Today we are at the end of our journey through the Bhagavad Gita. We have explored this wonderful "Veda" and maybe you have found the "peace of mind" which was our central theme this month. It's with a little bit of pain in my heart that I write this last episode for April, but at the other hand it's a joy, as is our prompt for today, that this month is over, because this month wasn't easy to make.
We have tried to come in contact with Arjuna, the Archer, and Krishna, the Charioteer, who had a conversation about the goal of life ... Enlightenment. We even dared to step into the hypothetical question "Do all religions and life-philosophies derive from Hinduism, the oldest known religion?" This question stays unanswered, but it was worth to think it over.
Today our prompt is joy and as I started this episode I first thought of an abbreviation which which I once heard, but than I realized that that abbreviation was more based on the Christian believe and I don't think that I can refer to Christianity in our last episode of this "peace of mind" month in which we have read the Bhagavad Gita.
So I decided to reproduce the last 20 verses of the Bhagavad Gita here ... those last verses are full of joy and are giving us a kind of summary of the whole Bhagavad Gita.
50. Learn
from Me in brief, O Arjuna, how he who has attained perfection reaches Brahman,
that supreme state of knowledge.
51. Endowed with a pure intellect, controlling the self by firmness, relinquishing sound and other objects and abandoning both hatred and attraction,
52. Dwelling in solitude, eating but little, with speech, body and mind subdued, always engaged in concentration and meditation, taking refuge in dispassion,
53. Having abandoned egoism, strength, arrogance, anger, desire, and covetousness, free from the notion of “mine” and peaceful,—he is fit for becoming Brahman.
54. Becoming Brahman, serene in the Self, he neither grieves nor desires; the same to all beings, he attains supreme devotion unto Me.
55. By devotion he knows Me in truth, what and who I am; and knowing Me in truth, he forthwith enters into the Supreme.
56. Doing all actions always, taking refuge in Me, by My Grace he obtains the eternal, indestructible state or abode.
57. Mentally renouncing all actions in Me, having Me as the highest goal, resorting to the Yoga of discrimination do thou ever fix thy mind on Me.
58. Fixing thy mind on Me, thou shalt by My Grace overcome all obstacles; but if from egoism thou wilt not hear Me, thou shalt perish.
59. If, filled with egoism, thou thinks: “I will not fight”, vain is this, thy resolve; Nature will compel thee.
60. O Arjuna, bound by thy own Karma (action) born of thy own nature, that which from delusion thou wishes not to do, even that thou shalt do helplessly!
61. The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all beings, by His illusive power, to revolve as if mounted on a machine!
62. Fly unto Him for refuge with all thy being, O Arjuna! By His Grace thou shalt obtain supreme peace and the eternal abode.
63. Thus has wisdom more secret than secrecy itself been declared unto thee by Me; having reflected over it fully, then act thou as thou wishes.
64. Hear thou again My supreme word, most secret of all; because thou art dearly beloved of Me, I will tell thee what is good. 65. Fix thy mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Thou shalt come even to Me; truly do I promise unto thee, (for) thou art dear to Me.
66. Abandoning all duties, take refuge in Me alone; I will liberate thee from all sins; grieve not.
67. This is never to be spoken by thee to one who is devoid of austerities, to one who is not devoted, nor to one who does not render service, nor who does not desire to listen, nor to one who cavils at Me.
68. He who with supreme devotion to Me will teach this supreme secret to My devotees, shall doubtless come to Me.
69. Nor is there any among men who does dearer service to Me, nor shall there be another on earth dearer to Me than he.
!! NB. For this month's quotes from the Bhagavad Gita I used the version as given by Sri Swami Sivananda, the founder of the Divine Life Society !!51. Endowed with a pure intellect, controlling the self by firmness, relinquishing sound and other objects and abandoning both hatred and attraction,
52. Dwelling in solitude, eating but little, with speech, body and mind subdued, always engaged in concentration and meditation, taking refuge in dispassion,
53. Having abandoned egoism, strength, arrogance, anger, desire, and covetousness, free from the notion of “mine” and peaceful,—he is fit for becoming Brahman.
54. Becoming Brahman, serene in the Self, he neither grieves nor desires; the same to all beings, he attains supreme devotion unto Me.
55. By devotion he knows Me in truth, what and who I am; and knowing Me in truth, he forthwith enters into the Supreme.
56. Doing all actions always, taking refuge in Me, by My Grace he obtains the eternal, indestructible state or abode.
57. Mentally renouncing all actions in Me, having Me as the highest goal, resorting to the Yoga of discrimination do thou ever fix thy mind on Me.
58. Fixing thy mind on Me, thou shalt by My Grace overcome all obstacles; but if from egoism thou wilt not hear Me, thou shalt perish.
59. If, filled with egoism, thou thinks: “I will not fight”, vain is this, thy resolve; Nature will compel thee.
60. O Arjuna, bound by thy own Karma (action) born of thy own nature, that which from delusion thou wishes not to do, even that thou shalt do helplessly!
61. The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all beings, by His illusive power, to revolve as if mounted on a machine!
62. Fly unto Him for refuge with all thy being, O Arjuna! By His Grace thou shalt obtain supreme peace and the eternal abode.
63. Thus has wisdom more secret than secrecy itself been declared unto thee by Me; having reflected over it fully, then act thou as thou wishes.
64. Hear thou again My supreme word, most secret of all; because thou art dearly beloved of Me, I will tell thee what is good. 65. Fix thy mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Thou shalt come even to Me; truly do I promise unto thee, (for) thou art dear to Me.
66. Abandoning all duties, take refuge in Me alone; I will liberate thee from all sins; grieve not.
67. This is never to be spoken by thee to one who is devoid of austerities, to one who is not devoted, nor to one who does not render service, nor who does not desire to listen, nor to one who cavils at Me.
68. He who with supreme devotion to Me will teach this supreme secret to My devotees, shall doubtless come to Me.
69. Nor is there any among men who does dearer service to Me, nor shall there be another on earth dearer to Me than he.
high above
Mother Earth
I feel like an Eagle watching
searching for new life
searching
for new lifeI feel like an Eagle watching
searching for new life
inside with my Inner Eye
flight of an Eagle
Well ... it wasn't an easy month, but I hope you all did like this month and I am glad that this story could be told here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai ... And now we are going "on the trail with Basho" next month .... I am looking forward to this new month of CDHK and I hope it will be a great success and a joy.
This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and it will remain open until May 2nd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our first episode of our new month, Weather Beaten, later on.
https://toweararainbow.wordpress.com/2015/04/29/joy-haiku/
ReplyDeleteThe last 20 verses of the Bhagavad Gita were interesting and started nicely - the first five were good, or at least worthy, then they lost me. I saw similarity with what Allah says in the Holy Qu'ran, and indeed there is the feel of the Christian God in them too. But then that does go in line with what you are saying, of an interconnection between religions, starting with the oldest.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I will need to look more at Hinduism. I liked that it was chaotic, and thus natural, and not bound by some of the abberrant rules of Chritianity. But here I saw forced obeyance that unsettles.
Your haiku were suitably mysterious - and definitely reminded me of Tengriism and shamanism...
As I look forward to May it was easy to write of joy.
ReplyDeleteHappy May Day to all