[Advaita-l] GITA - avatArikA : part 1

[Amuthan Arunkumar R]

namo nArAyaNAya!

ma~ngala shlokAni 
*****************

vanamAlI gadI shAr~ngI shankI chakrI cha nandakI.
shrImAn nArAyaNo viShNurvAsudevo'bhirakShatu..

vande'haM premikendraM tam AchAryam madhusUdanam.
ramaNaM ca dayAsindhuM gItAshAstrArthasiddhaye..

vamshIvibhUshitakarAn navanIradAbhAt
pItAmbarAdaruNabimbaphalAdharoShThAt.
pUrNendusundaramukhAdaravindanetrAt
kR^iShNatparaM kimapi tattvamahaM na jAne..

idaM tu nirmalaM j~nAnaM dvaitAtItaM paraM sukham.
yajj~nAtvA labhate yogI tadviShNoH paramaM padam..

avatArikA - summary of G.B.[0]
*******************************

the supreme lord, shrIman nArAyaNa, who is in eternal
possession of ananta kalyANa guNa-s like j~nAna, bala,
aishvarya etc., though unborn, eternally pure and
free, incarnated as kR^iShNa using His mAyA, to
re-establish the two-fold vaidika dharma [1], which
was lost in the course of time due to the predominance
of adharma over dharma [2]. the two-fold vaidika
dharma consists of pravR^itti dharma and nivR^itti
dharma. pravR^itti dharma is the performance of
activities based on the veda-s in accordance with
one's varNa and Ashrama [3]. nivR^itti dharma is
marked by j~nAna and vairAgya - sannyAsa in short [4].
the purpose of gItA is to teach the final liberation,
in which saMsAra, together with it's causes, is
completely eradicated. this is acheived by steady
abidance in Atma j~nAna, preceded by complete
renunciation of all activities [5]. mokSha is through
sannyAsa only [6]. the purpose of teaching pravR^itti
dharma is for the attainment of chitta shuddhi for
those who cannot immediately renounce all actions.
when the nitya and naimittika karma-s are performed,
renouncing the respective karmaphala-s, with
IshvarArpana buddhi, chitta shuddi is obtained, which
gives one the eligibility for sannyAsa [7]. thus, this
two-fold dharma, having only niHshreyasa (final
liberation) in view is taught by kR^iShNa, though
devoid of any purpose for Himself, for the welfare of
all beings, to arjuna, who was immersed in sorrow and
delusion [8], along with the supreme truth which is
identical to vAsudeva [9].

adhikArI for gItA
*****************

BP does not explicitly state the adhikArI for gItA. he
has written the bhAShya having mainly a uttamAdhikArI
in mind. MS, however, clearly states in his G.D. that
the adhikArI for gItA in one who is very eager to
attain mokSha, in order to eradicate sorrow and
delusion, which are the roots of this beginningless
saMsAra [10]. 

in the next post, some particular features of the
avatArikA-s of G.B. and G.D. will be taken up.    

references
**********

[0] abbreviations used : G.B. - sha~Nkara's gItA
bhAshya, G.D. - gUDhArtha dIpikA, BP - bhagavatpAda,
MS - madhusUdana sarasvatI. 

[1] sa cha bhagavAn j~nAnaishvaryashaktibalavIrya-
tejobhiH sadA sampannaH... vaidikaM dharmadvayam...
upadidesha... (G.B. avatArikA [G.B.A.])

[2] dIrghena kAlena anuShThAtR^InAM kAmodbhavAt...
pravardhamAne chAdharme... (G.B.A.)

[3] dvividho hi vedokto dharmaH pravR^ittilakShaNaH
nivrR^ittilakShanashca...anuShThIyamAnaH. (G.B.A.) 

[4] ...nivR^ittilakShaNaM dharmaM j~nAnavairAgya-
lakShaNaM... (G.B.A.)

[5] ...prayojanam paraM nishreyasaM sahetukasya
saMsArasya atyantoparamalakShaNam. taccha sarvakarma-
sannyAsapUrvakAt Atmaj~nAnaniShThArUpAt dharmAt
bhavati. (G.B.A.)

[6] "j~nAnaM sannyAsalakShaNam", "sarvadharmAn
parityajya mAmekaM sharaNam vraja" (quoted by BP in
G.B.A.)

[7] abhyudayArtho'pi... nishreyasahetutvamapi
pratipadyate. (G.B.A.)

[8] svaprayojanAbhAve'pi... upadidesha (G.B.A.)

[9] imaM dviprakAraM dharmaM niHshreyasaprayojanaM
paramArthatattvaM cha vAsudevAkhyaM
parabrahmAbhideyabhUtam... (G.B.A.)

[10] anAdibhavasantAnanirUDham...(45),
evamAkA~nkShayAviShTam...shAstramuttamam (46) (G.D.)
 
vAsudevaH sarvaM,
aparyaptAmR^itaH. 

Amuthan Arunkumar R,
Final year, B.Tech/M.Tech Dual Degree,
Dept. of Aerospace Engg., IIT Madras.


		
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