PHRASES IN THE GITA - 95

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PHRASES IN THE GITA - 95

वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु दानेषु यत् पुण्य फलं प्रदिष्टं  ..  अत्येति तत् सर्वं विदित्वा  ... योगी परम् स्थानम् उपैति  .. (अध्याय ८ - श्लोक २८)

வேதேஷு யக்ஞேஷு தபஹ்ஸு தானேஷு யத் புண்ய ஃபலம் ப்ரதிஷ்டம்  ,,,  அத்யேதி தத் ஸர்வம் விதித்வா யோகி பரம் ஸ்தானம் உபைதி  ...  (அத்யாயம் 8 - ஶ்லோகம் 28)

Vedheshu Yagnyeshu Tapassu Daaneshu Yat Punya Phalam Pradishtam ... Atyeti TatSarvam Viditvaa Yogi Param Sthaanam Upaiti ...  (Chapter 8 - Shlokam 28) 

Meaning :  The Yogi is unmindful of the Fruits of pious acts like reading the Veda , performing Fire rituals , Donations , Rigorous penance etc . and reaches the Ultimate .

The Vedas are Holy .  Divine Voice .  Reading of Vedas should connect with the Divine .  We should be able to feel the Divine touch on reading the Veda .  "Do we ?" is the question .  We read the Veda with an idea that it is a pious act , or as mere duty owing to our birth as a Brahmin ...  Reading of the Veda will fetch fruits both in this and the next world .  Some may read the Veda with an aspiration to enjoy the fruits .  Do we firmly feel from the depth of our hearts that the Veda are revelation of the Divine ?  Do we aspire to experience the Paramaatman by reading the Veda ?

The Gita is called the Panchama Veda , the fifth Veda .  The Gita has been spoken by the Paramaatman , in the guise of Shri Krishna .  The Gita are words which came our touching the Nectar - like lips of Shri Krishna .  Shri Krishna says in the eighteenth chapter that , "One who studies , the one who speaks the Gita to my Devotees and the one who listens are very dear to Me" ..  But , do we feel the Divine sweetness while reading , listening or talking the Gita ?  We read it as a pious act that will fetch us noble fruits .  Yes .  We will get the fruits , but not Shri Krishna .

Most of us perform Yagya , all types of Yagya merely as routine , ritualistic act .  Some of us perform with deep faith , but tagged with desire for Fruits .  The desired fruits of Yagya may not be selfish and may be dedicated to the whole human society .  Nevertheless , Yagyas are desire ridden .  Desires will be fulfilled , but being One with the Ultimate is not possible through Yagya .

Donation is no doubt a pious act ., but it separates the donor from the other lives .  It builds up the feeling of 'Me - I am the one who donates and helps others' .  It will definitely fetch great fruits in this and holy worlds in the next life .  But , the donor stands alone with a glorious 'Me' and hence donation will never fetch proximity to Him .

Tapas is practice of austerities .  Tapas is firm adherence to rigorous disciplines for attaining a Sankalpa (a pre-fixed goal ..)  Tapas may please the Gods and fulfill the avowed Sankalpa .  It will not lead us to the Paramatman , as it is desire ridden .  Moreover , in due course , urge to set harsher and harsher disciplines and bearing those supersedes the Sankalpa for which Tapas was taken up .  Harsher disciplines and greater pains come to be regarded as 'Greater Tapas' .  This results in 'Desire for more and more pain'.  Desire for pleasures and comforts is binding and bad .  Desire for pain is equally binding and bad .

Shri Krishna has time and again asked Arjuna to become a Yogi .  "Yoga-Yukto Bhava" ... "Tasmaad Yogi Bhava" ...  Yogi looks beyond the fruits promised by these holy acts .  He is not allured by the fruits Fruits bind .  Yogi travels beyond and reaches the Param Sthaanam .. the Ultimate , the Paramatman .