Bhagavad Gita - Daily - II CHAPTER 4 - 5 II

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Gita 4 - 5

 

Shri Bhagavan uvaaca

 

bahuni me vyatitaani janmaani tava caarjuna

tanyaham veda sarvani na tvam vettha parantapa (Gita 4/5)

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

" O scorcher of foes (Arjuna), you and I have passed through many births, I know

them all, but you do not know them. "

 

From " Gita Prabodhani " in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji

 

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Chapter 4, Verse 5 is as follows;

 

Shree Bhagavaana = The Blessed Lord

Uvaacha = said

Bahooni = many

Me = my

Vyateetaani = have passed by / occurred

Janmaani = births

Tava = your

Cha = and

Arjuna = Arjuna

Taani = them

Aham = I

Veda = know

SarvaaNi = all

Na = not

Tvam = you

Vettha = know

Parantapa = O scorcher of foes / Arjuna

 

English translation:-

 

The Blessed Lord answered, " O Arjuna, many births of mine and yours have passed

by; I know them all while you do not know, O scorcher of foes (Arjuna). "

 

Comment:

 

After unveiling the first eternal truth of indestructibility of the `Aatman' in

the second chapter of Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, now Lord Krishna unveils the

second eternal truth of `Avatara' i.e. the Incarnation to his dear friend and

beloved devotee Arjuna. Lord Krishna says, " Numerous births of Mine have already

taken place. I know them all due to My eternally pure, ever awake and free

Spiritual Nature and unimpaired cognitive Yogic Powers. However, O Arjuna, you

do not remember them as your powers have been impeded by `A-Dnyaana' i.e.

ignorance. "

 

Arjuna is a `Jivatman' i.e. an embodied soul that is bound by his `Karmas' i.e.

actions in the preceding births as well as in the current life form and

therefore, he has no memory of his previous births. On the other hand, Lord

Krishna being the Incarnation of Lord VishNu, he is always Omnipresent,

Omnipotent. He remembers all his Incarnations / Avataras and the fact that He

enlightened the Sun in our planetary system at the beginning of the Universe.

Please refer the Verses 7 to 9 in chapter 4 of Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, wherein

Lord Krishna has asserted that He plans His own birth from time to time and His

numerous births as well as His countless endeavours are `Divyam' i.e. Divine due

to His Yogic powers or forces that are Universal, Omnipresent and Omnipotent in

nature, which transcend the collective cognitive powers of any human physical

body, mind and intellect.

 

" Incarnations are the personifications of the `Param-Ishwara' i.e. the Supreme

Being or the Brahman. In the ocean of `Sat – Chit – Aananda' a wave rises up in

one place at one time and it is called Lord Krishna. Another wave rises at

another place, sometime later and it is called as Jesus Christ. " ……………… Shri

Ramakrishna Paramahansa.

 

Please refer the Verse 21 in Chapter 13 of Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, wherein Lord

Krishna has clarified, " 'Purusha' i.e. the enlivening Spirit seated in

`Prakruti' i.e. physical matter indeed experiences the `GuNaas' i.e. qualities

born of `Prakruti' and attachment to `GuNaas' is the cause of numerous births of

multitude of beings in good and evil wombs. "

 

Please refer the Verse 19 in Chapter 7 of Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, wherein Lord

Krishna has asserted, " After many such births, the man of wisdom finally reaches

Me, realizing that all is `Vaasudeva' i.e. the ultimate reality of spiritual

enlightenment after realizing the eternal association with the Supreme Self.

Such a great soul is indeed rare to find. "

 

Only upon the Self realisation, one transcends the perpetual cycle of birth and

death and in effect one merges with the Pure Consciousness. As long as one

remains confined to realm of conditioned consciousness, one's knowledge is

limited by his / her physical body, mind, intellect and the external

environmental factors based on place and time. Throughout one's life, one is

conscious of individual unique perceptions of material objects, the resultant

variety of emotions and various thought experiments. One cannot be in a state of

objectless, emotionless and thoughtless awareness due to the embodiment of the

`Aatman' the sub-set of the super-set the `Brahman'.

 

However, the Pure Unconditioned Consciousness illumines all the experiences of

the past, the present and the future lives. Not only one's own but of all the

living beings. This is the state of Lord Krishna, as He knows everything,

everywhere at all periods of time. Lord Krishna reveals this Eternal Truth of

Incarnation i.e. `Avatara' to Arjuna.

 

In Dnyaaneshwaree, Santa Dnyaaneshwara in his characteristic poetic style has

narrated;

 

" I am without a shape or form `That' Truth will never be torn. Even if I may

appear with a shape and a form. It is because of My Nature, that I am born "

 

Many western scholars of Indology and Vedanta philosophy, including the famous

Max Mueller from Germany, have criticized the Incarnation theory as a baseless

meta-physical twaddle and scholastic hair-splitting.

 

In response to such criticisms from many such quarters, I would like to cite the

verses 39 and 40 in Chapter 4 of Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, wherein Lord Krishna

has stressed that only those who have faith in Him can aspire to have the

ultimate knowledge of the Self and those ignorant who are devoid of faith, the

ever-doubting lot are destined for self destruction and there is neither this

mortal world on the Earth nor any other place in other worlds for them and they

will never accrue happiness in their entire lives.

 

Similarly, please refer the Verses 3 and 11 from Chapter 9 of Shreemad Bhagawad

Geeta as additional counter arguments to non-believers in the theory of

Incarnation.

 

Not a single mortal embodiment can be the result of a mere accident as there is

Divine purpose and Divine intervention in every creation in the entire Universe.

 

No scientific observation or evidence can reach the level of absolute and

irrefutable proof of the existence of the Supreme Being. There are many physical

constants like mass of an electron, charge of an electron, speed of light in

vacuum etc. which are given and are accepted as a matter of scientific faith.

Even in mathematics, a point is defined as an entity, which has no dimensions

i.e. no length, no breadth and no height. We cannot take a photo of a

mathematical point because the resolution of picture element or pixel of a

digital / analogue camera will define the precise size of the dot, which will go

against the very definition of a mathematical point. On the assumption of the

existence of a mathematical point, we define a line as a set of points. Then we

define a two dimensional plane as a set of lines. Later on, we define a three

dimensional space as a set of two dimensional planes. We build a nice

mathematical theory on something that we cannot define which is apparently as

simple as a mathematical point. What is the point in building such castles in

air, if we simply define but cannot prove as simple thing as a mathematical

point? That is precisely the point that I am trying to stress. This is precisely

the turning point, where a scientific faith and a religious faith coalesce.

 

In `A Brief History of Time' Stephen Hawking, one of the most respected

contemporary mathematicians and physicists has stated, " It would be very

difficult to explain why the universe should have been this way, except as the

act of God, who intended to create living beings like all of us. "

 

In the succeeding Verses 6 to 8 in Chapter 4 of Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, Lord

Krishna explains under what conditions and circumstances; He transforms Himself

from His original `Avyakta' i.e. imperceptible form into `Vyakta' i.e.

perceptible form and returns back to His original `Avyakta' i.e. imperceptible

form.

 

Thanks & Best Regards,

Shrikant Joshi.

 

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To read the SADHAK SANJIVAN in Hindi please visit :

 

http://www.swamiramsukhdasji.org/swamijibooks/pustak/pustak1/html/SadhakSanjeevn\

\\i/main.html

 

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