Tuesday, May 13, 2014

What follows what?

Chapter 7, shloka 27,
icchādveṣasamutthena
dvandvamohena bhārata |
sarvabhūtāni saṃmohaṃ
sarge yānti parantapa ||
--
(icchādveṣasamutthena
dvandvamohena bhārata |
sarvabhūtāni sammoham
sarge yānti parantapa ||)
--
Meaning :
O arjuna! From the very birth itself, all beings are subject to delusion that follows from desire / attraction, fear / repulsion,  doubt / confusion and clinging / attachment.
--
 Note :
This may be an interesting exercise to think over what follows what? Though according to my understanding of Sanskrit, the given Meaning of the shloka referred to here is very correct, Could we perhaps re-phrase restructure the above in this light 'what follows what?'. Hope to write a post based on this question.
--  
This question is of crucial importance in that it alters the whole approach to give us a new lease of looking into this holy text. Keeping in the mind the spirit of finding out 'Truth' by means of right enquiry, as is instructed in the following :

Chapter 4, shloka 34,
--
tadviddhi praNipAtena
pariprashnena sewayA |
upadekShyanti te jnAnaM
jnAninastatvadarshinaH ||
--
Meaning :
Know / grasp 'That' (Reality / Brahman) by means of serving them with due respect and honor, and questioning them properly about the Reality . And they, -those who have themselves Realized the same, will point out the way to This (Reality) for you,
--
We can rest assured that asking such a question is according to the traditional way of learning and here also find a link with the teachings of Spiritual Teachers like Sri RamaNa MaharShi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, and Shri J.Krishnamurti, who ask and deal with the fundamental questions, the existential questions.
The 'Consciousness'.
The truth of 'being' and 'knowing' are the primal truths which need no evidence. As a matter of fact these two factors which are but 2 aspects of a single Reality, are the evidence of anything and everything else.
Vedanta terms them as 'sat' and 'chit'. So, what is called 'the mind' is always an expression of these 2 prime factors. The 'consciousness' that evolves / emerges out as a person though seems to be a product of the physical body, in fact there is another 'consciousness' where-in this body and this 'consciousness' / 'mind' own existence and dissolve again.
Let us consider the question.
 'what follows what?'
The tendencies like desire / attraction, fear / repulsion, doubt / confusion, clinging / attachment,...
Do they originate from the consciousness, or does the consciousness originate from them.
We have to find out.
We need not conclude. But the understanding will take its own way and let us know,
 what follows what?'
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