“The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead.” (Bhagavad-gita, 2.11)

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श्री भगवानुवाच
अशोच्यनन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे
गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिताः

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

Shri Krishna gets right to the heart of the matter, deconstructing the mess of a philosophical knot created by Arjuna and his misplaced compassion. In this way, Bhagavad-gita begins with a packet of significant potency, based on the words alone. If there were a single root cause, if there were one problem leading to the sagging spirits, the despondency, the bleak outlook, and the uncertainty, then it was identification with the body.

This philosophical principle is simple in its presentation, but difficult in its practical realization. It is for this reason that the Sanskrit words yatha and tatha are prominent within Krishna’s teachings. They are so prominent throughout Vedic culture that a stereotype has emerged over the years. It is that of the ‘”Indian guru”, and they are almost made fun of for their heavy use of analogy.

शक्या लोभयितुं नाहमैश्वर्येण धनेन वा
अनन्या राघवेणाहं भास्करेण प्रभा यथा

śakyā lobhayituṃ nāhamaiśvaryeṇa dhanena vā
ananyā rāghaveṇāhaṃ bhāskareṇa prabhā yathā

“It is not possible for me to be tempted by opulence or wealth. I am undeviatingly with Rama, like the radiance with the sun.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 21.15-16)

Off the top of the mind, here are some example analogies: Seeing the moon through the branches of the tree. Understanding the false nature of our current reality like the reflection of the tree in the water. The sun rising in the morning to signal the dawn of hope and opportunity. It is the maker of the day, and so one of its many names is dinakara. The same sun setting in the evening to signal a brief halt to activity, to remind the busy population to take a break and rest. The energy and the energetic always together, like the sun and its radiance.

“First a child is shown the branches of a tree, and then he is shown the moon through the branches. This is called shakha-chandra-nyaya. The idea is that first one must be given a simpler example. Then the more difficult background is explained.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 21.30 Purport)

A person can make fun all they want, but the human mind has limitations. It is bewildered by infinity, for instance. It cannot possibly fathom that time has no beginning and no end. That the same applies to space is equally bewildering. There is also the period of infancy, wherein the human being who has the potential to build a rocket ship cannot even express the need for food, drink, or a trip to the restroom.

Despite the helplessness of infancy, the human being still has to learn. That learning takes place in phases. Introduce a principle today. Make sure that the principle is properly understood. Then move on to something bigger, while the first principle acts as a building block. That is the only way to knowledge. Enlightenment cannot occur through a strike of lightning or a magical touch.

Krishna uses yatha and tatha to explain the identity of the individual as spirit. Yatha points to the changing body. The individual is the same between boyhood and youth. They are the same individual later on in life, during adulthood.

We take that yatha and transition to the tatha of death. That is the final changing of bodies, in terms of a single iteration of the cycle of change known as a lifetime. As the individual was the same in the yatha example, they are also the same in the tatha example. They will continue to exist, after death. The person who is sober and wise, dhira, has no problem understanding this.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

We pause here for a moment to consider the following story. This helps in understanding the first and foundational principle presented by Krishna. This story also allows us to appreciate both the opportunity given to Arjuna at the pivotal moment in history and the chance we have today to understand the principles of tattva in truth, in reality, through our day-to-day affairs.

Our story begins with a knowledge-seeker. They were fortunate to find a guru. They took the teachings so seriously that they decided to move into an ashrama. Through the guidance of their guru, this person, along with others, helped to open many establishments throughout the world. The establishments were known as temples to the general public, but they were institutions of asceticism and higher learning. Though situated within bustling city-centers, they were ashramas equal to those found in remote areas, like caves and forests.

Several decades later, this same person visits some of the temples they helped to first establish. A lot has happened in the time in between, and after this initial experience our spiritual seeker offers the following reflection:

“I hate to put things this way, but I just got a really weird vibe in there. There are no people of the same ethnicity as me. I essentially have nothing in common with these people. They are all from a different part of the world. They never gave up everything in order to pursue the mission of the guru. They are working professionals. They show up only on a part-time basis. The temple is like their weekend social gathering. I have nothing against these people, but it would be nice if the attendees looked more like me. That is how things used to be. Those were the good ole days. We had so much fun. The pioneering spirit was strong within us. Now it appears that the establishment spirit, and its deep-rooted complacency, has set in.”

The demographic change has several potential causes. Institutional corruption. Mission drift. Usurpation of authority by intruders not aligned with the goal of spreading the bhagavata culture throughout the world. A cabal of thieves intent on stealing the property of the founder-acharya, endlessly rewriting and re-editing his books to suit their nefarious motives. In other words, the people in charge today are hostile to the original mission.

The concerns of the person visiting might be valid, but there is another angle of vision to consider. The change in demographics offers a direct opportunity to test the principles of tattva. In live action, on an active playing field. I might sit on a high seat and lecture others about the difference between matter and spirit. I repeatedly emphasize that you are not the body. Neither am I. Neither are any of us. We are spirit soul. That spirit soul never takes birth. It never dies. It does not have to pray for eternal life since it is already eternal.

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्
नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतो ऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ‘yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.20)

It is a different story if I have to test that principle in action. Do I really see others as spirit soul? Do I really know what that vision means? Do my actions reflect my so-called higher understanding? Do I proceed with detachment based on the proper prioritization of responsibilities? Do I actually withhold lamentation, in a natural way, against both the living and the dying?

It is a great blessing to have the opportunity to apply higher principles. Arjuna also had that blessing, with the added benefit of the spiritual guide right by his side. Arjuna proceeded in a military conflict, featuring a flurry of swiftly-coursing and deadly arrows. Arjuna maintained the proper understanding throughout that action, and in our active playing field we have the same opportunity for vijnana, which is practical realization.

In Closing:

On the highest perch to sit,
With aura esteemed and legit.

“You are not the body” to say,
Air of understanding to display.

But principle only tested when,
True benefit of tattva then.

Blessed Arjuna where on field to play,
With Krishna guiding the way.

Categories: bhagavad-gita

Tags: dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, religion