Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 7 — Sankhya Yoga
Sanskrit
कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः | यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ||२-७||
Transliteration
kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvāṃ dharmasammūḍhacetāḥ . yacchreyaḥ syānniścitaṃ brūhi tanme śiṣyaste.ahaṃ śādhi māṃ tvāṃ prapannam ||2-7||
Hindi Meaning
।।2.7।। करुणा के कलुष से अभिभूत और कर्तव्यपथ पर संभ्रमित हुआ मैं आपसे पूछता हूँ, कि मेरे लिये जो श्रेयष्कर हो, उसे आप निश्चय करके कहिये, क्योंकि मैं आपका शिष्य हूँ; शरण में आये मुझको आप उपदेश दीजिये।।
English Meaning
Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.
Commentary
By nature’s own way the complete system of material activities is a source of perplexity for everyone. In every step there is perplexity, and therefore it behooves one to approach a bona fide spiritual master who can give one proper guidance for executing the purpose of life. All Vedic literatures advise us to approach a bona fide spiritual master to get free from the perplexities of life, which happen without our desire. They are like a forest fire that somehow blazes without being set by anyone. Similarly, the world situation is such that perplexities of life automatically appear, without our wanting such confusion. No one wants fire, and yet it takes place, and we become perplexed. The Vedic wisdom therefore advises that in order to solve the perplexities of life and to understand the science of the solution, one must approach a spiritual master who is in the disciplic succession. A person with a bona fide spiritual master is supposed to know everything. One should not, therefore, remain in material perplexities but should approach a spiritual master. This is the purport of this verse. Who is the man in material perplexities? It is he who does not understand the problems of life. In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (3.8.10) the perplexed man is described as follows: yo vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy aviditvāsmāḻ lokāt praiti sa kṛpaṇaḥ. “He is a miserly man who does not solve the problems of life as a human and who thus quits this world like the cats and dogs, without understanding the science of self-realization.” This human form of life is a most valuable asset for the living entity, who can utilize it for solving the problems of life; therefore, one who does not utilize this opportunity properly is a miser. On the other hand, there is the brāhmaṇa, or he who is intelligent enough to utilize this body to solve all the problems of life. Ya etad akṣaraṁ gārgi viditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ. The kṛpaṇas, or miserly persons, waste their time in being overly affectionate for family, society, country, etc., in the material conception of life. One is often attached to family life, namely to wife, children and other members, on the basis of “skin disease.” The kṛpaṇa thinks that he is able to protect his family members from death; or the kṛpaṇa thinks that his family or society can save him from the verge of death. Such family attachment can be found even in the lower animals, who take care of children also. Being intelligent, Arjuna could understand that his affection for family members and his wish to protect them from death were the causes of his perplexities. Although he could understand that his duty to fight was awaiting him, still, on account of miserly weakness, he could not discharge the duties. He is therefore asking Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme spiritual master, to make a definite solution. He offers himself to Kṛṣṇa as a disciple. He wants to stop friendly talks. Talks between the master and the disciple are serious, and now Arjuna wants to talk very seriously before the recognized spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa is therefore the original spiritual master of the science of Bhagavad-gītā , and Arjuna is the first disciple for understanding the Gītā. How Arjuna understands the Bhagavad-gītā is stated in the Gītā itself. And yet foolish mundane scholars explain that one need not submit to Kṛṣṇa as a person, but to “the unborn within Kṛṣṇa.” There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa’s within and without. And one who has no sense of this understanding is the greatest fool in trying to understand Bhagavad-gītā .
Hinglish Commentary
Zindagi ki asli samasyaon ka samna karna sabke liye mushkil hota hai, kyunki is duniya ka har ek kadam humein uljhan mein daal deta hai. Isliye, humein ek achhe spiritual master ke paas jaana chahiye jo humein zindagi ke maqsad ko samajhne mein madad kar sake. Vedic granth hamesha yeh salah dete hain ki ek genuine guru ke paas jaana chahiye taaki humari zindagi ki uljhanon se chutkara mile, jo bina kisi chahaat ke hamesha humare saamne aati hain, jaise ek van ki aag jo bina kisi ke lagaye bhadakti hai. Duniya ki halat bhi aisi hai ki zindagi ki muskilaat bina kisi ichha ke khud hi samne aa jaati hain. Koi bhi aag nahi chahata, lekin phir bhi yeh hoti hai aur hum uljhan mein pad jaate hain. Isliye, Vedic gyaan yeh kehata hai ki zindagi ki samasyaon ko suljhaane ke liye aur iska gyaan samajhne ke liye, ek spiritual master se seekhna zaroori hai jo guru parampara se ho. Jo log ek asli guru ke saath hote hain, unhe sab kuch samajh mein aata hai. Isliye, humein material uljhanon mein nahi rehna chahiye, balki ek guru ke paas jaana chahiye. Yeh is shlok ka mool arth hai. Material uljhanon mein kaun hai? Woh hai jo zindagi ki samasyaon ko nahi samajhta. Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad mein uljhan mein padne wale vyakti ko is tarah se varnit kiya gaya hai: jo insaniyat se zindagi ki samasyaon ka samadhan nahi karta, woh kṛpaṇa hai. Yeh insani roop zindagi ka sabse bada dhan hai, jise humein samasyaon ko suljhaane ke liye istemal karna chahiye; isliye jo is mauke ka sahi istemal nahi karta, woh kṛpaṇa hai. Aur doosri taraf, brāhmaṇa woh hai jo samasyaon ka samadhan karne ke liye is sharir ka sahi istemal karta hai. Kṛpaṇa log apna waqt parivaar, samaj aur desh ki mohabbat mein kharch karte hain, jabki yeh sab material soch par adharit hai. Woh parivaarik zindagi se jude hote hain, jaise ki biwi, bachche, aur doosre log, sirf “skin disease” ki wajah se. Kṛpaṇa samajhta hai ki woh apne parivaar ko maut se bacha sakta hai, ya yeh sochta hai ki uska parivaar ya samaj usse maut se bacha sakta hai. Aise parivaarik sambandh to jaanwar bhi rakhte hain jo apne bachchon ka khayal rakhte hain. Lekin Arjuna, jo samajhdar hai, yeh samajh gaya ki apne parivaar ke liye uski mohabbat aur unhe maut se bachaane ki ichha hi uski uljhanon ka kaaran hai. Usne samjha ki uska kartavya yudh karna hai, lekin fir bhi kṛpaṇta ki wajah se woh apne farz ko nahi nibha paa raha. Isliye, woh Bhagwan Kṛṣṇa, jo sabse bada spiritual master hai, se ek spasht samadhan maang raha hai. Woh Kṛṣṇa ko apna shishya banne ki baat kar raha hai aur chahata hai ki ab dosti ki baatein band ho. Guru aur shishya ke beech ki baatein serious hoti hain, aur ab Arjuna Kṛṣṇa ke saath bohot hi seriously baat karna chahta hai. Kṛṣṇa Bhagavad-gītā ke gyaan ka asli guru hai, aur Arjuna is gyaan ko samajhne wala pehla shishya hai. Arjuna kaise Bhagavad-gītā ko samajhta hai, woh Gītā mein khud likha hai. Lekin kuch samanya vidwan yeh samjhte hain ki Kṛṣṇa ko vyakti ke roop mein nahi, balki “Kṛṣṇa ke andar ke unborn” ko samajhna chahiye. Lekin Kṛṣṇa ke andar aur bahar mein koi farq nahi hai. Aur jo is samajh se anjaan hai, woh Bhagavad-gītā ko samajhne ki koshish mein sabse bada murkh hai.
Chinmaya Commentary
अपने आप को असहाय अवस्था तथा कोई निर्णय लेने से सर्वथा असमर्थ पाकर अर्जुन सम्पूर्ण रूप से स्वयं को भगवान् की शरण में समर्पित कर देता है। वह स्वीकार कर रहा है कि उसकी मानसिक स्थिति नष्टभ्रष्ट हो गयी है। वह स्वयं बताता है कि उसका मुख्य कारण करुणा की अत्यधिकता है। अज्ञान के कारण वह समझ नहीं पा रहा है कि उसकी वह करुणा निराधार है। वह स्वीकार करता है कि युद्ध करने या न करने के विषय में उसकी बुद्धि भ्रमाच्छादित होने के कारण वह धर्मअधर्म का निर्णय नहीं कर पा रहा है।हम पहले ही धर्म शब्द का अर्थ देख चुके हैं। किसी वस्तु का वह गुण जिसके कारण उस वस्तु का अस्तित्व सिद्ध होता है उस वस्तु का धर्म कहलाता है। हिन्दू दर्शन मानव धर्म पर बल देता है जिसका अर्थ है कि प्रत्येक व्यक्ति को अपने शुद्ध दैवी स्वरूप के अनुरूप रहना चाहिये और उसका यह प्रयत्न होना चाहिये कि वह स्वस्वरूप की महत्ता बनाये रखे और पशुवत जीवन व्यतीत न करे।यहाँ अर्जुन शिष्यभाव से भगवान् की शरण में जाता है जो यह संकेत करता है कि अब वह उपदेश ग्रहण करने योग्य हो गया है और वह भगवान् के उपदेश का पालन करेगा। एक और बात का भी संकेत मिलता है कि यदि अज्ञानवश अर्जुन अनेक बार अपनी शंका प्रस्तुत करते हुए प्रश्न पूछता है तो उसका समाधान भगवान् को सहानुभूति और धैर्यपूर्वक करना होगा। सम्पूर्ण गीता में हम अनेक स्थानों पर अर्जुन को कृष्णोपदेश के मध्य शंकायें प्रकट करते हुये देखते हैं परन्तु कहीं पर भी श्रीकृष्ण को धैर्य खोते नहीं देखते। इतना ही नहीं अर्जुन द्वारा प्रत्येक प्रश्न पूछे जाने पर वे और अधिक उत्साहित होकर युद्धभूमि में उसका उत्तर देते हैं।