BHAGAVAD GEETA: 84 - Swami Advayananda.

=======================================================================================

BHAGAVAD GEETA
Chapter - 2
Discourse – 2 (72 Slogas)
“Yoga of the SUPREME SELF”
Sri Veda Vyasaji

======================================================================================

Sunday 04, Aug 2024, 06:30.
Discourse 2 | Yoga of the Supreme Self  
2.12   THE MAN OF STEADY WISDOM 
(Slogas 54-67, 14 No.
Slogam: 60:  Q3: Even the Wise Can Succumb
Post - 84.

=======================================================================================

Slogam: 60:  Q3: Even the Wise Can Succumb:

1 Yatatah hi api, Kaunteya, O Kaunteya, = even though he strives (to control them), 

2 purushasya vipashchitah; = and even though he be a wise man, 

3 indriyaani pramaatheeni = the senses are very turbulent, indeed, 

4 haranti prasabham manah. = and do violently carry away his mind. 

=======================================================================================

 

Using some powerful poetry, this verse brilliantly conveys how dangerous it is to be 

inadvertent on the spiritual path. Shama and Dama have to be used in conjunction with 

each other. Both external and internal vigilance have to be maintained at all times.  

1-2 In the first two Padas there are three words, all set in 6th case: Purushasya is the 

“person” we are speaking about; he could be a Yatatah, a “striver” who is striving very hard 

practising his Sadhana, doing Japa, meditation and service; he could even be a Vipashchitah, 

a “wise and learned” person, by qualification or by reputation. 

====================================================================================

Meanwhile, here is a warning about the tactics used by our senses: 

 =============================================================================

GUERILLA ATTACKS FROM SENSES: 

 

We should ponder over this unexpected contingency of a fall even for a striving 

Sadhaka. It could be quite disconcerting for us to know that such a thing is possible. It makes 

us wonder: “If the spiritual path has to be trod with such great care and caution; if a 

backlash of desire can come even to a Sadhaka, what chance have ordinary people against 

such forces of nature?” 

The truth is that Sadhana is one way of activating these lurking desires. The senses 

get their life from deeply seated Vasanas or tendencies. These are unknown to us until they 

mature and become activated. When we start doing Sadhana, we come under the sway of 

these lurking Vasanas. The seeker should not feel surprised by these “guerilla” attacks. 

Through them he learns to gain more strength to face them. 

Subconscious memories can be triggered by events in one’s conscious life. These 

memories have the power to activate or revive old desires. That is another factor the 

Sadhaka has to learn to deal with. Memory brings up the object of desire to the mind’s eye. 

We say to it desperately, “Go away!” It pretends to be deaf. It does not go away, but stands 

its ground. Then it even starts dancing before our inner eye. Worn out with resistence, the 

Sadhaka yields and entertains the memories. That is the start of the calamitous chain that 

follows, ending in “violently being carried away”.  

 =============================================================================

 

YATATAH      PURUSHASYA      VIPASHCHITAH 

Striving                 Person                         Wise & Learned 

==========================================================================

 

3-4 Even though the person could be striving and he could be wise, yet he could be 

carried away “violently by the turbulent senses”, inspite of all his hard effort and learning. 

The subtle point being made by Sri Krishna is that there is something missing still in the 

Sadhaka’s qualification. That will be told to us soon.  

However, there is no need to feel powerless. Sri Krishna tells us what is needed . . . 

 

 ==========================================================================

MATPARA:   LOVE FOR THE LORD 

 

So far Sri Krishna has never asserted Himself over Arjuna. This is the first time, (and 

there are going to be a few more occasions as the Geeta progresses), when Sri Krishna asks 

the seeker in Arjuna to surrender to Him in devotion and love. He knows what a key role 

divine love can play in succeeding in sense control. That is explained in this verse. 

Matpara is the word that introduces us to Bhakti in the Geeta. In later Chapters we 

shall see more of it. 

With love centred on God, the senses get mastered by themselves. Here we are 

dealing with the most effective means known to a Sadhaka to overcome his weaknesses. 

When failure seems to stare us in the face, Love for God is the one ingredient that can turn 

the equation around in favour of success. 

How fulfilling is even ordinary love! People find great fulfillment in loving their pet 

dogs and cats. Even more fulfilling is love towards one’s family – the children and one’s 

spouse. That same fulfilling feeling is diverted in Matpara to the Lord’s feet, becoming even 

more fulfilling and empowering. 

The message is clear from here onwards: Love God and continue doing the same 

Sadhana. That Love is like adding 1 in front of a series of zeroes. It changes the value of all 

the zeroes. If our love does not catch God, it is sure to catch some lesser object – and face 

the disappointment that is natural to such objects. 

As Pujya Gurudev puts it, “The mind abhors a vacuum. It has got to have something 

to hold on to.” Sri Krishna offers Himself for that duty! “Hold on to Me!” 

What happens if we do not accept Krishna (God) into our lives? That is explained in 

the next two dramatic verses. The context of these verses is this:. The Lord has just let out 

the greatest secret in spiritual Sadhana – Matpara. If we are too slow in catching it, these 

are the consequences that will follow. Could there be a more effective Teacher than Lord 

Krishna Himself, the Master of human psychology? 

==============================================================================

Love – towards the Divine – can be the greatest sublimator of life. 

Love – towards sense pleasures – can be the greatest terminator of life. 

 ================================================================================

Next

Slogam - 61: Q3: Matpara: Turning to the Lord 

Continued

#swami advayananda chinmaya mission

=================================================================================