BG 14.16

There was a sage Salihotra, born to a couple, who performed an Yagna and got the child. That Yagna was performed daily by adding 28 sali [சாலி] paddy, for 1000 days. As a result of this the child was born and so he was called Salihotra. He desired to reach the Lord and so did severe meditation. He would meditate without taking food for entire year, except on one day [Thai Amavasya], when he would take Three handful paddy, make them into rice and after cooking would keep one fourth for any guest and eat the balance only. Once on a Thai Amavasya he got ready the food. The Lord, desiring to test the sage, came in the guise of a guest. The sage offered the portion kept for the guest. The Guest ate it and asked for more! Sage gave the balance portion also and was left with nothing to eat! Now, sage had to remain without food for one more year and wait for next Thai Amavasya! Next Thai Amavasya came and as usual the sage prepared the food. Again the same Guest arrived and the sage gave the portion of food assigned for guest. Again, the Guest wanted more and sage gave all the remaining food also. After taking all the food, the Guest wanted to have nap and asked for any room to rest. He asked, 'where is the room [எவ்வுள்? किम गृहे?]?' When the sage showed a place the Lord instantly laid down! He is reclining facing South, like Sri Ranganatha in Srirangam. His right hand is placed on the head of sage Salihotra. The Lord is also called Sri Kinngruhesa [श्री किंग्रुहेसा]. Swami Vedanta Desika says that from the time He asked where is the place to rest, this place and the Lord got the name!







We can see the enchanting beauty of the Lord, Sri Utsavar. Right hand is showing abhaya and left hand is holding the mace. We will now see sloka 14. In slokas 11, 12 and 13, the Lord indicated the symptoms, when satva, rajas and tamas qualities are predominant, respectively. When satva quality dominates Gyana will be bright in our sense organs; we understand the true nature of the matter we perceive. When rajo quality dominates, lust, greed, passion and useless activities will be symptoms. In tamo quality dominated person, lack of knowledge, understanding one for another and laziness will be symptoms. Slokas 14 and 15 are important. The Lord tells what would happen when a person dies when satva quality was dominating, when rajo quality was dominating and when tamo quality was dominating. In sloka 14, He tells the fate of person dieing when satva quality is predominant and in sloka 15, when rajo and tamo qualities are prominent. It is good for us to know what consequences are there when death occurs at the time of domination of a particular quality. In a way the Lord is threatening us with consequences. This is needed to select our routines in our daily life. Students are threatened with consequences, if they do not concentrate on studies, so that their future would be bright. Both encouragements and threats are necessary to make a person to get involved in a particular activity. Now, sloka 14:

yada sattve pravrddhe tu
pralayam yati deha-bhrt
tadottama-vidam lokan
amalan pratipadyate

"When one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher planets of the great sages."

Pratipadyate = attains; when satva quality is dominant, if a person dies, he would attain this, says the Lord. That is the atman of that person, is going to leave the present body and take up a new body, or is going to be born. Yada = when, satve = satva quality is, pravrddhe tu = well developed and dominating, deha-bhrt = supporter of body [atman], pralaym yati = departs, or the person dies, tada = then, that atman, pratipadyate = attains, amalan = blemishless, that is without the blemish of ignorance, uttama-vidan = supreme level, lokan = place or society. That is, this persons attains the company of noble persons who all want to have atman sakshatkaram. By being born in such a society, this person will do more punya karma and get atman sakshatkaram. After all our life is shaped by surroundings only! Probability to perform punya Karma increases. Our up-bringing determines our life objectives! One may argue that if this was the condition, then one would develop satva quality for a short duration before death! But none can predict death and so it is better to have satva quality always! We do not have to worry about death also.