Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God - Chapter-2.16: Swami Mukundananda.
Chinmaya Mission:
Chinmaya Mission Jaipur orchestrated a groundbreaking Bhagavata Saptah, featuring Swami Abhedananda Ji from South Africa, held at Vrindavan from December 2nd to 8th, 2023.
This marked the centre’s first initiative to have a camp outside Jaipur, drawing 180 devotees globally.
Swami ji’s arrival on November 30th was warmly welcomed, and boarding arrangements were meticulously made for participants from Jaipur, Jodhpur, Delhi, and even international locations like Singapore and the USA.
The daily sessions, skillfully blending deep Vedantic principles with humor, captivated attendees. Sumptuous meals, diverse each day, and the inclusion of Vrindavan chaats on December 6th added culinary delight.
The celebration of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna Janmotsav on December 6th, adorned in festive attire, created a spiritually enriching atmosphere.
The event concluded on December 8th with a symbolic spiritual bathing in the river of Vedantic Knowledge, leaving an indelible mark on all participants.
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Saturday, 30 Dec 2023. 07:13.
Chapter 2: Sankhya Yogam
The Yogam of Analytical Knowledge
Slogam-16.
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Slogam-16.
"Nasato vidyate bhavo nabhavo vidyate satah
ubhayorapi drishto ’nta stvanayos tattva-darshibhih."
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na—no;
asatah—of the temporary;
vidyate—there is;
bhavah—is;
na—no;
abhavah—cessation;
vidyate—is;
satah—of the eternal;
ubhayoh—of the two;
api—also;
drishtah—observed;
antah—conclusion;
tu—verily;
anayoh—of these;
tattva—entity;
darshibhih—by the seers.
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Translation:
BG 2.16:
"Of the transient there is no endurance, and of the eternal there is no cessation. This has verily been observed and concluded by the seers of the Truth, after studying the nature of both."
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Commentary:
All these Ved mantras state that these three entities—God, the individual soul, and Maya—are all eternal.
1. God is everlasting. Thus he is sat (eternally existing). Hence, a name for him in the Vedas is sat-chit-anand (eternal-full of knowledge-ocean of bliss).
2. The soul is imperishable, and hence it is sat. However, the body will cease to exist one day, and hence it is asat (temporary). The soul is also sat-chit-ānand, but it is also anu (tiny). Hence the soul is anu sat, anu chit, and anu anand.
3. The entity Maya from which the world has been made is eternal, or sat. However, all material objects we see around us came into existence and will be destroyed with time. Thus, they can all be termed as asat, or temporary. So while the world itself is asat, it is only the entity Maya that is sat.
When we say that the world is asat, this should not be confused with mithya. Asat (temporary) does not mean mithyā (non-existent). Some philosophers claim that the world is mithyā, or “non-existent.” They assert that it is only the ignorance within us that is making us perceive the world, and once we are situated in brahma-jñāna (knowledge of the Supreme) the world will cease to exist. However, if this were true, then the world should no longer have remained for the God-realized Saints. Since they had destroyed their ignorance, the world should have stopped existing for them. Why then did these Saints write books even after attaining the state of God-realization? Where did the paper and pen come from?
The fact that brahma-jnanis use the objects of the world proves that the world exists even for them. Besides, even brahma-jnanis need food to nourish their bodies. The Vedic scriptures state: “Even God-realized Saints feels hungry, just as animals do, and need to eat food.” If the world does not exist for them, then how and why should they eat?
Further, the Taittiriya Upaninhad repeatedly informs us that God is all-pervading in the world:
This Vedic mantra states that God not only created the world, but also permeates every atom of it. If God is truly all-pervading in this world, then how can the world have no existence? To say that the world is mithyā is to contradict the fact that God pervades the world. In this verse, Shree Krishna explains that the world does exist, but it is fleeting. Thus, he calls it as asat, or “temporary.” He does not call it mithyā, or “non-existent.”
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Next
Slogam-17
To be continued
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