In Geeta Chapter 2 Verse 2
Where has any person gone to decide whether he should perform his duty or not? Three things should be kept in mind. Is the duty that we are going to perform be performed by noble or noble men and is it beneficial for us from worldly or transcendental point of view.
Shri Bhagavan speaks.
Kutastva kashmalmidam vishame samupasthiam.
अनर्यजुष्तमस्व्य॑मकीर्तिकारमर्जुन॥2॥
Shri Bhagwan-Uvaach-Lord Shri Krishna said; Kutah-from where; Twa-to you; Kashmalam-detachment, cowardice, ignorance; Idam-this; Vishme- in this time of crisis; samupasthitam-arising; Anarya – Rude people; Jushtam-sad-worthy of conduct; Asvargyam-not leading to higher worlds; Akirtikaram- cause of misfortune; Arjun- Hey Arjun.
Meaning: Lord Shri said- Oh Arjun! What caused you to acquire this cowardice or ignorance in these difficult times? Because it is neither practiced by great men, nor will it lead to heaven, nor will it increase fame in the world.
The meaning of addressing Arjun in the verse is that his conscience is clean and pure. Therefore, it is not appropriate for disobedience or cowardice to come into your nature, then how did these faults come into your being. God is surprised at this. This surprise is to alert Arjun so that he can concentrate on his duty.
What I mean to say is that this flaw of cowardice is not fundamentally present in you. This is a temporary defect which will not last forever. Saying Samupasthitam means that this cowardice has come not only in your feelings and words but has also come in your actions. This has affected you well due to which you have left the bow and arrows and sat in the middle part of the chariot.
Anaryajushtam: The feelings that arise in wise and noble people are only for the purpose of their own welfare. Therefore, in the verse, God first of all gives the above verse and says that the cowardice that has come in you is not accepted by the best men. Because your own welfare is not at all concerned with your cowardice. The best people who want welfare have only the objective of their welfare in both their activities and retirement. They do not develop cowardice towards their duty. Whatever duty they get according to the circumstances, they perform it with enthusiasm and readiness for the purpose of achieving welfare. Being cowards like you, they do not desist from war or any other duty.
Therefore, it is not beneficial for you to neglect your duties obtained through war. Even if we look at it from a worldly point of view, without keeping in mind the welfare of heaven, then heaven is higher in the world. But this cowardice of yours does not even lead to heaven, that is, the result of cowardly withdrawing from the war cannot even lead to heaven. Akirtikaram: Even if attaining heaven is not the goal, then a person considered good does only that work which brings fame in the world. But this cowardice of yours is not going to give you fame even in this world, rather it is going to give you disrepute. Therefore, it is completely inappropriate for you to be cowardly.
God has described three types of human beings by giving such order as Anaryajushtam, Asvargyam and Akirtikaram: (1) Those who are thoughtful people, they only want their own welfare. Their aim is only welfare. (2) Those who are virtuous people want to attain heaven through good deeds. They consider heaven as the best and aim to attain it. (3) Those who are ordinary people respect the world only.
That’s why they want their fame in the world and consider that fame as their goal. By giving the above mentioned three verses, Lord Arjun cautions that your decision of not fighting this war is not going to help thoughtful and virtuous people achieve welfare and heaven and The aim of ordinary people is not even to achieve fame. Therefore, your decision of not fighting because of attachment is very insignificant, which will be your downfall, taking you to hell and defaming you.
This teaches us that whenever we do any work, we must consider whether it is benefiting us, increasing our fame and whether such work has been done by great people in the past.
Till now in the verses, it has been said that Shri Krishna is Uwatch, but now from this verse onwards, in all the subsequent verses, it will be called Shri Bhagwan Uwatch, hence it will be necessary for us to know who is called God. Many people call themselves God, so should we accept it as truth? For this we have to know about the opulences of God.
Shri Krishna and God are inseparable, that is why Shri Krishna has been called God in the entire Geeta. God is the pinnacle of ultimate truth. The Supreme Truth is realized in three stages of knowledge – Brahma or impersonal omnipresent consciousness, Paramatma or the inner form of God which is in the heart of all living beings and Bhagavan or Lord Krishna. In Sri Mad Bhagavatam (1.2.11) this concept of ultimate truth is explained as follows –
Vadanti tattattvavidastattvam yajyanamdvayam.
Brahmeti Paramatmeti Bhagavaniti Shabdyate ||
“The knower of the Absolute Truth experiences the Absolute Truth in three stages of knowledge, and all these stages are identical. These are expressed in the form of Brahma, Paramatma and Bhagavan.”
These three divine aspects can be explained with the example of the Sun because it also has three different aspects – namely, sunlight (light), the surface of the Sun and the Sun itself. He who studies sunlight is a novice. One who understands the surface of the Sun is somewhat advanced and one who can enter the Sun world is the highest knowledgeable person. The novice who is satisfied with the knowledge of the sun light – its universal prevalence and the unbroken brilliance of its impersonal nature – is like a person who can understand only the Brahman form of the Supreme Truth. The person who is more knowledgeable is The person who can enter into the inner world of the Sun is compared to the one who attains the experience of the Supreme Truth in person.
Therefore, the devotees who have realized the Lord form of the Supreme Truth are supreme spiritualists, although all the students engaged in the study of the Supreme Truth are engaged in the study of the same subject. The light of the Sun, the sphere of the Sun and the inner things of the Sun world – these three cannot be separated from each other, yet the students of all the three stages are not of the same category.
Like Vaari, Salil, Toy, Jal. All these are synonyms of water, so is it that there is only one name of Shri Krishna – Brahma, Paramatma and Bhagwan.
Even though the same Shri Krishna is called Brahma, Paramatma and God, there is a difference in the characteristics of these three.
There is one and it also has special characteristics. Never think that Brahma is different, God is different and God is different, all three are the same element but all three have their own special characteristics.
For example, one is water, one is ice and one is steam, water was given special cold at zero, it became ice and when the temperature was given, it evaporated as steam. So ice, water and steam are the same substance, but all three have different characteristics. The work is different.
Now what is called Brahma, a definition has been made which is impersonal. Everywhere in the Vedas and scriptures.
Parasya Shaktirvividhaiva Shruyate Saavishti Gyanbalkriya Ch |
( Shweta. 6-8)
Tasya shaktyastvanekadha hladini sandhini | (Radhapanishad)
The scriptures are full of mantras, the Vedas, all the Geeta, Bhagwat, Veda scriptures are all saying that the personality named Brahma is nirgun, impersonal, formless.
And there is one God, and one God. So God is Shri Krishna. Now we have to understand about both of them.
All three have powers. Now the development of those powers appears to be very little at some places, a little more at some places and complete at some places. There is just this little difference.
There are powers in Brahma but they are less manifested and the extent of manifestation is limited to that extent and it is not that today Brahma will become God, it will not happen that God will become God.
What power does Brahma have? So the power to protect one’s existence and form of knowledge and form of joy. That is, Brahma is Sachchidanand, these three things which I have told about Brahma many times – Sat, Chit, Anand are also in Brahma, are also in God and are definitely there in God. All powers are there. His manifestation in Brahma is only that he protects his existence and always remains in the form of joy, always remains in the form of science.
Beyond this, they do not have any powers to assume any form or perform any activities. There is no such thing as any qualities like kindness etc. being manifested in them. The power is there but it is poorly expressed. Now, if even a little power is not expressed, then how will those who are absorbed in it become Brahmanandi?
That is why the smallest amount of powers which are manifested is called only existence, only light, only knowledge, Brahma, it is worshiped by the knowledgeable people. After a person completes the four Sadhana Chatushtayas, he becomes entitled to listen to that Advaita knowledge, whose number is one in billions. This is inaccessible for the living beings but not impossible.
Brahma has been attained, is being attained, and will be achieved. But it is very difficult
The Sanskrit word Bhagwan has been explained by Vyasdev’s father Parashar Muni. The supreme person with all wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation is called God. There are many people who are very rich, very powerful, very beautiful and also very famous, learned and detached, but no authority can say that he has all the wealth, power etc. Only Krishna can make such a claim because He is God. No living being is as completely glorious as Krishna. Therefore, in Brahma Samhita, Brahmaji himself has decided that Shri Krishna himself is God. Neither is anyone equal to him, nor is anyone superior to him. He is the Adi Swami or Lord, known as Govinda and the ultimate cause of all causes –
There is also a list of various incarnations of God in Bhagwat, Krishna has been described as the original God, from which many incarnations and Gods extend –
Therefore, Krishna is the origin of both the Adi Bhagwan, the Supreme Truth, the Supreme Soul and the impersonal Brahman.
Often people in conversation consider Brahma as Supreme Soul and Supreme Soul as God. These words are different for them but they feel that all are different names of God. But according to the Vedas it is not so, nor are all the people who worship all three called devotees. That is, these three are three different forms and the worshipers of all three also fall into different categories. So, let us try to understand what is the difference between Brahma, Paramatma and God according to the Vedas.
When we say that there is some supreme element, which is nirguna and formless, then you are talking about Brahma. Brahma is nirguna, formless and infinite. He has no form, body or senses. He is omnipresent, formless and indestructible. Brahma itself is Sachchidananda. He does not have any power that can be manifested but he is like a powerhouse. He can protect his power. Those who worship Brahma are called knowledgeable. You can say that the source of inspiration for spiritual people is Brahma because they believe in energy. What is the corporeal God?
The corporeal form of the supreme element is called God. God has qualities as well as form but He neither incarnates nor performs any action. God is present in all three worlds, in every particle. Mahavishnu is considered to be the form of God who is in Vaikuntha Loka. Three forms of God are considered. First, which pervades all universes. You know that according to Hindu religion the universe is not one but innumerable. Others,
One which pervades the universe and the third, is within every soul. Only God sustains all living beings. Worshipers of God are called Yogi.
What is God?
God’s idol is worshiped because his form is corporeal. They also take incarnation, perform leela and also have power in manifest form. God is virtuous, knowledgeable, real, powerful, glorious and bright. Like Shri Krishna is God. They often change their form for the welfare of living beings. Those who worship God are called devotees.
Like Vaari, Salil, Toy, Jal. All these are synonyms of water, so is it that there is only one name of Shri Krishna – Brahma, Paramatma and Bhagwan. Yes, even though the same Shri Krishna is called Brahma, Paramatma and God, there are differences in the characteristics of these three.
There is one and it also has special characteristics. Pay attention, never think that Brahma is different, God is different and God is different, do not have such ill feelings. All three are the same element but each has its own special characteristics.
See, one is water, one is ice and one is steam, special cold was put in water at zero, it became ice. When given further temperature, it evaporated into steam. So ice, water and steam are the same substance, but all three have different characteristics. The work is different.
Now what is called Brahma, a definition has been made which is impersonal. Everywhere in the Vedas and scriptures.
Parasya Shaktirvividhaiva Shruyate Saavishti Gyanbalkriya Ch |
( Shweta. 6-8)
Tasya shaktyastvanekadha hladini sandhini | (Radhapanishad)
Many such mantras are replete in the scriptures, in the Vedas, all the Geeta, Bhagwat, Veda Shastras all say that the personality named Brahma is nirguna, impersonal, formless.
And there is one God, and one God. So God is Shri Krishna, there is no debate about him. Now we have to understand about both of these.
All three have powers. Tie a knot on one thing. All three have all the powers. Now the development of those powers appears to be very little at some places, a little more at some places and complete at some places. There is just this little difference.
Brahma has powers but they are less manifested and they are limited to the extent they are manifested and will always remain so, remember this also. It is not that today Brahma becomes God, God becomes God, it will not happen.
What power does Brahma have? So the power to protect one’s existence and form of knowledge and form of joy. That is, Brahma is Sachchidananda, these three things which I have told about Brahma to you many times – Sat, Chit, Anand are also in Brahma, are also in God and are definitely there in God. All powers are there. His manifestation in Brahma is only that he protects his existence and always remains in the form of joy, always remains in the form of science.
Beyond this, they do not have any powers to assume any form or perform any activities. There is no such thing as any qualities like kindness etc. being manifested in them. The power is there but it is poorly expressed. Now, if even a little power is not expressed, then how will those who are absorbed in it become Brahmanandi?
That is why the smallest amount of powers which are manifested is called only existence, only light, only knowledge, Brahma, it is worshiped by the knowledgeable people. After a person completes the four Sadhana Chatushtayas, he becomes entitled to listen to that Advaita knowledge, whose number is one in billions. This is inaccessible for the living beings but not impossible.
Brahma has been attained, is being attained, and will be achieved. But it is very difficult.
Now look at God, many powers are manifested in God, they make him real. Makes it into a body. Eyes, ears and nose are complete just like your human body. And the only difference is that you have two hands, they have four hands. He is Mahavishnu. And there is also an incorporeal form of Mahavishnu, who sits in your heart and gives you strength and notes down your actions and keeps accounts. They have another form which is prevalent in the universe. And there is also a third form which is prevalent in the infinite universe. So Mahavishnu became three types, one prevalent in the entire universe, one prevalent in the individual universe and one prevalent in the living soul.
Lord Shri Krishna is Asham Purusha (Maha Vishnu). And there are three types of men. Karanarnavashaayi, Garbhodshaayi, Kshirodshaayi. That’s why God also became of three types. But mainly God is considered to be the one who is Mahavishnu, who sits within you and gives you strength, notes your deeds and gives the fruits of your deeds, who lives inside you in formless form.
And is in Vaikuntha in corporeal form. He has a name, qualities, form and abode. But Leela and Parikar are not there. They are worshipped. Yogis worship them. This is also the form of Lord Krishna.
And you all know the third form, which is the form of Radhakrishna, in whom the entire power is expressed, the complete power is expressed in God, he has his abode, his form, his qualities, his leela and his surroundings too, whose You people worship. So the second form of Radhakrishna is God and the third form is Brahma. And all the characteristics are the same, despite the difference in specifics. The worshiper of Brahma is called a Gnani, the worshiper of God is called a Yogi. And the worshiper of God is called a devotee.