Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 8 — Sankhya Yoga
Sanskrit
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद् यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् | अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ||२-८||
Transliteration
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād yacchokamucchoṣaṇamindriyāṇām . avāpya bhūmāvasapatnamṛddhaṃ rājyaṃ surāṇāmapi cādhipatyam ||2-8||
Hindi Meaning
।।2.8।। पृथ्वी पर निष्कण्टक समृद्ध राज्य को और देवताओं के स्वामित्व को प्राप्त होकर भी मैं उस उपाय को नहीं देखता हूँ, जो मेरी इन्द्रियों को सुखाने वाले इस शोक को दूर कर सके।।
English Meaning
I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not be able to dispel it even if I win a prosperous, unrivaled kingdom on earth with sovereignty like the demigods in heaven.
Commentary
Although Arjuna was putting forward so many arguments based on knowledge of the principles of religion and moral codes, it appears that he was unable to solve his real problem without the help of the spiritual master, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He could understand that his so-called knowledge was useless in driving away his problems, which were drying up his whole existence; and it was impossible for him to solve such perplexities without the help of a spiritual master like Lord Kṛṣṇa. Academic knowledge, scholarship, high position, etc., are all useless in solving the problems of life; help can be given only by a spiritual master like Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the conclusion is that a spiritual master who is one hundred percent Kṛṣṇa conscious is the bona fide spiritual master, for he can solve the problems of life. Lord Caitanya said that one who is a master in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, regardless of his social position, is the real spiritual master. kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya “It does not matter whether a person is a vipra [learned scholar in Vedic wisdom], or is born in a lower family, or is in the renounced order of life – if he is a master in the science of Kṛṣṇa, he is the perfect and bona fide spiritual master.” ( Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.128) So without being a master in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no one is a bona fide spiritual master. It is also said in the Vedic literature: ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ avaiṣṇavo gurur na syād vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ “A scholarly brāhmaṇa, expert in all subjects of Vedic knowledge, is unfit to become a spiritual master without being a Vaiṣṇava, or expert in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But a person born in a family of a lower caste can become a spiritual master if he is a Vaiṣṇava, or Kṛṣṇa conscious.” ( Padma Purāṇa ) The problems of material existence – birth, old age, disease and death – cannot be counteracted by accumulation of wealth and economic development. In many parts of the world there are states which are replete with all facilities of life, which are full of wealth and economically developed, yet the problems of material existence are still present. They are seeking peace in different ways, but they can achieve real happiness only if they consult Kṛṣṇa, or the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam – which constitute the science of Kṛṣṇa – through the bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, the man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If economic development and material comforts could drive away one’s lamentations for family, social, national or international inebrieties, then Arjuna would not have said that even an unrivaled kingdom on earth or supremacy like that of the demigods in the heavenly planets would be unable to drive away his lamentations. He sought, therefore, refuge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that is the right path for peace and harmony. Economic development or supremacy over the world can be finished at any moment by the cataclysms of material nature. Even elevation into a higher planetary situation, as men are now seeking on the moon planet, can also be finished at one stroke. The Bhagavad-gītā confirms this: kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti. “When the results of pious activities are finished, one falls down again from the peak of happiness to the lowest status of life.” Many politicians of the world have fallen down in that way. Such downfalls only constitute more causes for lamentation. Therefore, if we want to curb lamentation for good, then we have to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, as Arjuna is seeking to do. So Arjuna asked Kṛṣṇa to solve his problem definitely, and that is the way of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Hinglish Commentary
Arjuna, bhale hi apne gyaan aur dharm ke niyam ke adhar par bahut saare tark rakh raha tha, lekin uska asli samasya ka hal sirf apne spiritual guru, Bhagwan Shri Krishna ki madad se hi ho sakta tha. Usne samjha ki jo gyaan uske paas hai, wo uski muskilaat ko door karne mein bekaar hai, jo uski poori zindagi ko sukhe jaise kar rahi thi; aur aise uljhanon ka hal sirf ek spiritual guru, jaise ki Shri Krishna, ki madad se hi ho sakta tha. Academic knowledge, scholarship ya high position, in sabka zindagi ke samasyaon ko suljhaane mein koi fayda nahi hai; asli madad sirf ek Kṛṣṇa conscious guru se milti hai. Isliye, yeh nishkarsh hai ki ek guru jo 100% Kṛṣṇa conscious hai, wahi asli spiritual guru hai, kyunki wahi zindagi ke samasyaon ka hal de sakta hai. Lord Caitanya ne kaha ki jo Kṛṣṇa consciousness ki science mein master hai, chahe uski social position kuch bhi ho, wahi asal spiritual guru hai. Yeh zaroori nahi ki koi vyakti vipra ho ya lower family se ho, ya phir renounced order mein ho – agar wo Kṛṣṇa ki science mein expert hai, to wahi perfect spiritual master hai. Vedic literature mein bhi yeh kaha gaya hai ki ek scholarly brāhmaṇa, jo Vedic knowledge mein expert hai, bina Vaiṣṇava bane spiritual master nahi ban sakta. Lekin agar koi lower caste se hai aur wo Vaiṣṇava hai, to wo spiritual master ban sakta hai. Material existence ki samasyaen – janm, vriddhavastha, bimari aur mrityu – inka hal wealth aur economic development se nahi milta. Duniya ke kai hisson mein aise rajya hain jo har tarah ki suvidhaon se bhare hain, bahut saari daulat aur economic development hai, lekin phir bhi yeh samasyaen wahan maujood hain. Log alag-alag tarikon se shanti ki talash kar rahe hain, lekin asli khushi tabhi milegi jab wo Kṛṣṇa, yaani Bhagavad-gītā aur Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, jo Kṛṣṇa ki science hai, ko ek bona fide Kṛṣṇa conscious vyakti ke madhyam se samjhenge. Agar economic development aur material comforts kisi ke family, social, national ya international problems ko door kar sakte, to Arjuna kabhi nahi kehta ki ek anupam rajya ya devtaon ki tarah ki supremacy bhi uski shok ko door nahi kar sakti. Isliye, Arjuna ne Kṛṣṇa consciousness mein sharan li, aur yahi shanti aur samriddhi ka sahi rasta hai. Economic development ya duniya par supremacy kisi bhi pal khatam ho sakti hai, material nature ke kataklism se. Moon par chadhai ki talash bhi ek pal mein khatam ho sakti hai. Bhagavad-gītā yeh confirm karti hai: "kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti." Jab puny ka fal khatam hota hai, to vyakti phir se khushi ke unche sthal se sabse neeche ki sthiti mein gir jata hai. Duniya ke kai politicians aise hi gir chuke hain, aur yeh girna sirf aur shok ka karan banta hai. Isliye, agar hum shok ko sahi mein khatam karna chahte hain, to hume Kṛṣṇa ki sharan leni hogi, jaise Arjuna kar raha hai. Arjuna ne Kṛṣṇa se apni samasya ka hal maanga, aur yahi Kṛṣṇa consciousness ka sahi rasta hai.
Chinmaya Commentary
यहाँ अर्जुन संकेत करता है कि उसे तत्काल ही मार्गदर्शन की आवश्यकता है जिसके अभाव में उसे आन्तरिक पीड़ा को सहन करना पड़ रहा है। वह पीड़ा के कारण को व्यक्त करने में असमर्थ अनुभव कर रहा है। यह शोक उसकी ज्ञानेन्द्रियों पर भी प्रभाव डाल रहा है। वह न ठीक से देख सकता है और न सुन सकता है।किसी भी विचारशील व्यक्ति के लिये यह स्वाभाविक है कि किसी समस्या के आने पर उसको हल करने के लिये अधीर हो उठेे। वह समस्या को शीघ्र हल करके शांति प्राप्त करना चाहता है। बेचारे अर्जुन ने अपनी बुद्धि द्वारा समस्या हल करने का बहुत प्रयत्न किया किन्तु वह सफल नहीं हो सका। जैसा कि उसके शब्दों से स्पष्ट है कि अब उसका दुख भौतिक वस्तुओं को प्राप्त करने के लिये नहीं है क्योंकि वह स्वयं कहता है कि समस्त पृथ्वी अथवा स्वर्ग का राज्य प्राप्त करने से भी उसका दुख निवृत्त नहीं हो सकता है।अब अर्जुन की स्थिति एक तीव्र मुमुक्ष के समान है जो र्मत्य जीवन की समस्त सीमाओं और बन्धनों से मुक्त हो जाने के लिये अधीर हो उठा है। अब आवश्यकता है केवल एक प्रामाणिक विचार की जो स्वयं भगवान हृषीकेश उसे गीता के दिव्य काव्य में देते हैं।