Translation Series - Gita Bhashya - Introduction 3/3

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

Third of the three-part set on the introductory chapter in the Gita
commentary.

Posted on August 21, 2002, 6:50 pm, Pacific Standard Time by Vidyasankar

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Text -
----
tasya asya giitaashaastrasya sa.nxepataH prayojanaM paraM niHshreyasaM
sahetukasya sa.nsaarasya atyantoparamalaxaNam.h . tachcha sarvakarma-
sa.nnyaasapuurvakaat.h aatmaGYaananiShThaaruupaat.h dharmaat.h bhavati .
tathaa imaM eva giitaarthaM dharmaM uddishya bhagavataa eva uktam.h -
"sa hi dharmaH suparyaapto brahmaNaH padavedane" iti anugiitaasu .
tatraiva cha uktam.h - "naiva dharmii na chaadharmii na chaiva hi
shubhaashubhii," "yaH syaadekaayane liinaH tuuShNiiM ki.nchidachintayan.h,"
"GYaanaM sa.nnyaasalaxaNam.h" iti cha . ihaapi cha ante uktaM arjunaaya -
"sarvadharmaan.h pariytajya maamekaM sharaNaM vraja" iti .

Translation -
-----------
The ultimate goal of the teaching of the Gita is the highest good
(niHshreyasa),
which is liberation from transmigratory existence and its cause. This comes
from the dharma of abiding in Self-knowledge, preceded by the renunciation
of
all works (sarvakarma-sa.nnyaasa). Referring to this dharma taught in the
Gita,
it is said by the Lord Himself in the Anugita [1], "This dharma is all that
one needs, to know brahman." (MBh 14.16.12). In the same text, it is said,
"Neither actively pursuing the law, nor by being lawless pursuing neither
good
nor evil" (MBh 14.19.7) [2]; "He who is firmly grounded, silent, thinking no
thoughts (MBh 14.19.9); and "Knowledge is characteric of renunciation
(14.43.25).
In the Gita itself, in the end, Arjuna is told, "Renouncing everything,
resort
to Me alone" (BhG 18.66).

Text -
----
abhudayaartho.api yaH pravR^ittilaxaNaH dharmaH varNaan.h aashramaa.nshcha
uddishya vihitaH sa devaadisthaanapraaptihetuH api san.h
iishvaraarpaNabuddhyaa anuShThiiyamaanaH satvashuddhaye bhavati
phalaabhisandhivarjitaH . shuddhasatvasya
cha GYaananiShThaa-yogyataa-praaptidvaareNa GYaanotpatti-hetutvena cha
niHshreyasa-
hetutvam.h api pratipadyate . tathaa chemam.h eva artham.h abhisa.ndhaaya
vaxyati -
"brahmaNyaadhaaya karmaaNi," "yoginaH karma kurvanti saN^gaM
tyaktvaatmashuddhaye."

Translation -
-----------
The other goal of prosperity (abhyudaya), characterized by action, which is
meant
for the different classes and stations of people, is the cause of rewards
such as
the status of heavenly beings and the like. When such action is performed
without
a desire for such fruits, and with a sense of dedication to the Lord
(iishvara-
arpaNa-buddhi), purifies one's being. Such purification makes one eligible
for
knowledge and is also conducive to the rise of such knowledge, which in turn
leads
to liberation. Thus, it is said, "Grounding all works in brahman" (BhG
5.10),
"Yogins perform works, without any sense of attachment, for
self-purification"
(BhG 5.11).

Text -
----
imaM dviprakaaraM dharmaM niHshreyasaprayojanaM paramaarthatatvaM cha
vaasudevaakhyaM
parabrahmaabhidheyabhuutaM visheShataH abhivyaJNjayat.h vishiShTaprayojana-
sambandhaabhidheyavat.h giitaashaastram.h . yataH tadarthaviGYaane samasta-
puruShaarthasiddhiH ataH tadvivaraNe yatnaH kriyate mayaa ..

atra cha dhR^itaraaShTra uvaacha - "dharmaxetre" ityaadi .

Translation -
-----------
This two-fold dharma, culminating in the goal of the highest liberation, the
Highest
Truth that is para-brahman, also called Vasudeva, is the teaching of the
Gita, which
also sets forth the goal (prayojana) of this teaching, and the relation
(sambandha)
of this teaching to us. As its study yields all the goals of man
(purushaartha), this
endeavour to explain it is being done by me. [3]

And thus, Dhritarashtra said - "in the holy field" (BhG 1.1) etc. [4]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes -
-----

1. The Anugita is part of the Ashvamedha-parvan (Book 14) of the
Mahabharata. Chapter
and verse numbers are given for reference, e.g. MBh 14.16.12 - this is verse
12 in
chapter 16 in the 14th book of the Mahabharata. Where verses from the Gita
are given,
the format adopted is as follows - BhG 18.66 refers to verse 66 of Gita
chapter 18.

2. naiva dharmii na chaadharmii na chaiva hi shubhaashubhii - This
half-verse is given
differently in the critical edition of the Mahabharata (naiva dharmii na
chaadharmii
pUrvopacitahA ca yaH). It is possible that there were multiple readings of
the verse in
different transmissions.

3. I have tried to conserve the usage of active and passive voices between
the Sanskrit
original and the English translation. Thus, yatnaH kriyate mayaa = endeavour
is being
done by me, etc. The resultant translation may or may not be better for it.
I would like
feedback from readers on this, via personal email.

4. This is the end of the introductory chapter. It introduces the first
verse of the
Gita, but Sankara Bhagavatpada has not commented on the entire first chapter
and the
first ten verses of the second chapter. The next post in this series will
therefore
begin with the commentary on verse 2.1


_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com