204. Two types of Death




Krishna says, "When a wise person perceives that there is no agent of action other than the three gunas (modes of nature), and realises 'that' which is higher than the gunas, he attains My being (14.19). By transcending the three gunas (guna-ateeth), one (dehi) is released from birth, death, old age and misery; and attains immortality" (14.20). Essentially, the three gunas are the agents of action or real kartha (doer). 

One way to understand death is as the separation of the atma from the physical body when the body can't sustain automaticity for numerous reasons. Subsequently, the immortal atma goes to another body and the cycle continues. This leads to the belief that inexplicable bad phases of our life are a result of the bad karma, sins or curses of previous lives and good phases are noble deeds (punyas) of previous lives. Spiritual texts are also interpreted accordingly. 

The second type of death is the separation of atma from the physical body while the body is still capable and functional. This is called moksha (ultimate freedom) or enlightenment. This is the state where gunas no longer have the ability to bind the atma to the physical body. Krishna describes this state as transcending gunas and says such people attain HIS being. They are free from misery and are immortal. 

These verses clarify that no guna is inferior or superior. They are modes of nature with different characteristics but all of them bind atma with the body. The essence is to transcend all of the gunas as being guna-ateeth is being healthy, while being under the influence of any guna is like suffering from a disease. Another inference is that one can transcend from any guna to the state of guna-ateeth. There is no hierarchy amongst the gunas hence there is no need for us to follow a sequence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

1. Start with Ahankaar

Image
Bhagavad Gita is a 700 verse conversation between Lord Krishna and Warrior Arjun in the battle field of Kurukshetra.  Just before the start of war, Arjun gets the feeling that war would kill many of his friends and relatives and argues that this is bad from many points of view.  Arjuns dilemma eminates from his presumption that " I am doer" - Aham karta and is also known as Ahankaar . This Ahankaar keeps us telling that we are distinct, but reality is different. Though ego is usually given as meaning to Ahankaar , but ego can be taken as one of many manifestations of Ahankaar . The entire conversation is about this Ahankaar , be it directly or indirectly and Krishna gives various paths and milestones (yardsticks) to get rid of it. If we take Kurukshetra war as a metaphor, all of us enter into a situations, like Arjun did, in our daily lives be it in family, work place and interms of health, wealth, relationships etc. As long as one lives, these dilemmas are natu
Read more

179. Shifting Goalposts

Image
A doctor, working at a mental hospital, took a friend to show him the hospital. His friend saw a man in a room with a photo of a woman and the doctor explained that the man loved that woman and got mentally unstable when he couldn't marry her. In the next room, there was another man with the same woman's photo and the doctor explained that he got mentally unstable after he married her. This ironic story explains how fulfilled and unfulfilled desires can have similar disastrous consequences.  The same thing happened with Arjun. At the beginning of the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita titled ' Vishwaroopa Darshana yoga ', he wanted to see Krishna in HIS original form. But he was frightened when he saw the Vishwaroopam of Krishna. Shaken, Arjun now desires to see Krishna in his human form. Similarly, our goalposts in life keep shifting with time. Krishna shows his Vishwaroopam in which Arjun sees that all his enemies are entering into the mouth of death.
Read more

194. HE Dwells in Hearts of All

Image
Krishna says, "'That which is to be known' is the Sustainer, Destroyer and Creator of beings; indivisible and yet existing as if divided in living beings (13.17). The Light of lights; Beyond the darkness. He is knowledge, the object and the goal of knowledge. He dwells in the hearts of all (13.18). Realising this, My devotee attains My Being" (13.19). "He dwells in the hearts of all" was dealt with earlier when Krishna said that he who has perfected in yoga finds the wisdom in the self (4.38). Shraddha-vaan (one with Shraddha ) and Jitendriya (one who conquered senses) obtain wisdom leading to parama-shanti (supreme peace) (4.39). The ignorant, devoid of Shraddha is ruined and there is no happiness for him in this world or another (4.40). HE is indivisible and yet exists as if divided in the living beings, the inability to comprehend this at the existential level is the source of misery. It is like the proverbial elephant and five blind men w
Read more