Tuesday, October 9, 2007

BG4.18

Nammalwar says that we should cling to His feet in 'kannan kazhalinai'. Today's [9th October 2007] lecture is from the banks of Yamuna at Brindavan near a Kadamba tree. This tree is the one from which Sri Krishna as a boy jumped into the river to drive out the deadly snake Kalinga. In the last sloka He told that many pundits are confused to understand which is Karma and which is not karma but the gyana or knowledge part of it. He told Arjuna that He would teach that so that he could get released from the worldly bonds and reach Moksham. Now the 17th sloka:

karmano hy api boddhavyam
boddhavyam ca vikarmanah
akarmanas ca boddhavyam
gahana karmano gatih

"The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what the multitude actions are, and what the undercurrent gyana of the action is."

The correct interpretations of karma are very rare and are deep in meaning, so it is not easy to understand it. The implications are so many, says Sri Krishna.The Lord remaining in the far off Vaikuntam comes down and mingles with ordinary persons, and the implication is deep rooted and has to be understood properly. He is both Majestic and Simple to mix with us. During Sri Krishna's time, river Yamuna was flowing just touching this Kadamba tree. Wjen Garuda started killing all snakes, snake Kalinga escaped and reached this place. According to a curse Garuda could not enter this region and so the snake was safe. But the snake's venom was so severe that it started destroying vegetation and even birds which happened to fly over this place. Deciding to drive out the snake to the seas and save the place, Sri Krishna waited for an opportunity. Once when He was playing with friends and when the ball they were playing with fell into the river, Sri Krishna climbed this tree and in the pretext of getting the ball, jumped into the river. He fought with the snake and after sometime rose and danced on the hood of Kalinga. Unable to bear the pain, the wives of the snake begged and prayed to spare Kalinga. Sri Krishna accepted but asked them to leave the place and go to the seas. This kadamba tree did not get destroyed because it was fortunate to have Sri Krishna on it. This act of Sri Krishna has many interpretations deeply rooted. Similarly, Karma yoga also has deep meanings. Hy = because [this is linked to the last sloka, where He said that even intellectuals are confused], karmano api boddhavyam = even action in karma yoga or duty has to be understood, vikarma is vi + karma. Vi means vividam or multitudes. There are so many karma like nitya karma, naimityaka karma, kamya karma, etc. We would have observed our elders in the family doing so many activities called anushtanam. Lots of rituals are prescribed in a srardham or annual ceremony performed for one's deceased parents. Even in the daily pooja so many activities like lighting the lamp, collecting flowers, etc., are there. All of them are part of pooja but are many. Even the poojas also are many, like one for begetting children, for the early marriage of children, etc. Akarmanas ca boddhavyam = the gyana which is different from karma has to be understood. When we see the kadamba tree, if we think it is a tree like others, it is not part of Karma yoga. But if we regard it as the tree on which Sri Krishna set His foot to climb, then it assumes all sanctity. We go round it and prostrate to pay our respects. This undercurrent of gyana that this tree is different from others is akarma. At the same time it is part of the karma we have to do. Vikarma could mean viruddham or vichitram karma, is it? There are lots of don'ts in the Vedas, perhaps we are asked to do them? Sri Krishna will never advice us to do those forbidden ones and so it is correct to interpret vikarma as vividham karma or multiples of actions or duties, within the accepted ones of shastras. Similarly, does akarma mean inaction? No. Sri Krishna never likes idleness and right in the beginning He has been inducing Arjuna into action only. So, akarma is the knowledge portion different from karma. Therefore karma has to be understood, the multitudes of karma and the gyana part of it also has to be understood.

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