Commentary on the Bhagavadgita : 37- Swami Krishnananda.

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Sunday, May 29, 2022. 20:00.

Discourse 44:  The Sixteenth Chapter Begins – 

Divine and Undivine Qualities :

POST-37.

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Ᾱśāpāśaśatair baddhāḥ (16.12) means full of desires. They are bound by the cord of endless longing for things which they cannot obtain even if they live for thousands of years. Kāmakrodhaparāyaṇāḥ: They are intent on anger, passion, and desire. Īhante kāmabhogārtham anyāyenārthasañcayān: For the sake of the fulfilment of their own desires and crude longings, they do not mind accumulating wealth by any means whatsoever. The end justifies the means, so they may employ any means, provided they get the treasure of wealth. Anyāyena: They try to accumulate wealth by unjust means—ārthasañcayān.

Idam adya mayā labdham (16.13): “See how rich I am. So much I have got, and I shall have more afterwards. So many millions are there, but some more millions must be added.” Idam adya mayā labdham: “I have got this now.” Imaṁ prāpsye manoratham: “I shall have more afterwards. What are the ways of getting more?” This is the business mentality. They have so much, more than what they need, but that is not enough. They want more. “I must extend my business more and more, more and more, more and more.” And he breathes his last with this desire of obtaining more and more. Idam asti: “This is mine.” Idam api me: “All this belongs to me.” Bhaviṣyati punar dhanam: “I will accumulate more wealth.”

Asau mayā hataḥ śatruḥ (16.14): “I have destroyed this enemy, and I shall destroy the other enemy also in a few days. I shall have no opponent in front of me.” Haniṣye cāparān api: “This opponent has gone to the land of eternity, and I have cut short the lives of all my opponents.” Īśvaro'aham: “I am the lord. Who can stand before me? Let them come and show their might. I shall see to them.” Ahaṁ bhogī: “I shall have all the appurtenances of a pleasurable life.” Siddhohaṁ: “All perfection I have attained.” Ravana was like that to some extent. Charvaka and Ravana both had these qualities. Ravana thought that he was the lord of the three worlds, and had all the enjoyments of the celestials. He thought he was a perfect person, that nobody could be equal to him, what to talk of being superior to him. Balavān: “Very strong am I, and I am blessed, most blessed indeed.”

Ᾱḍhyo'bhijanavān asmi (16.15): “I am born to a noble family.” All rich people seem to come from noble families. Ᾱḍhyaḥ: “I am very wealthy. There is nothing lacking in me.” Ko'nyo'sti sadṛśo mayā: “Who is equal to me in this world?” I think perhaps people like Hiranyakasipu, Ravana and others may be the ones Lord Krishna had in mind when he described qualities of this terrible nature. Yakṣye: Even demons such as Ravana, Hiranyakasipu, Bali Chakravarti and others gave charity, but it was all demoniacal charity. All these come under this category of “I shall do sacrifice. I shall give. I shall enjoy”.

Mohajālasamāvṛtāḥ (16.16): Thus, completely deluded in their minds, they get caught up in the net of the illusion of this world.

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Next : Discourse 45: The Sixteenth Chapter Concludes – What is Proper and What is Improper in Our Life

To be continued ....

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