holy Bhagwad Geeta

यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतस: |
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम् || 38||
कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभि: पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम् |
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन || 39||


1.38-39:Their thoughts are overpowered by greed and they see no wrong in annihilating their relatives or wreaking treachery upon friends. Yet, O Janardan (Krishna), why should we, who can clearly see the crime in killing our kindred, not turn away from this sin?










Commentary:

Although a warrior by occupation, Arjun abhorred unnecessary violence. An incident at the end of the battle of Mahabharat reveals this side of his character. The hundred Kauravas had been killed, but in revenge, Ashwatthama, son of Dronacharya, crept into the Pandava camp at night and killed the five sons of Draupadi while they were sleeping. Arjun caught Ashwatthama, tied him like an animal, and brought him to the feet of Draupadi, who was crying. However, being soft-hearted and forgiving, she said that because Ashwatthama was the son of their Guru, Dronacharya, he should be forgiven. Bheem, on the other hand, wanted Ashwatthama to be killed immediately. In a dilemma, Arjun looked for a solution toward Shree Krishna, who said, “A respect-worthy Brahmin must be forgiven even if he may have temporarily fallen from virtue. But a person who approaches to kill with a lethal weapon must certainly be punished.” Arjun understood Shree Krishna’s equivocal instructions. He did not kill Ashwatthama; instead he cut the Brahmin tuft behind his head, removed the jewel from his forehead, and expelled him from the camp. So, Arjun’s very nature is to shun violence wherever possible. In this particular situation, he says that he knows it is improper to kill kindred and elders:

ṛitvikpurohitāchāryair mātulātithisanśhritaiḥ
bālavṛiddhāturair vaidyair jñātisaṁbandhibāndhavaiḥ
(Manu Smriti 4.179) [v4]

“One should not quarrel with the Brahmin who performs the fire sacrifice, the family priest, teacher, maternal uncle, guest, those who are dependent upon one, children, elders, doctor and relatives.” Arjun thus concluded that being overpowered by greed, the Kauravas might have deviated from propriety and had lost their discrimination, but why should he, who did not have any sinful motive, engage in such an abominable act?

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किसी भी चर्चित व्यक्ति खासतौर पर एक चर्चित स्त्री का जीवन एकरेखीय नहीं होता. उनका भी नहीं था.

रमणिका गुप्ता मेरे लिए एक सकारात्मक ऊर्जा का नाम है. ऐसी ऊर्जा जो अंत तक अपने होने का भरपूर उत्सव मनाती हैं. इस बात को सिरे से नज़रअंदाज़ करते हुए कि कोई दूसरा उनके उस उत्सव में शामिल है या नहीं. उनके यहां भाग्यवाद को एक तिनके भर की जगह नहीं थी. जीवन के विद्यार्थी के रूप में उनके करीब से मैंने जो चीज़ें सीखीं उनमें सकारात्मकता का साथ और भाग्यवाद से दूरी बनाए रखने की प्राथमिक सबसे अहम थी.

 
उनके साथ से ही यह भी समझा कि यदि आपको किसी जीवन से प्रेरणा ग्रहण करनी हो तो अपनी प्रत्यक्ष सूझ-बूझ पर ही भरोसा करनी चाहिए, सुनी-सुनाई कहानियों पर नहीं.

आदिवासी साहित्य में रमणिका गुप्ता का योगदान अद्वितीय है

अपने  लंबे  जीवन में उन्होंने  कभी हार नहीं मानी, जीवन को जीवन की तरह जिया,  किसी मरीचिका या सपने  की तरह नहीं. बरसों तक  देर रात काम करते-करते सोने के बाद सुबह नहा-धो कर वो ठस के साथ अपनी घड़ी का फीता बांधती थीं. देखकर लगता था कि आज भी उन्हें किसी  मिशन पर ठीक उसी तरह निकलना है जैसे वो अपने ट्रेड यूनियन के समय या विधायकी के समय निकलती थी.

 

ग्रहण करने का ज़ज़्बा  रखने वाले रमणिका जी की सक्रियता से काफी कुछ ग्रहण कर  सकते थे, नहीं कर पाने वालों के हाथ केवल नाकारत्मकता ही लगती थी.  

 

उनकी बेहद सक्रिय जीवनचर्या से रूबरू होने के बाद  यह समझना मुश्किल  नहीं  था कि एक स्वावलंबी जीवन अपने लिए बेहद आरामतलबी की मांग नहीं करता बल्कि  उस जीवन की कमर सीधी रखने के लिए बहुत कठिन अभ्यास  करता पड़ता  है. उनके विस्तृत कार्यक्षेत्र में एक संपादिका, लेखिका, राजनेत्री के  तौर पर उनकी सक्रियता को देखते हुए उनसे काफी कुछ सीखा मैंने.

 

चाहे वह लेखक संगठनों के आपसी झगड़ों पर उनका टेक  हो या फिर  हालिया राजनीति  की  उठा-पटक पर. यह उनके व्यक्तित्व की साफगोई ही थी कि उन्होंने रिश्तों की पाखंडता में कभी विश्वास नहीं किया. जब तक किसी रिश्ते में रही उसे जीया और  उसकी ऊष्मा खत्म होने के बाद कभी पीछे मुड़कर नहीं देखा.

 

  
किसी भी चर्चित व्यक्ति खासतौर पर एक  चर्चित स्त्री का जीवन एकरेखीय नहीं होता. उनका भी नहीं था. कई बार उनसे विचारों से इत्तेफाक न रखने के बाद भी कभी किसी भी बात पर उनसे मन खट्टा नहीं हुआ. कई बार आवेश में कहे गए मेरे वाक्यों का भी उन्होंने कभी बुरा नहीं माना.

उनसे ग्यारह साल का परिचय था मगर लगता है कि  सदियों से  उनका संग-साथ रहा है . अपनी राजनीतिक सक्रियता से जुडी न जाने कितनी ही बातें सुनाते समय उनकी आंखों में चमक साफ़ तौर पर दिखाई देती थी. आज भी बरसों पहले कोयला-खादानों में काम करने वाले मजदूर उन्हें शिद्दत से याद करते हुए फ़ोन करते थे. फिर रमणिका जी बताती थीं ये फलां था हमारे साथ फलां आंदोलन में. 

 

उनकी पैनी याददाश्त मुझे हमेशा चमत्कृत करती. अपनी जिद पर अड़े रहना उनके व्यक्तित्व का बड़ा हिस्सा था, मुझे हमेशा ऐसा लगा है कि इस बड़ी जिद ने ही उन्हें वे मजबूत पांव दिए. उसके बूते वे अपनी पसंद की जीवन-राह पर चलती रहीं ताउम्र.  कभी शांत न होने वाली बेचैनी उनमे अक्सर ही  दिखाई देती.  हर पल उनके भीतर कोई योजना आकार ले रही होती. उसी योजना के सिलसिले में अपने सहयोगियों को योजना से संबंधित लोगों से फ़ोन लगाने को कहती.

 
दक्षिण दिल्ली की डिफेंस कॉलोनी में उनका निवास मेरे लिए दूसरे घर जैसा था.  इन ग्यारह सालों में कितने ही लोग जरुरत के समय उनके घर शरण लेते रहे. वे कहा भी करती थी मेरा घर एक कम्यून  है. 
 
अब वह बेचैन जीवन अपनी पूरी परिक्रमा कर गया है लेकिन उनकी ऊर्जा ब्रह्मांड में अब भी मौजूद है अपनी पूरी सकारात्मकता के साथ. 

(लेखिका साहित्यकार-कलाकार हैं)

holy Bhagwad Geeta

निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रान्न: का प्रीति: स्याज्जनार्दन |
पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिन: || 36 || 
तस्मान्नार्हा वयं हन्तुं धार्तराष्ट्रान्स्वबान्धवान् |
स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिन: स्याम माधव || 37||


1.36-37: O Maintainer of all living entities, what pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhritarasthra? Even though they may be aggressors, sin will certainly come upon us if we slay them. Hence, it does not behoove us to kill our own cousins, the sons of Dhritarashtra, and friends. O Madhav (Krishna), how can we hope to be happy by killing our own kinsmen?








Commentary:

Having said “even though” twice in the last verse to justify his intention not to slay his relatives, Arjun again says, “Even though I were to kill them, what pleasure would I derive from such a victory?”

Fighting and killing is in most situations an ungodly act that brings with it feelings of repentance and guilt. The Vedas state that non-violence is a great virtue, and except in the extreme cases violence is a sin: mā hinsyāt sarvā bhūtāni[v3] “Do not kill any living being.” Here, Arjun does not wish to kill his relatives, for he considers it to be a sin. However, the Vasiṣhṭh Smṛiti (verse 3.19) states that there are six kinds of aggressors against whom we have the right to defend ourselves: those who set fire to one’s property, those who poison one’s food, those who seek to murder, those who wish to loot wealth, those who come to kidnap one’s wife, and those who usurp one’s kingdom. The Manu Smṛiti (8.351) states that if one kills such an aggressor in self-defense, it is not considered a sin.

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holy Bhagwad Geeta

आचार्या: पितर: पुत्रास्तथैव च पितामहा: |
मातुला: श्वशुरा: पौत्रा: श्याला: सम्बन्धिनस्तथा || 34|| 
एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन |
अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतो: किं नु महीकृते || 35||


1.34-35: Teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, grandsons, fathers-in-law, grand-nephews, brothers-in-law, and other kinsmen are present here, staking their lives and riches. O Madhusudan, I do not wish to slay them, even if they attack me. If we kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, what satisfaction will we derive from the dominion over the three worlds, what to speak of this Earth?


Commentary: Dronacharya and Kripacharya were Arjun’s teachers; Bheeshma and Somadatta were his grand-uncles; people like Bhurishrava (son of Somdatta) were like his father; Purujit, Kuntibhoj, Shalya, and Shakuni were his maternal uncles; the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra were his cousin brothers; Lakshman (Duryodhan’s son) was like his child. Arjun refers to all the varieties of his relatives present on the battlefield. He uses the word api (which means “even though”) twice. Firstly, “Why should they wish to kill me, even though I am their relative and well-wisher?” Secondly, “Even though they may desire to slay me, why should I wish to slay them?”
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holy Bhagwad Geeta

न काङ्क्षे विजयं कृष्ण न च राज्यं सुखानि च |
किं नो राज्येन गोविन्द किं भोगैर्जीवितेन वा || 32||
येषामर्थे काङ्क्षितं नो राज्यं भोगा: सुखानि च |
त इमेऽवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च || 33||


1.32-33: O Krishna, I do not desire the victory, kingdom, or the happiness accruing it. Of what avail will be a kingdom, pleasures, or even life itself, when the very persons for whom we covet them, are standing before us for battle?


Commentary: O Krishna, I do not desire the victory, kingdom, or the happiness accruing it. Of what avail will be a kingdom, pleasures, or even life itself, when the very persons for whom we covet them, are standing before us for battle?


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holi Bhagwad Geeta

Lord Krishna the chariot and Arjun

The Bhagavad-gita is the world’s oldest book of wisdom. The ‘As It Is’ edition, now forty years old, translated from the original Sanskrit with clear and straightforward commentary by the great scholar and saints, and, deserves a place on every bookshelf in every home. More importantly, it deserves to be read daily before breakfast, its verses discussed by thoughtful people, and its meaning put into practice by those who wish to see good in this world.

 

Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation of India, read the Gita during spells in prison and when in seclusion. He said that when he no longer saw a silver lining on the dark cloud in his life he would pick up his Gita and read words of comfort. English explorers and foreign scholars have all marvelled at the Gita – that so much deep philosophy could be placed in one book.

वेपथुश्च शरीरे मे रोमहर्षश्च जायते || 29||
गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात्वक्चै व परिदह्यते |
न च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मन: || 30|| 
निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव |
न च श्रेयोऽनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे || 31||


1.29-31:
My whole body shudders; my hair is standing on end. My bow, the Gāṇḍīv, is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning all over. My mind is in quandary and whirling in confusion; I am unable to hold myself steady any longer. O Krishna, killer of the Keshi demon, I only see omens of misfortune. I do not foresee how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle.


Commentary: As Arjun thought of the consequences of the war, he grew worried and sad. The same Gāṇḍīv bow, the sound of which had terrified powerful enemies, began dropping from his hand. His mind was reeling, thinking it was a sin to wage the war. In this unsteadiness of mind, he even descended to the level of accepting superstitious omens portending disastrous failures and imminent consequences.

holy-Bhagavad-Gita

अर्जुन उवाच |
दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् || 28||
सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति |


I.28: Arjun said: O Krishna, seeing my own kinsmen arrayed for battle here and intent on killing each other, my limbs are giving way and my mouth is drying up.


COMMENTARY:Affection can be either a material or a spiritual sentiment. Attachment for one’s relatives is a material emotion arising from the bodily concept of life. Thinking oneself to be the body, one gets attached to the relatives of the body. This attachment is based on ignorance, and drags one further into materialistic consciousness. Ultimately, such attachment ends in pain, for with the end of the body, the familial relationships end too. On the other hand, the Supreme Lord is the Father, Mother, Friend, Master, and Beloved of our soul. Consequently, attachment to him is a spiritual sentiment, at the platform of the soul, which elevates the consciousness and illumines the intellect. Love for God is oceanic and all-encompassing in its scope, while love for bodily relations is narrow and differentiating. Here, Arjun was experiencing material attachment, which was drowning his mind in an ocean of gloom, and making him tremble at the thought of doing his duty.
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holy-Bhagavad-Gita

तत्रापश्यत्स्थितान् पार्थ: पितृ नथ पितामहान् |
आचार्यान्मातुलान्भ्रातृ न्पुत्रान्पौत्रान्सखींस्तथा || 26||
श्वशुरान्सुहृदश्चैव सेनयोरुभयोरपि |


1.26: There, Arjun could see stationed in both armies, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, cousins, sons, nephews, grand-nephews, friends, fathers-in-law, and well-wishers.


तान्समीक्ष्य स कौन्तेय: सर्वान्बन्धूनवस्थितान् || 27||
कृपया परयाविष्टो विषीदन्निदमब्रवीत् |


1.27:  Seeing all his relatives present there, Arjun, the son of Kunti, was overwhelmed with compassion, and with deep sorrow, spoke the following words.


Commentary: The sight of his relatives in the battlefield brought for the first time to Arjun’s mind the realization of the consequences of this fratricidal war. The valiant warrior who had come for battle, mentally prepared for dispatching his enemies to the gates of death, to avenge the wrongs that had been committed to the Pandavas, suddenly had a change of heart. Seeing his fellow Kurus assembled in the enemy ranks, his heart sank, his intellect became confused, his bravery was replaced by cowardice toward his duty, and his stoutheartedness gave way to softheartedness. Hence, Sanjay calls him as the son of Kunti, his mother, referring to the softhearted and nurturing side of his nature.
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