|| प्रातः स्मरणीय प्रथमगुरु पं. श्री मुरलीधर जी मिश्र ||
I, Acharya Agyaatadarshan Anand Nath sa-shaktikaayai bow down at the lotus feet of my first Guru, my revered father Pandit Shri Murli Dhar ji Mishr, Vidya Guru Kaul Shiromani Shri Shivanand Nath ji, Yoga Guru Paramhamsa Shri Balendu Giri ji Maharaj, Tantra Guru Shri Shri Anta Devji Maharaj, Vama Guru Shri Kaleshwaranand Ji Maharaj and all the compassionate Masters, divine souls of Gurumandala.. I pray for their love, support and guidance always..
Shivoham!
वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम् |
कथं स पुरुष: पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम् ॥21॥
veda avinaashinam nityam ya enam ajam avyayam|
katham sa purushah paartha kam ghaatayati hanti kam ||21||
veda—knows; avinaashinam— imperishable/indestructible; nityam— eternal; yaḥ— who; enam— this; ajam— unborn; avyayam— the one that doesn’t get dissipated/ immutable; katham— how; saḥ—that; purushah—person; paartha— Paarth; kam— whom; ghaatayati— causes to be killed; hanti— kills; kam— whom
Meaning – O Partha, he who knows this Self as indestructible, eternal, birthl-ess and un-decaying (deathless), how does that person kill anyone, or whom can he cause to be killed!
The focus in this verse is not on the attributes of the Self but knowing. This verse comes either as questioning or exclamation over the imagined possibility of an impossibility even after knowing the truth!
The very basis of almost every religion in the world is on the concept of continuity of the a spirit’s (soul or jeeva) journey ad infinitum. This limited expression (individual soul) of the all powerful, infinite, ever present, eternal Spirit (God) has been called by different names, Jeeva, Soul, Rooh, Atma etc. Religions say that the sole purpose of this soul is to reach its original source where from it sprung off. This God is Allah, Bhagwan, Heavenly Father above in the heavens, the Divine Mother etc. This is the notion of Jeeva’s journey has been accepted by Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Sufism etc. but Vedantic view is different. Krishna is describing the ultimate wisdom, the ultimate Truth. Although the concept of Jeeva and Bhagwan (Khudaa and Bandaa) is originally based on Vedic wisdom only albeit bit too oversimplified so that one can at least serve the ordinary in basic understanding of continuity of spirit that sustains beyond death. Look at these concepts of Religions and it will be crystal clear that these all point to one thing – There is no death, despite this body’s death.
For example when religion preaches Law of Karma – It postulates that Jeeva’s suffering and enjoyments etc. depend on what ‘Praarabdha’ (fixed amount of past karma that one brings along to be enjoyed in this lifetime). And teaches people to engage in noble and good Karma for this will serve one now and as well as its fruits shall be reaped in coming births. The similar teachings are available in Jain, Islam, Christian and many other religions. Now! If seen with little care then the principle of good Karma giving good result and evil/bad Karma fructifying as bad results is not the critical teaching here.. even the societies and communities function this way and it is quite evident that by the virtue of laws, legislation and constitutions etc. in general the good, noble righteous actions are hailed and there’s condemnation and even punishments for the bad action. It is so evident a principle that good actions bring good results and vice-versa; We definitely don’t need the Guru in Krishna to teach us this simple rule. Through our interaction with the world we know that good brings us good. We already know it, so what is that hidden message these religions are hinting at? It is continuity of Life! It is negation of death, as least the way we perceive it. Karma and coming back simply indicates one can never die.
The principle is not to be understood or learnt through Guru or words of scriptures. This needs to be known. Krishna used the words “Veda” (वेद). From this root word we have another word is Hindi “Vedanaa” (वेदना). Word Vedana is generally used ‘a pain that is felt inside’ which only that person knows. Although all pains are felt insider but for external type of pains another word ‘Peedaa‘ (पीड़ा) is used. Peedaa is generally seen to be a suffering caused in the body (these two words, in practice are interchangeably used though..) Anyways, so when Krishna uses this word Veda it means this Truth needs to be experienced within. This experience should rise from within rather than intellectualizing the borrowed concept and getting a false sense of knowing.
Lets assume you are in the ‘dream state’ experience for the first time in your life.. In this experience you are being chased by a group of attackers and you are running here and there for cover. You are frightened, your heart is racing.. and then you suddenly take a quantum jump to the ‘Waking state’. Upon entering the ‘waking state’ you don’t need a Guru or Teacher to tell you that the recent experience of horror (while in dream) is non-real. The people who were chasing you are non-existent. This knowledge flashes inside you, and when this learning comes to you, even if for only once, it becomes your realization. Now onward you now that dreams are not real. Even if I was dead in that dream in reality I didn’t die. Krishna is referring to yet another higher state (generally referred to as Turya – the fourth i.e. beyond the three states of Sleep, Dream and Waking) which when arrived at, you would internally know that the Self is indestructible.
Having experienced this – How can you even imagine that you can kill anyone and be killed by anyone.
Practical implication is – Truth can not borrowed. You can not borrow it even from Krishna. It is an experience that you have earn by yourself. All the Sadhana, Spiritual practices are aimed at igniting this higher state upon reaching which you are able to ‘know’ the Truth. When Krishna says you have to ‘know’ the truth in the sense you have to ‘Feel’ it, Experience it.. realize it.
Shivoham!
-Acharya Agyaatadarshan Anand Nath
Its all about you! 