विवेचन सारांश

Bhagavān Loves These 39 Qualities

In this Shloka, Bhagavān Shri Krishna says that Knowledge triumphs Practice, and Dhyana or Concentration triumphs Knowledge. However, what triumphs all is the ability to not expect anything from our actions. 

When we learn something new, we try to memorize it by repeating it over and over again, that is by practicing. Memorizing will not give us the knowledge of what is happening. Like in a science experiment, when there is a chemical reaction, we need to understand how and what causes the reaction. When we know that we can conclude we have Jnana or Knowledge. So, while Practice is good, having knowledge of what we practice is better. What is better than Jnana? It is Dhyana or Concentration. Remembering the knowledge that we acquired is more important as it means we have focused on what we have learnt.

What is above all this? Giving up the fruits of our Karma or Action is above everything else. What does it mean to give up the fruits of our karma? We study hard for our exams. Because we work so hard to study well, we expect to get good marks in the exam too. However, Bhagavān says that we should not worry too much about the outcome, that is the marks we get in the exam. Our job is to set a target, study well towards it and give the exam to the best of our ability. We should not worry too much about what marks we will get after that.

From this Shloka, Bhagavan starts opening the 39 Papers.

In the first one, HE talks about Dvesh. Dvesh is grudges or bad thoughts. Bhagavān says we should not have Dvesh in our minds and never think ill of others or harbour any grudge against them. 

The second one that Bhagavān talks about is Maitri which means Friendship. In school don’t we often form groups with our best friends and then sometimes we get into fights with other groups, or even stop talking to some groups? Bhagavān advises us not do such a thing as groupism, but remain friends with everyone and be good to all people. 

The third quality we all must try to develop is Karuna, which means Compassion or Kindness towards all living beings. If we see a hungry or thirsty dog, we should give it some food and water. We should never hurt any animals like kicking a puppy on the road. We should show kindness to another living being. Also, when we help our younger sisters and bothers with their studies, we should be patient and not get agitated and hit them. We should be Kind and not get agitated under any circumstance.

The fourth quality we all should imbibe is Nirmama which means that at all times, we must conduct ourselves with Humility. We should not be proud of our capabilities or what we have and be always Humble. We should avoid the habit of saying 'This is mine’ or ‘I have it’!

As Bhagavān said earlier, we should be caring, and we should be sharing also. For example, if our brother or sister wants to wear our favorite dress, we should let them do it. Or if our classmate forgets to get a pencil or pen to school, we should help him with the spare one we may have in our pencil box.

The fifth quality is Ahankar or Pride. Pride is a bad quality, and we should never ever show it to anyone. We should be Ahankar-rahit which means absence of pride. If we come first in class or win a competition, we should definitely feel happy but we should not show any pride for our achievement to others.

The sixth quality is equanimity or the ability to not become very happy or too sad. It is to remain calm and composed, whatever be the circumstance. If we do very well in a competition, we can be happy but not become wildly happy. Also, if we don’t do so well, we should not become very sad and discouraged. We should accept the outcome and move on.

The seventh is a very important quality called Kṣhamī – or the ability to forgive. If our friends or siblings make a mistake, we should have the ability to forgive them, even if they don’t say sorry. If we remain angry with them, and sulk and frown, we will only feel miserable because of that. Not only should we always forgive, but we should also forget the mistake of others.

Now we will look at the eighth quality of a true devotee. That quality is Santusta. Being Santusta means to be satisfied with whatever Bhagavān has given us. At the start of every school year we should not ask our parent for new school bags and shoes and so forth. If they are not torn or broken and in good working condition, why should we ask for new ones? We should always try to be happy with what we have. We should not be like Nobita who starts crying and runs to Doraemon whenever he sees some gadget which he doesn’t have. 

When the Kauravas did not want to give half their kingdom, Hastinapur to the Pāṇḍavas, Bhagavān Shri Krishna suggested that they then be given at least five villages. But Duryodhana refused to part with even that, because he was greedy. He in fact refused to give even a small piece of land the size of the tip of a needle. We should never ever become mean and greedy like Duryodhana, but be good like Arjuna. 

Bhagavān then explains the ninth quality which is Yatātmā or self-control. It often happens that we want to watch Doraemon, but our sister or brother wants to watch Ninja. This may lead to a fight over the TV remote and in the process we may just throw it away, causing it to break. We should not do this but gently share in such cases. Sometimes we will watch our favorite program and sometimes our siblings can watch. We should never ever lose control on ourselves and behave in an unworthy manner.

The tenth quality is dṛiḍha-niśhchayaḥ which means Determination and Resolution. When we decide to do something or achieve something, we should work towards it with firm determination. Many a time, we plan to do something like learn Yoga for being healthy. For the first few days, we do it very seriously; but slowly we become careless and maybe stop doing it completely. According to Bhagavān, HIS favorite devotee cannot be like this. HIS favorite devotee will do whatever he decided to do, with full determination and to the best of his ability.

There is quote that goes ‘zameen tallath zamaa tallath magar banda nahi tallath’ which means the ground may shake, the crowd may move, but determined persons like our young and brilliant Sadhaks will remain determined and resolute in their action and goals.

The eleventh and twelfth qualities that all of us should strive to have is complete dedication from the mind and from the intellect towards Ishwar, the Supreme Being. Don’t we all get distracted once in a while? Like when we are studying and a friend walks in, or the sound of the TV comes in from the next room. We need to be determined in our action, and that comes through connecting our mind to Bhagavān, by regularly chanting the Hanuman Chalisa or listening to Bhajans etc. This will help us to get nearer to Bhagavān and become his favorite disciple.

We need to note the thirteenth quality carefully and imbibe it in our lives. Bhagavān says a true devotee will never agitate any being nor would be agitated by anyone.

The fourteenth quality is Harsha-rahit. While this word may mean absence of happiness, it doesn’t mean that one cant be happy or rejoice for a happy event. What it means is a true devotee will not get over excited, but will remain calm and be happy in moderation.

Next comes the fifteenth quality which is being Irsha-rahit or someone who has control over jealousy and is unenvious of others.

The sixteenth quality is Bhaya-rahit or the absence of fear, being unafraid. Some of us are very afraid of lizards. Now let us imagine a lizard who has a nice red cap with bright red lipstick, painted nails, and wearing a cute bright red skirt. When you imagine that, can you ever be afraid of the lizard. The answer is surely, NO! That is what we should do. When we are afraid of something, we should try to imagine something positive and nice about it, and we will find our fear go away.

Udvega-rahit or free from any kind of anxiety and stress are the seventeenth and eighteenth qualities. When one possesses these qualities, one will not be perturbed by anything and will be free from tension.

The nineteenth quality of a true devotee is Apeksha-rahit or someone who has renounced the fruits of their action. Like we discussed earlier, this devotee will set goals for himself, but will not hanker for unrealistic outcomes from their actions and performance. Also, his expectations from others will also be in moderation. By doing so he will be able to control his elation as well as his disappointment.

Bhagavān emphasizes that we maintain cleanliness within our inner self as well as our bodies. This is the twentieth quality of the true Bhakta; it is called śhuchiḥ. When we say cleanliness of our inner self, it means that we should not be thinking or wishing ill for others. The thoughts in our mind should always be pure positive and good. We should maintain proper hygiene of our body and ensure we maintain good cleanliness habits like washing our hands properly before meals. We must also ensure that we keep our environment clean by not throwing garbage on the street and not littering our homes. Bhagavān loves those who exhibit such good habits.

Dakṣa or skilful, expert is the twenty-first quality Bhagavān now explains to Arjuna. Some of us have very good handwriting; it means we are Dakṣa in handwriting. Those of us who don’t have very good handwriting can always practice and become Dakṣa or an expert. This can be applied to any thing like, drawing, painting etc. If we practice well, we will surely become an expert in that subject. 

Being Udāsīna or neutral is the twenty-second quality that Bhagavān is advising us to cultivate within ourselves. This is like our sixth quality when we neither become overjoyed nor very disappointed. We should remain neutral to what happens and to the results of our actions. 

We should also try to be Vyatha-rahit. With this twenty-third quality, one wouldn’t be bothered or easily troubled when something goes wrong. A little unhappiness will not frustrate this devotee. He would have control over his frustration, anger and depression. Have we not sometimes picked up a fight with our brother or sister because he got something which we wanted? Instead of enjoying what we got, we become sad and make others sad too by doing this. Bhagavān tells us that a good Sadhak will never do such a thing but be happy with what he has. 

The twenty-fourth quality is an interesting one. Bhagavan says Sarvārambha-Parityāgī which means we should not initiate an action. Now that doesn’t definitely mean that we will not take any initiative to study. It means we will not initiate some small or wrong thing and keep insisting on such things, for example; say going to the Water Park. Of course, we will go if the family is going but we will not bother the family to take us there.

In the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth qualities, Bhagavan reiterates that one should not be overly happy (hṛiṣhyati) in a happy situation nor be too despaired (dveṣhṭi) in unpleasant situations.

Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth qualities say we should not do too much śhochati, that is lament too much for something that we didn’t get or an event that didn’t go as per what we had hoped for. We should not also hanker too much for something meaning we should not have intense desire or akanksha for something. Like we should not be pestering our parents for a cycle today, a scooty tomorrow, and something else after that.

Bhagavān is not very happy with such people. When we want to become a favorite of our teachers, what do we do? We do things that will please our teacher. Likewise, we need to adopt all the qualities that Bhagavān is telling us and do things as HE wants us to do. That will make us HIS favorite devotee. 

Bhagavān now says we need to become śhubha-aśhubha-parityāgī. We should anyways renounce our bad habits like hurting other living beings, telling lies, littering our neighborhood etc. But we should not be doing an excess of anything that is not bad too. Like eating sweets. There is noting wrong in eating sweets but if we eat too much of that then we will have worms in our stomach which is going to make us sick. So even if something is not bad, we should not overindulge in it. This was Bhagavān's advise for the twenty-nineth and thirtieth qualities.

Bhagavān tells us how to behave with others as the thirty-first quality of a good devotee. HE says we should be friendly with all and should never show animosity towards anyone. For example, it’s your birthday and your parents are making a list of the guests to invite. We sometimes say we don’t want to call a particular Uncle or Aunty whom we don’t like, maybe because they ask us too many questions about our studies. That is not right. We should be polite to all and not dislike anyone or consider as an enemy. 

We always like it when someone praises us for something good that we do, and dislike it if we are punished or insulted. Maybe, one day we forgot to complete our homework and the teacher made us stand on the bench. We hate that and sulk over it for days. In the thirty-second quality, Bhagavan is telling us to not be too affected by māna-apamānayoḥ that is either praise or by insult.

The next or the thirty-third quality Bhagavan explains is Śītoṣṇa which talks about how we should conduct ourselves in cold and warm climate. We should not become very impacted by the outside weather and accept then as they are. Some writer had said, “reject your sense of injury and the injury itself will disappear”. This means that if we don’t think too much about our injury and hurt, we will not feel the pain too much. So, we should not be too impacted by any condition.

Bhagavān tells us to not have any attachment to material things. For example, if we plan a party with our friends on Sunday, and it doesn’t happen for some reason, we should absolutely not start crying like Nobita, because we can always have the party some other day. That is the thirty-fourth quality, Bhagavān wants us to have to be his favorite. 

Bhagavān already told us to remain equally composed and in control of our behavior if we are praised or insulted. Bhagavān reiterates this in the thirty-fifth quality and says we should remain equipoised (perfectly balanced in attitude) whether praised or scolded. 

The thirty-sixth and the thirty-seventh qualities that Bhagavān loves to see in all his favorite devotees are positiveness and the ability to remain happy. HE wants us to have the ability to think positively even if the circumstance is a bit tough or difficult one. We should not lose our ability to be happy even in the face of difficulties. 

Like the thirty-fourth quality, the thirty-eighth quality tells us not be too attached to a particular place. We should be aniketaḥ which means without attachment to the place of residence. For example, we sometimes don’t want to go to school and want to stay at home, because we like to be at home.

The thirty-ninth and the last quality which Bhagavān advises us to get is the ability to remain focussed. When we sit down to do our homework, we shouldn’t get distracted and start watching TV, the moment our mother walks out of the room. Bhagavān loves those who have the ability to remain focused and are sincere in their action.

Finally, Bhagavān Shri Krishna tells us through Arjuna that just like a teacher likes those students who are sincere, and study well, HE too loves those devotees who follow HIS teachings and try to adopt the 39 good qualities with steady faith and sincerity. Only with such a character and temperament does one become dear to Ishwar.

With this, Bhagavān completes explaining the Bhakti Yoga to Arjuna.

The session concluded with Hari Nama Sankirtana, followed by a Questions and Answers session and chanting of Hanuman Chalisa.


Questions and Answers:

Pritesh Neve Bhaiya
Q: How did Bhagavān Shri Krishna say the entire Bhagavad Gītā in such a short time?
A: It was not a very short time. It was 45 minutes. When Arjuna was depressed and said that he cannot go to war, Bhagavān recited the entire Gītā to him in order to motivate him. We can learn the Bhagavad Gītā in 6 months. Once we learn, we can also render it in 45 - 50 minutes.

Ram Srikar Bhaiya
Q: Can you please tell me the meaning of the line ‘yasmān nodvijate loko lokān nodvijate cha yaḥ’ in the 15th Shloka?
A: The meaning of this Shloka is, do not get agitated by people, nor people should be agitated by you. Dwijate means agitate. Some people get irritated by small things.

Devika Vyas Didi
Q: When will the quiz questionnaire come?
A: It will come as a surprise test, and will be open for 24 hours. It will come in your group.

Riddhima Khetan Didi
Q: The 39 pages that Jyoti didi spoke about, I did not see those pages?
A: Those 39 points will be sent to you through a pdf document with summary of the Vivechan. It will have a detailed interpretation of what has been being explained by Jyoti Didi. Also, in your WhatsApp group, you will find names and numbers of your group co-ordinators and batch-coordinator. You can connect with them and clear your doubts, if any.

Dhruv Bhaiya
Q: When will we get the meanings of the shlokas in Chapter - 12?
A: You already get meanings through jpegs after class every day. Plus, you will get the interpretation of the shlokas taken up in the Vivechan in a pdf form in 2-3 days.

Q: Will the quiz be related to the 12th chapter?
A: The quiz will be related to different topics, like Ramayana and Mahabharata. But, the questions will be easy.

Om Lohia Bhaiya
Q: You said, Bhagavān Krishna said the entire Bhagavad Gītā in 45 minutes, how did he do that? We are unable to learn by heart.
A: Jyoti didi knows it by heart. If you attend class regularly and do all the 4 levels, and give exams, you too will be able to learn it by heart.

Rupali Doras Didi
Q: How will children understand the Gītā at their age? Also, what is the way to control anger?
A: Jyoti Didi has given examples to suit the intellect of the children. Gītā should be explained to them in a way they can understand it.
Anger, Ashu Bhaiya says, can be controlled by taking a deep breath and doing reverse counting. Meditation and Prāṇayama also helps to control negative emotions.

Parnika Pandey Didi
Q: Please explain meaning of 16th shloka.?
A: Anapeksha means no expectation for the work you have done. Work without expectation. Suchir means keeping internal and external purity. Daksha means perfect in whatever one does. Udasino means to be neutral and not be too affected by events. Gata-vyathaḥ means being self-controlled and not become overjoyed or very depressed with anything. means Sarvārambha-parityāgī means performing our duties without attachment to the work done. Finally, mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ means such persons are loved by God.

Anay Bhaiya
Q: Why does Krishnaji wear peacock feather on his head?
A: Firstly, Krishna likes to wear the peacock feather, so he wears it. Secondly, it symbolises HIS victory over the Bhagavān of the peacock, Kaam Dev. Thirdly, it was a symbol of his best friend, Radha.

Rudra Bhaiya
Q: What is PRN?
A: PRN means Participant Registration Number. This number is unique to all individuals participating in the programme. The quiz will open only when you put your individual PRN number. You can get your PRN number on learngita.com/prn.

Rekha Wagh Didi
Q: What does eva cha mean in Shloka-13?
A: It means ‘and also’.

Shreyansh Karkande Bhaiya
Q: Can we answer poll questions on Youtube?
A: No that is not possible.

Mishta Mundra Didi
Q: Why do we not learn the first chapter, first? Why do we do the 12th chapter?
A: We learn the 12th chapter first, because it is the easiest to understand.

Aarav Mishra Bhaiya
Q: Where did Bhagavān Shri Krishna get the knowledge of Bhagavad Gita to tell Arjuna?
A: Knowledge can neither be created nor destroyed. It remains in the Cosmos. Krishnaji observed it in the Cosmos and narrated to Arjuna.

Nikshay Sharma Bhaiya
Q: You said Bhagavad Gītā was a conversation between Bhagavān Krishna and Arjuna. Then why do we have Dritarashtra uvaca and Sanjay uvaca in Gītā?
A: Dhritarashtra and Sanjay are in their room in the palace and Dhritarashra was asking Sanjay to narrate what was happening on the battlefield. Sanjay with his Divya Drishti like a CCTV camera could see and hear the conversation between Bhagavān Shri Krishna and Arjuna. He was hearing that and narrating the same to Dritarashtra.

Vaibhavi Yadav Didi
Q: How did Krishnaji get his flute.
A: Maybe his parents would have given it to him.
Devika Vyas Didi chipped in saying it was given to HIM by Shiv Bhagavān.