Gita : Ch-2. Slo-42, 43 & 44.

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita :


Chapter-2. ( Samkya-yogam )


Slokam- 42,  43  & 44.



( 42 ) Yamimam     pushpitam     vacam      pravadantyavipascitah,

         
         
           Vedavadaratah       partha      nanyadastiti      vadinah.




( 43 )  Kamatmanah      svarghaparah      janmakarmaphalapradam,


           
            Kriyaviseshabahulam          bhogaisvaryagatim     prati.




( 44 )  Bhogaisvaryaprasaktanam        tayapahrutacetasam;



            Vyavasayatmika      bhuddiah      samadou     na     vidyate.



partha!  =  Arjuna!

vedavadaratah  =   interested  in tattvam  of  Vedas;

anyata  na  asti  =  there is nothing else above  this;

iti vadinah  =   those  argue   as  on  above;

kamatmanah  svarghaparah  =   some  interested  in  sensuous  pleasures,  (  and  )  Others   who  consider  heaven  as    highest    goal;

avipascitah   =   fools;

bhogaisvaryagatim   prati   =   who  to  gain  material   uplift  and  sensuous  pleasures;

janmakarmaphalapradam  =   resulting  in the   fruit  of   karmam,  "the  Rebirth";

kriyaviseshabahulam  =  these  types  of   details  about  the  karmam;

yam  imam  pushpitam  vacam   =   whatever  interesting  beautiful  word;

pravadanti  =  said;

taya  apahyatacetasam  =  attracted  by  that  narration;

bhogaisvaryaprasaktanam   =   for  them,  who  are  immersed  too  much  in   sensuous   pleasures,  and   wealth;

samadou   =   within    them;

vyavasayatmika   bhuddhiah  =   will  power;

na  vidyate   =    never  happen ( produced ).





Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.

In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.

People in general are not very intelligent, and due to their ignorance they are most attached to the fruitive activities recommended in the karma-kandam portions of the Vedas. They do not want anything more than sense gratificatory proposals for enjoying life in heaven, where wine and women are available and material opulence is very common. In the Vedas many sacrifices are recommended for elevation to the heavenly planets, especially the jyotiṣṭoma sacrifices. In fact, it is stated that anyone desiring elevation to heavenly planets must perform these sacrifices, and men with a poor fund of knowledge think that this is the whole purpose of Vedic wisdom. It is very difficult for such inexperienced persons to be situated in the determined action of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As fools are attached to the flowers of poisonous trees without knowing the results of such attractions, similarly unenlightened men are attracted by such heavenly opulence and the sense enjoyment thereof.


In the karma-kandam section of the Vedas it is said that those who perform the four monthly penances become eligible to drink the somarasa beverages to become immortal and happy forever. Even on this earth some are very eager to have somarasa to become strong and fit to enjoy sense gratifications. Such persons have no faith in liberation from material bondage, and they are very much attached to the pompous ceremonies of Vedic sacrifices. They are generally sensual, and they do not want anything other than the heavenly pleasures of life. It is understood that there are gardens called nandana-kānana in which there is good opportunity for association with angelic, beautiful women and having a profuse supply of somarasa wine. Such bodily happiness is certainly sensual; therefore there are those who are purely attached to material, temporary happiness, as lords of the material world.


One may wonder why is it that living entities filled with desire fail to relinquish even desires which are very difficult to fulfil and adhere in fixed determination to surrendering their actions to the Supreme Lord? This is now being answered that they are dull witted of limited understanding who consider heaven as the highest attainment. Why do they talk such nonsense? Because they are of dull wits and limited understanding.


The reason for their dull wits is that they are enamoured by the panegyric euphemisms of the scriptures. Words like everlasting happiness, eternal life, resurrection and immortality are very appealing to those of limited understanding. With these thoughts motivating them they perform every actions for the attainment of these goals believing they can be attained independent of the mercy of the Supreme Lord.


Why is it that the scholars who have studied the Vedas so fastidiously fail to possess the resolute intelligence? It is because they could not comprehend the essence of the Vedic scriptures and subsequently they missed understanding the true purport of the Vedas. This Lord Krishna emphasises with the word avipascitah meaning the ignorant who are not knowledgeable are attracted to flowery descriptions in the Vedas even as a beautiful flowery creeper may be attractive although it is poisonous. But these living entities are ignorant and not actual scholars of Vedanta because they are only devoted to those parts of the Vedas which help them secure material opulence in this life and the next.


 Such statements like by performing some ritual one can obtain imperishable merit or by drinking Soma nectar one can become immortal, etc. Their conception of devotion is being devoted to pursuing heavenly delights and they even foolishly argue that there is nothing more beyond the rewards of heavenly pleasures to attain. Why is this so for them? It is because their minds are obsessed by desires due to addiction to material pleasures experienced by contact with the senses of taste, touch, seeing, hearing and smelling. So they look upon heaven although heaven is still in the material existence as being the supreme goal.


This is because in heaven there is neither old age or sickness, everything is beautiful and a wonder to behold and the facility to enjoy fully is increased a thousand fold. So all their activities in this life are enacted solely for the sake of accuring benefits in order to reside in the heavenly spheres where they can enjoy and enjoy for a seemingly unlimited time span. But when their merit has expired after enjoying the delights of heaven in various wonderful ways to their hearts content they will again take birth on earth in a rich and learned family who also are following the flowery phrases of the Vedas and they will again follow this path and at lifes end transmigrate to the heavenly planets once again to enact the process.


By being born into situations of opulence and prosperity allows one ample means and facility to perform very extravagantly the various prescribed rituals such as astrologically performing activities on the auspicious days each month such as purnima to obtain the maximum result. Thus again and again from body to body they are continuously revolving like a waterwheel. In special situations Indra, the ruler of the demi-gods sometimes appoints one of them as a gandharva celestial musician or as an aspara celestial damsel among the demigods for the duration of time their merit warrants.


Samadhi means "fixed mind." The Vedic dictionary, : "When the mind is fixed for understanding the self, it is called samadhi. "Samadhi is never possible for persons interested in material sense enjoyment, nor for those who are bewildered by such temporary things. They are more or less condemned by the process of material energy.


Those addicted to material pleasures and earthly delights are excessively attracted by the flowery promises of the Vedic scriptures to the point of bewilderment. Their intelligence being unqualified to conceptualise and meditate upon the ultimate reality of devotion to Lord Krishna they are unfit and thus unable to perceive and realise the Supreme Lord. As they are of insufficient intelligence they are unable to become resolute and one- pointed in consciousness because they perform no actions in devotion to the Supreme Lord.

The spiritual understanding which leads to a fixed determination is not achieved by those whose minds are carried away by flowery euphemisms which are temporarily so appealing to the mind of those of limited understanding. Those euphemisms which refer to heavenly pleasures and heavenly delights are constituted by them as the highest goal of human existence.. Regarding conceptions of heaven as the highest goal they foolishly endeavour to attain it by the purview of their limited understanding believing that once there they can fully enjoy themselves to their hearts content eternally. Therefore those who are enslaved to wealth, enjoyment and power for their own sake never are able to receive the spiritual intelligence which leads to fixed determination in regard to surrendering all ones actions for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.

 To be continued   .....