain and pleasure in other worlds are manifold than in this material world .  We leave our gross physical body at the time of death and carry along our subtle body .  We get ‘Yatana Deha’ only to experience the punishments in Naraka .  Its speciality is that the tortuous experiences in Naraka , though painful , do not destroy and decay this body .  Shreemad Bhagawat mentions twenty eight types of Naraka and the punishments meted out in those .

Sr No	Name of the Naraka	Type of sinful act	Punishment
1	Taamisram	Abduction of other’s wife and children; extraction of money.	There will be hunger but no food; thirst but no water; subjected to whipping.
2	Andhataamisram	Cheating others to protect wife and children; adultery.	Thrown into dark well; loss of memory.
3	Rauravam	Violence on animals.	Vengeance sought by those animals in the form of frightening serpents named Ruru.
4	Maharauravam	Brutal violence on innocent animals.	Ruru serpents bite, tear and eat him.
5	Kumbhipakam	Serving foul smelling spoiled food; killing animals for flesh.	Roasted in boiling oil.
6	Kaalasootram	Betraying Parents, Brahmins and the Veda.	Roasted over red hot charcoal; Suffers hunger and thirst.
7	Asipatravanam	Betraying the Veda.  Conversion to other pompous Religions.	Whipped; runs into bushes to avoid whipping; pierced by deadly thorns. Faints in pain.
8	Sookaramukham	Unjustified punishment to an innocent.	Body is crushed between giant gears.
9	Andhakoopam	Killing flies, mosquitos, etc.	Thrown in a dark corner full of flies and mosqiotoes.
10	Krumibhojanam	Eating alone without sharing.	Thrown into a dry well full of worms and insects . Worms are his food and his body is food for the worms .

11	Sandarsham	Stealing , Extortion .	Body pierced by red hot , sharp needles .
12	Taptasoormi	Adultery; married persons having bodily relation with with other men/women.	Made to embrace red hot iron statues ; men have to embrace female statue and vice versa .
13	Vajra kantaka shalmali	Intercourse with animal lives.	Made to lie on bed of deadly thorns and dragged on a rough and bumpy ground .
14	Vaitaranee	Petty and unjust rulers .	Vaitaranee is a river flowing around all the Narakas .  It is full of urine , human waste , hair , flesh , pus and bones .  It has wild animals .  Bitten by the animals , has to remain floating on this river .
15	Pooyodham	Man with a good wife forgetting her and relating with many women .	Is thrown into Pooyodham , a sea with disgusting , foul smell .
16	Praanarodham	Brahmin keeping dog and donkey ; Brahmin hunting animals .	The assistants of Yamaraj shoot arrows on him . He falls on bed of arrows .
17	Vishasanam	Performing Yagya for pomp and show .	Hacked and cut by assistants of Yamaraj .
18	Laalaapam	Dwija, under influence of lust marrying woman from same Gotra .	Is thrown into a well called Laalaapam , filled with fluid of sperm .
19	Saarameyatanam	Terrorist activities like burning down properties , poisoning water sources , heavy and unjustified taxation .	Seven hundred twenty dogs chase, grab and tear the body .
20	Aveechimaan	False testimony in court ; frauds in business ; adulteration ; going back on promise of donation .	Thrown from heights on hard rocks and the body shatters into pieces .
21	Ayahpaanam	Alcohol consumption by Brahmins and men who have adopted religious disciplines .	Molten glass is poured into their mouths .
22	Ksharakardama	Vanity of education , knowledge and character .	Hung upside down and tortured .
23	Rakshogana Bhojanam	Murder , human sacrifice , consumption of human flesh.	Fierce animals tear him with their claws and eat his flesh .
24	Soolaprotam	Enjoy piercing and torturing animals ; tying thread to insects and make them fly or run ;	He is seated on pointed edge of spear and also pecked by birds .
25	Dantasookam	Terrorize and torment animals ..	Terrorized by five headed , seven headed snakes  .
26	Avadanirodham	Confine animals and birds in dark cages and torture .	Suffers suffocation in deep dark wells with poisoneous gases .
27	Paryavarthanam	Annoyance at arrival of guests .	Torn into pieces and eyes plucked by sharp beaked birds .
28	Suchimukham	Pride and arrogance of wealth ..	Torn to pieces and stiched by sharp needles again and again .

These are the more important ones .  There are thousands of other Narakas .  There may be as many Narakas as there are crimes .  A Jeeva eliminates its accumulated sins in Naraka and returns to this mortal world .  It gets another opportunity to travel towards the Paramaatman .

22.         Kshema (I - 46) : –  Two words , Yoga and Kshema always come together .  Yoga is to get what is essential and ought to be got .  Kshema is to preserve , retain , protect or nourish that which is got .

23 .          Shoka (I - 47) : -  Grief ..  a state of Manas or mind ..