Srimad Bhagavad-Gita : Chapter - 17. Slokam-19.

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Thursday,  December 30, 2021. 7:00. PM.

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita

Chapter-17. { Sraddha-traya-vibhaga-yogam }

Slokam-19 :

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Slokam :

"Mudhagrahen-atmano   yat  pidaya   kriyate  tapah,

parasya-utsadanartham -va  tat tamasam-udahrtam."

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Slokam : Meaning

"And those penances and austerities which are performed foolishly by means of obstinant self-torture, or to destroy or injure others, are said to be in the mode of ignorance." 

"Austerity that is performed by those with confused notions, and which involves torturing the self or harming others, is described to be in the mode of ignorance."

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Translation :

mudha-grahena  =  with  foolish  understanding;

atmanah  pidaya   = by  torture  of one's own self;

parasya   utsadanartham   va   =  inorder  to  causing  annihilation  to  others;

 yat  tapah   kriyate,  tat  tamasam  udahrtam  =  tapas  performed  for  the  above  reasons,  then  it  is  said  to  be  Tamasam.  

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Commentary :

Now Lord Krishna explains tapah or austerities that are indicative of tama guna the mode of ignorance. The austerities that consist of foolish concoctions as well as diabolical practices due to an acute lack of discrimination, which is sadistic and masochistic, which causes mental and physical anguish to oneself such as flagellation and causes acute suffering to others such as blood rituals and human and animal sacrifices are irrevocably situated completely in the darkness of tamo guna.

Here Lord Krishna explains that the austerity that is foolishly practiced because of repeated habit and useless attachment or is diabolically engaged in due to depraved perversity where one tortures oneself as in self- mortification to gain power or which causes injury, pain and suffering to other living entities such as blood rituals of animal and human sacrifices, is situated irrevocably in the inertia of darkness in tama guna the mode of ignorance.

Now Lord Krishna explains the austerities that are of tama guna or mode of ignorance. The word mudha means foolish. The word grahena means endeavour. Those who foolishly endeavour are the ignorant. Those who torture and give pain to themselves and diabolically cause injury and suffering to others are depraved and their dark resolves are at the pinnacle of nescience. Whatever activity they enact by such convoluted resolves regardless of success or failure is in the darkness of tama guna.

There are instances of foolish penance undertaken by demons like Hiranyakasipu, who performed austere penances to become immortal and kill the demigods. He prayed to Brahma for such things, but ultimately he was killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To undergo penances for something which is impossible is certainly in the mode of ignorance.

Mudha grahenat : refers to people with confused notions or ideas, who in the name of austerity, heedlessly torture themselves or even injure others without any respect for the teachings of the scriptures or the limits of the body. Such austerities accomplish nothing positive. They are performed in bodily consciousness and only serve to propagate the grossness of the personality.

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To be continued ...

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