विवेचन सारांश

Understanding Sanatan Śāstras with special reference to Mahābhārata & Bhagavadgītā

The 1st chapter of the Bhagavadgītā is Arjuna-Viṣāda-Yoga - The Yoga of Dejection of Arjuna

The first of the four-part interpretation session of the 1st chapter of Śrīmadbhagavadgītā as always, started with prayers to Bhagavān Śrī Krishna followed by the lighting of the auspicious lamp so that we are guided towards the path of Dharma, with the blessings of the Paramātmā, our Guru and the light of knowledge,

Sadaśiva Samarambham Vyasa Shankaracharya Madhyamam 

Asmad Acharya Paryantam Vande Guru Paramparam.

Originating wit the all-pervasive Siva, to Veda Vyasaji, to my own Guru, I bow with reverence to the entire Guru Parampara (tradition of teachers).

Prayers were thus offered to Lord Siva, Maharshi Veda Vyasaji and Gurudev before the start of the Vivechan session.

It was reiterated that with Bhagavān's grace, blessings of many saints and punya karmas of our previous birth, we have been fortunate to get the opportunity to learn Gītā and to spread the invaluable knowledge gained herein.

We should continue to contemplate and learn the concepts of Bhagavadgītā. A time will come when we become ready to give to the society.

It might seem odd as to why Chapter 1 is taught in level 3 of Geeta Pariwar. In our Shashtrik paddyati (methodology) there is no compulsion of sequence. Instead, the critical rule is to understand the meanings.

Let's suppose if the course started with the first chapter, where Arjuna was dejected and deluded, and the second chapter where in Bhagavān provides discourse on higher level concepts like sthitaprajña lakshana (the characteristics of the Man of Perfection), one would not be able to understand the text. This might discourage one and may lead to them abandoning their learning journey in-between.

Param Pujya Swami Govind Giri Maharaj ji envisioned this sequence, to connect the Holy Śrīmadbhagavadgītā to as many people as possible. We are fortunate to have got this opportunity of learning Bhagavadgītā in an easy and lucid method.

So, after completing 9 chapters, finally the 1st Chapter of Bhagavadgītā known as Arjuna-Viṣāda-Yoga is being taken up for learning.

Some of the chapters we have so far covered in our journey to learn Bhagavadgītā are:

• Chapter 12: Bhakti Yoga - Yoga of Devotion
• Chapter 15: Puruṣottama Yoga - The Yoga of the Supreme Being
• Chapter 16: Daivāsura-Sampad-Vibhāga-Yoga - The Yoga of Discrimination between the Divine and the Demoniacal properties
• Chapter 9: Rājavidyā-Rājaguhya-Yoga - The Yoga of the Sovereign Science and the Sovereign Secret
• Chapter 14: Guṇatraya-Vibhāga-Yoga - The Yoga of Classification of the Three Gunas
• Chapter 17: Śraddhā-Traya-Vibhāga-Yoga - The Yoga of insightful knowledge of the Threefold faith

One may wonder as to why was the 12th Chapter taken up first. Chapter 12 is the smallest chapter of Bhagavadgītā and talks about the concept of Bhakti or Devotion. This is a very common concept and easily understood by people. After completing the 12th Chapter, one gets to comprehend the Bhakta-lakshanas, characteristics of a Bhakta or Devotee, and also understand the ways to become a beloved of Bhagavān.

After going through the above chapters, we as Sadhaks (seekers) of the Divine Knowledge get the Patrata (eligibility) to understand the higher concepts of Bhagavadgītā.

In Level – 3, 6 Chapters with slightly deeper concepts are getting covered.

• Chapter 1: Arjuna-Viṣāda-Yoga - The Yoga of Dejection of Arjuna
• Chapter 3: Karma Yoga-The Path of Selfless Action.
• Chapter 4: Jñāna-Karma-Sannyāsa-Yoga - The Yoga of Knowledge the Renunciation of Action
• Chapter 5: Karma-Sannyāsa-Yoga - The Yoga of Renunciation of Action
• Chapter 6: Ātma-Saṃyam-Yoga also called Dhyana Yoga - The Yoga of Self-Control
• Chapter 7: Jñāna-Vijñāna-Yoga - The Yoga of Jñāna (Knowledge of Nirguna Brahma) and Vijñāna (Experiential or the practical aspect of Knowledge.)

One may notice that and wonder why all the chapters of Bhagavadgītā are called Yoga.

Yoga means connection or to get attached to something. Through the Bhagavadgītā we learn how to get attached to the Paramātmā, the Supreme Divinity and hence the chapters are called Yoga.

Then the question arises as to why the first chapter is also referred to as Yoga (Arjuna-Viṣāda-Yoga) since this chapter specifically describes Arjuna’s despondency before the war.

The reason for this is because in this chapter Arjuna surrenders to Bhagavān asking him for counsel. Arjuna’s love for Krishna establishes the connect or Yoga between Arjuna and Bhagavān.

In fact, in the seventh Shloka of Chapter – 2, Arjuna tells Bhagavān Krishna 

śhiṣhyaste ’haṁ śhādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam 

 wherein, he surrenders to Bhagavān and becomes his disciple and appeals to HIM to provide guidance on what should be the best course of action for him.

In Shloka 24th of the 16th Chapter, Bhagavān said:

tasmāch chhāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te kāryākārya-vyavasthitau

jñātvā śhāstra-vidhānoktaṁ karma kartum ihārhasi ||16.24||

Here HE said that the Śāstras or the holy scriptures guides one in determining what should be done and what should not be done. Therefore, one must perform only those actions that are ordained as the right action by the scriptures or Śāstras.

In Sanskrit, Śāstra is described as 'Anushasyati Iti Śāstram' - that which instils a sense of discipline is Śāstra.

Śāstras guide us on how we can discipline ourselves from morning to night -"Pratahkala Darabhya Ratri Kala Padyantam", from the time we get up in the morning to the time we go to sleep. Śāstras also explain why we have attained the human form and what should we do to make it Sarthak or meaningful and with a purpose.

The question then comes as to what is considered as Śāstra. We call Bhagavadgītā, Puranas and many other Granthas or scriptures as Śāstra, but how do we really classify them.

And we find the definition of Śāstras in our Śāstras only. This following Shloka broadly describes the 14 Vidya Sthanams or sources of knowledge that comprise the Śāstras.

Angani Vedascatvaro mimamsa-nyayavistharah 

Puranam dharmasastram ca vidya hyetascaturda

Out of all, the Supreme authority of Knowledge are the 4 Vedas. However, in order to understand the Vedas, one needs to learn six Vedangas also known as Shat Angas, before learning the Vedas. Together with the Vedas and Vedangas, the Mīmāṁsā, Nyaya, Puranas and Dharma-Śāstras comprise the Śāstras. In some accounts, 18 Vidya Sthanams including Upavedas are considered.

Further, below is the Shloka that explains the six Vedangas, which one should learn to properly understand the Vedas.

śikṣā, kalpo, vyākaraṇaṃ, niruktaṃ, chandasāṃitiḥ 

jyotiṣāmayanaṃ chaksuhu ṣaḍaṅgo' veda uchayate

The Vedas are said to possess six limbs in the form of the Six Vedangas. These Six Vedangas are extremely important. The combined knowledge of the Vedas and the Vedangas are greater prospect for understanding spiritual knowledge.

Following 6 are the Vedangas and are considered as the Vidya Sthanas (as the sources of Knowledge).

• Siksha Śāstra – Pronunciation or Phonetics. How to pronounce the Vedas
• Kalpa Sutra – Rituals methods
• Vyakarna – Grammar, specifically Sanskrit Grammar here
• Nirukta – Etymology that give references where a specific word is used in Vedas, as the same word can have different meanings. They give meaning as per the context.
• Chhanda Śāstra – Metrics. In Bhagavadgītā two Chhandas are used (Anushtup & Trishtup). However there are Vedic Chhandas, Laukik Chhandas, Matric Chhandas, and Vernic Chhandas.
• Jyotisha Śāstra – Astronomy. To know all about time and space.

Śāstras, have one more concept. These can be further categorised into the following four depending on their origin:

• Shruti: The Vedas
• Smiriti: The concepts of Vedas are given in an easy manner for easy comprehension of common people.
• Puranas: All the Dharmic (Religious) & Vedic methods are given in the form of stories. We have mainly 18 Puranas (Brahmā, Padma, Vishnu, Siva, Devi Bhagavatam, Narad, Markandeya, Agneya, Bhavishya, Brahmavaivarta, Linga, Varaha, Skanda, Vamana, Kurma, Matsya, Garuda and Brahmanda Puranas).
• Itihasa: Mahabharata & Ramayana come under this category.

One interesting fact is that though Bhagavadgītā is one grantha (scripture), it contains the teachings of all four Śāstras listed above.

Bhagavadgītā is the gist of Vedas and Upanishads. Hence it is a Shruti. Since it explains complex concepts in an easy manner for all to understand it is Smiriti. Veda Vyasaji is the composer of all the Puranas, hence Bhagavadgītā is also a Purana.  He has also written Mahabharata. Bhagavadgītā forms the 25th to 42nd chapters of Bhisma Parva of Mahabharata, having 700 shlokas and 18 chapters. That is why it falls under Itihasa too.

When we say that Bhagavadgītā is part of Mahabharata, it then becomes imperative to know some facts about the epic as well.

There is a very interesting story behind the name of Mahabharata. The original name of Mahabharata is Jaya Samhita.

In ancient times there was a system to name the text according to the number of chapters in the book.  Numbers in those days comprised of 1 to 8 and repeated themselves. Also, the placement of numbers was done in reverse order.

Position of Ja (the first syllable in Jaya Samhita) in the Hindi Varnamala (alphabets) is 8th and Ya (the second syllable in Jaya Samhita) is at 1st position according to the counting method followed in those times. So accordingly, Gītā should have had 81 chapters.

However, the reverse order of placement rule comes in here. Hence 1 came before 8 and it was not 81 but 18. So, according to these rules the name of Gītā was Jaya Samhita
(Samhita meaning a collection of Mantras), that is a grantha or scripture with 18 chapters.

So how did Jaya Samhita get changed to Mahabharata?

There is a story that once there was a discussion among the Devas as to which, between Jaya Samhita and the Vedas was the heavier grantha. Both were put on a scale and Jaya Samhita was found to be heavier. Now, Vedas are also known as Bharata. Since Jaya Samhita was heavier than Bharata, it came to be known as
Mahabharata, basis the weight of the grantha.

However, in-terms of knowledge, Vedas occupy a higher position as they are known to be the supreme source of knowledge. So, in order to keep this  differentiation, Mahabharata was also called as the Pancha Veda or the fifth Veda (after the four main Vedas (Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda).
We must remember that Mahabharata is not just one book.

Geeta Press's detailed Mahabharata comes in six volumes and abridged one comes in two volumes. In fact, it is said that originally Mahabharata had 60 lakhs Shlokas. Those however are not available today because from these 60 lakhs Shlokas, 30 lakh Shlokas were given to Swarga loka (Heaven). Narada Rishi sings them in Swarga. 15 lakhs Shlokas were given to Pitra loka and are sung by Ashitdev Munis. 14 lakh Shlokas were given to Yaksha loka where Sukhadev Muni, sings them. The remaining 1 lakh Shlokas were given to Manushya loka or to our world. These Shlokas are the ones which are available to us and were sung by Vaishampayana Rishi for Janmjeya. However, today, all the 1 lakh Shlokas are not available to us.

Veda Vyasaji after the composition of the Vedas and Puranas was not satisfied with what he had penned. So, he went to Brahmā Ji and spoke to HIM about his dissatisfaction with the quality of work produced by him. That is when Brahmāji instructed Veda Vyasa Ji to write Mahabharata.

Though the thought excited Veda Vyasaji, he doubted if he would be able to pen down the thoughts fast enough as they flowed in his mind. Brahmāji then suggested that Veda Vyasaji should take the help of Ganeshji to be the scribe for his composition.

Veda Vyasaji liked the idea and reached out to Ganeshji, who initially was skeptical about taking up this work. So, to avoid without saying an outright No, HE put forth a condition to Veda Vyasaji, that HE would stop writing if HIS pen stopped even for a moment. Veda Vyasji accepted the condition with a counter condition that Ganeshji would write only after HE had fully comprehended Vyasa Ji’s composition, which Ganeshji accepted. Whenever Veja Vyasaji required more time, he would come up with a tough Shloka which Ganeshji would take longer to comprehend, thus slowing down HIS speed of penmanship. It is said that out of 60 lakhs Shlokas, 88 thousand Shlokas are supposed to have been composed with tougher words and are called as Kutaślokas. And this was how Mahabharata, the worlds largest epic was composed by Veda Vyasaji and written by Ganeshji.

Veda Vyasaji narrated Mahabharata to Ganeshji, following which Vaishampayana Rishi narrated the same to Janmejay, who was a descendant in the Kuru dynasty.

The Kuru vansha or dynasty goes as follows               

Shantanu had 3 sons : Bhīṣma Pitāmaha, Chitrāngada & Vichitravirya

Vichitravirya had 2 sons: Dhritarashtra & Pandu

Dhritrashtra was married to Gandhari, had 100 sons the Kuravas, eldest being Duryodhana

The Pāṇḍavas were married to Draupadi and had one son each from her - Prativindhya, Srutsena, Srutakirti, Srutakarma and Satanika.
Arjuna and Saubhadra's son was Abhimanyu, whose son was Parikshit, and Parikshit's son was Janmejay.
                   
Vaishampayana Rishi who was a disciple of Veda Vyas Ji has recited the story of the Mahabharata to Janmejay, at his behest. Janmejay was keen to know about his ancestors and their valour on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

Another interesting fact is that Brahmāji had given Divya Drishti (Divine Sight) to Veda Vyasaji to see every event as it happened, be it in the past, present or future. That is the reason why Veda Vyasaji is called Trikaladarshi (someone who can see the past, present and future). He even had the power to read people's mind. Veda Vyasaji's vision was like a hastamalaka where knowledge is said to be grasped as if it were a Gooseberry (Amalaka) in one’s hand (hasta).  The power of Veda Vyasaji to see the future is evident when Vaishampayana Rishi, while reciting the Mahabharata to Janmejay says that it was already written that he, Vaishampayana Rishi would one day, in the future, narrate the Mahabharata to the descendant of Arjuna named Janmejay.

Veda Vyasaji later had passed Divya Drishti to Sanjaya with which help he was able to narrate the proceedings of the battlefield to Dhirtrashtra.

There is one misconception about not keeping Mahabharata at home, as it is sometimes believed to lead to discord and fighting amongst members of the family. But Param Pujya Swami Govind Giri Maharaj Ji is of the view that those who do not keep Mahabharata at home are the ones who fight amongst themselves. This is because whoever keeps and reads the Mahabharata at home has acquired knowledge and hence wisdom to avoid conflict.

In the Mahabharata there are 5000 characters. Veda Vyasa Ji has written the epic in a such a way that each one of the readers of the epic can correlate oneself with some  character of the book.

Bhagavadgītā which is part of Mahabharata is a manual to lead life virtuously. There are a whopping 1800 authentic commentaries that have been written on the book. These are commentaries and not translations. The number will significantly go up if we consider the translations too. While the Bible is the text which has been translated in maximum languages, it is Bhagavadgītā, which has 1800 authentic commentaries and countless translations.  In fact, there are commentaries written by Vinoba Bhave, Mahatama Gandhi (who wrote 2 commentaries), Bal Ganga Tilak etc. This truly exhibits the richness of our sanskriti, our culture.

A couple of interesting statistics from Bhagavadgītā:

Total number of Shlokas = 700

 Shlokas spoken by Bhagavān Krishna:       574

 Shlokas by Arjuna:                                         84

 Shlokas by Sanjaya:                                       41

 Shlokas by Dhirtrashtra:                                   1

Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya Ji considered the true discourse of Bhagavadgītā to start from 11th shloka of Chapter 2, as Bhagavān's teachings begin thereafter.

The first chapter contains Sanjaya's narration about the happenings on the battlefield to Dhritarashtra when he had posed a question (the only verse spoken by him) to Sanjaya, to update him with the happenings of Kurukshetra.