June 8, 2007
I am about to start the Uddhava Gita, the Final Teaching of Krishna, which elaborates on the bhakti path. Last night I ordered a copy of the Upanishads, so I'll have that next. This Gita is also translated by a woman, but this time a Hindu, Swami Ambikananda Saraswati. The intro says it "avoids the sort of oversimplified devotion that robs its devotees of intelligence" p.9. The forward identifies this work as part of the Bhagavatha Purana, and says it competes in popularity with the Bhagavad Gita.
Hinduism, or the Sanatana Dharma, it says, "is said to be shruti, smitri purana – that which is heard, that which is remembered, and the puranas" p.11. All of the important scriptures – the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana – all refer to the importance of the Puranas. The forward says the traditional view is that the Puranas are a way of putting the great Truths of the Upanishads and the Vedas into simple language that lay men can understand. Whereas the Vedas are prabhusammit vakya, "words of authority," the Puranas are shraddha vakya "the counseling of a friend." "They teach the message of the Vedas in a friendly way because they are rich in parables and stories" p.11.
Goes on to say that the Puranas have "generally not sided with any sectarian philosophy or school," so they contain the basic principles embraced by the schools of Samkhya, Yoga and Vedanta. Also the ideas later taken up by Buddhism and Jainism – so it does sound a lot like the Gita – the other Gita – in its message, if not its form.
The Bhagavatha was the first Purana translated into a European language. It has 81 Sanskrit commentaries, is translated into every Indian language. It is said to be vanamayavatara – the incarnation of the Supreme in the form of literature. Like the B. Gita, and the Koran. It is attributed to Veda Vyasa, but of course, like all ancient scripture, was probably the work of many hands. Bhagavatha Purana literally means "Book of God." It has 12 volumes that detail the life of Krishna, whom it depicts as the avatar of Vishnu. The only "total" incarnation.
Instead of the young warrior, Arjuna, the Uddhava Gita tells the discussion between Krishna and Uddhava, "an old man and the friend and humble counselor of Krishna, who turns and asks Krishna for advice on the eve of the avatar's departure from earth" p.14.
I'm into the translator's introduction now, the explanation of choices. Some important terms:
Bhagavan has been translated as "Radiant One" and is often used as an epithet for Krishna. It is traditionally applied to "gods who possess power, courage, fame, wealth, knowledge and renunciation" P.17. Shiva also has these qualities and Bhagavan is used for him as well. She notes it is often translated as "Lord" but she rejects that term because of its European medieval connotations.
Yay! She has refused to translate all pronouns referring to brahman, jiva and atman as masculine! Finally! This accords, she says, with the "original Sanskrit tradition of genderless references to the Self" p.18. She also has refused to use the terms "God" or "soul" because of their anthropomorphic, Christian connections and images.
The meat of the book begins with a mind-centering prayer, a meditation for the Book of God, which I like. And so . . .
Dialogue One
The translator begins with a commentary. This dialogue sets the scene. Krishna, who is Prince of Dvaraka, is in his palace and the gods, demi-gods and "hosts of angelic beings" have gathered to witness his departure from earth p.21. Krishna is distinct from the gods and the people at this point. Uddhava begins at Krishna's feet, I guess begging Krishna to take him with him; Krishna refuses.
As I begin the actual dialogue, I'm first swallowed up in footnotes, some of which are quite interesting. I know that Krishna is usually portrayed as having either black or blue skin. But I didn't know that Krishna, the word, actually means "the Dark One." Some historians therefore believe that he was, in fact, dark in skin color, and was one of the non-Aryan invaders. Pretty interesting, since the Dravidians, the darkest Indians, often as dark or darker than Africans, were incorporated into the very bottom of the social structure. Maybe even more despised and lowly than Jesus at birth. Maybe that explains his message that liberation is possible for all regardless of station in life?
She notes that others believe his name is not a reference to skin color but to his association with the Kali Yuga, the Dark Age we are living in.
I am so excited that I am going to learn more about the gods! I get so confused. There is the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. I have no problem with that. I know some of the others, too, like Ganesha and Saraswati and Kali and the other shaktis. And Indra, of course. But I've always wondered how Indra can be King of the gods? How does that jibe with the trinity? I'm not going to learn it all at once. I know that some of the systems come from different time periods of belief, and reflect different naming systems in different regions, too. But I'm not going to worry about it right now. I'm going to read like a child and learn from the context of the stories.
The point here is that just about everyone who is anyone is there. I love that she provides info in the footnotes about myths that Indians would know, so we can understand the allusions in the text. I often wished Stoler did that in the B. Gita – but of course she didn't know them, so she couldn't. [Can you imagine having a copy of the Christian gospels with footnotes and commentary provided by a 1st century Hebrew? Wow! How amazing that would be!]
The gods and hosts gathered there shower Krishna with praise, and ask blessings of Him. They repeat things from the B. Gita about his nature, and make it explicitly clear that Krishna is the unifier of all schools of philosophy by saying in verse 11:
Your beloved feet
Are the very feet contemplated by those
Who make offerings to the sacrificial fire
In accordance with the Scriptures;
And by the great Yogis
Who seek to pierce the veil of illusion;
And by the most devout
Who hunger for true knowledge of the Self.
Okay, this is what I understand: the gods – Brahma, Shiva, Indra and others asked Krishna to incarnate, to stop the evil being done on the earth. A clan, the Yadus, had usurped power and were doing nasty things. So Krishna incarnates into this evil dynasty and as a Yadu, as one of them, he works toward and sets up their ruin. Wild! Seems so unlike what Judeo-Christian heros do.
Krishna arranges for himself to be ruler of the Yadu (I don't know how yet) and sets them up so that the Pandavas will win the battle and "oversee the destruction" of the Yadu. Krishna, in verse 34, looks out at the "disturbances all around" – meaning the war, and tells the elders its time to split, to escape, lest they get slaughtered. He says they'll sacrifice and feed the hungry as a way to avoid attracting the bad karma of the battle.
While everyone is scurrying around getting ready to leave, Uddhava, "the ever faithful" prostrates himself at Krishna's feet. He praises him and speaks of his own devotion. He says "What about us? Those of us who love you so much? How will we live without you?"
Naked sages, lifelong celibates,
Who have pacified their senses
And renounced the world,
Attain the elusive goal of liberation v.47
But what of us who are in this world
And involved in all its works?
We talk of you among ourselves,
We know that you are the guiding light
That will lead us out of darkness. v. 48
It is a very moving story. Reminds me a lot of how people responded to Jesus and to the Buddha. Humble people, lowly servants, full of passionate devotion, and amazingly, feel comfortable coming up to these larger-than-life saviors and expressing their devotion. In this case, begging as one would a child or a partner – please don't leave me! I love you so much I cannot live without you. With you gone, life loses all its meaning and purpose and light. That is devotion. Here I am, wanting to be devoted but still stupidly clinging to what I have and not reaching for the bigger prize. A child's dilemma, but here I am.
June 9
I'm eager to hear Krishna's response.
Dialogue 2
The opening notes from the translator don't tell me anything new. From the verses and footnotes I learn that Krishna was incarnated with his brother, Balarama. And Krishna verifies that he is leaving the earth, having done what he came to do, namely helping the Yadu dynasty into its own destruction. He mentions a flood, saying "in just seven days it (the palace and city) will be submerged by a deluge" v.3.
In verse 4, Krishna says that once he has left the world "the dreaded Age of Kali will begin – the age in which all that is suspicious becomes hidden and obscured." A footnote clarifies that we are living in the Kali Yuga right now, and it will not end until Vishnu incarnates as Kalki.
Krishna tells Uddhava not to stay in the palace, but to go off and become sannyasin. Say goodbye to the people in one's life and "roam the world as one free of all attachments" v.6. He speaks of our deluded state:
Whatever you see, hear, or touch
Know that you cannot know it
For what it is.
Know that whatever your mind makes of it
Is like a mirage that will fade away. v.7
Not just figured worlds, but even matter we see is not "as it is." All reality is mediated – I mean all our perceptions of all reality are mediated by the delusion of individuality. We are not able to see "things as they really are" except occassionally and as a result of effort and dedication.
Therefore, control your senses and your mind
See the entire universe as the Self
And see this Self in me
Its Supreme Sovreign. v.9
In this way you will come to know
And realize that the Self within you
Is the same Self of all embodied beings.
Once you know this
Your mind will be completely satisfied
And all obstacles will be removed. v.10
Same exact message as the B. Gita, so they confirm and support one another. The problem is . . . how does one do this? Yes, okay, meditation. Will meditation by itself accomplish all this? I guess it just might.
Thankfully, Uddhava says just what I want to say: Essentially – Thank you for this wonderful advice. I see why you are saying it. And I'm certain it is perfect advice. However . . . I am weak. I can't see my way to doing it. Am I doomed, since I am so tangled up in this world, in this reality the way I perceive it? The illusion you wove into creation is strong, and I am so very attached to this body, which I perceive as mine – "I am completely immersed in the ideas-of-I-and-mine". Renouncing it will be most difficult for me, so please teach me how to carry out your instructions. v. 16
For even Brahma and all the gods
Are committed to the illusion you have created:
That the perceived world is a reality v.17
In v.18 he calls Krishna "Narayama," which a footnote explains is one of the 22 names of Vishnu and can also mean "abode of humankind."
Krishna answers by saying that some people have broken through the illusion by their own efforts. "The Self is the real teacher of all people, who are endowed with an intelligence that is able to discern the real from the unreal." V. 20 No matter how stupid we look, or how deluded, Krishna reminds us we all have Self, which is not deluded.
The Self is most easily realized
In the human form . . . v.21
Through Samkhya and Yoga
Meaning jnana and raja in Huston Smith's terms. Here, as in the B. Gita, the two are complimentary, go together, are done in conjunction with one another. Krishna reiterates that it is the human body in which the Self can be most easily attained, and "it is here in the human body that I may be discovered as the Self. But not by the ordinary means of perception" v.23.
Okay, it is through the self that we may come to know God. We know that. But how? Krishna tells a story, a parable, to get the message across.
The story is about a king who meets and admires a young Brahmin sannyasin and asks how he got to be so spiritually advanced. The youth replies he learned all from the earth, air, space, water and fire; the sun and moon, dove and python, sea, moth, bee and elephant. From honey, arrow-maker, serpent, spider and insect.
And then he details what he learned from each one. I'm about done writing for the day. What struck me right away was the incredible, amazing grasp of physics Indians had thousands of years ago. Will write about that tomorrow.
June 10
Back to the 2nd Discourse, in which Krishna is telling the story of the young Brahmin who learned from 24 teachers. The one's that speak to me most right now are these:
From the earth I learned to remain undisturbed
Even while being oppressed
By those under the sway of their own destiny.
The earth taught me not to deviate
From the course that I set for myself v.37
From the air I learned
What it means to be a yogi
To move about freely in contact with all things
But attached to no thing . . . v.40
That the yogi comes and goes through many bodies
Yet remains in untouched stillness . . . v.41
From the fire I learned how to burn brightly
Through the power of practice.
From fire I learned we need only the food
That the belly can burn now.
From fire I learned to accept what is given to me
And to let the fire of my practice
Transform what is impure and make it pure v. 45
From the sun I learned non-attachment
The sun draws water up into the atmosphere
And then returns it as the gentle rain.
This is surely what it means to live as a yogi
Accepting the experiences that are freely offered
And letting them go when they are withdrawn. v.50
Then comes a terrible story about a dove family, who love one another so much they don't need anything else, don't look outside their own nest, and then a fowler captures their young babies and first the wife/mother then the father, become trapped by their unwillingness to let go of the little ones. "Anyone who becomes so attached . . . will come to the same end." v. 73. And then, evidence for the number of lives we live before getting to be human, the last verse of this dialogue is:
We have to soar high
To attain this precious human birth,
Which is like an open door to liberation.
We must not act like that dove,
And fail to look towards that
Beyond our home and family v. 74
I am really attracted by the idea of learning from the earth, and of course one can learn a gazillion things – could find an example to teach just about anything. But I think what I'm liking is the idea that when I have one of those insights from studying nature, I don't have to be so hesitant, so cautious. Why not just say, "I learned this . . . " and let the insight become part of what I know I know?
[I think what I was referring to here was the fear I had as a Christian that the science would come into conflict with the doctrine, as it so often has; it may not have to, but it very often has, and it very often still does. So there is a tension between my scientific work and my parents, for example, who, even if they don't argue, make faces like they'd like to about things I accept as undisputed fact; undisputed because there is so much evidence that other arguments just seem silly]
In Dialogue 3, this lesson continues.
He says the wise know pain and pleasure will come on their own and do not seek them out. Like the python we should take what food comes our way and accept being hungry sometimes as part of our destiny. In this way we won't "chase after things that will pass away." V.4
Like the full and constant ocean,
Which remains always the same
Whether the rivers of the earth
Flow into it or not
The sage should remain in that awareness,
Even as joys and sorrows come and go v.6
He speaks of the importance of controlling the senses, says we should be like bees who just take a little from here and there, but unlike the bee should never store "more than the hands and stomach can hold" v.11. He preaches sexual celibacy, as passion will bind us. And then the dialogue ends with the story of Pingala, the prostitute. It is the story of Everyman (or woman). We work hard to prepare a place for ourselves as she spends all day preparing herself for night. She has the hope that a rich man, or men, will bring her happiness through wealth and security. But as the night stretches on and no one comes, she begins to turn her thoughts inward. The "pain of disgust for the life she was leading" . . . "such pain often becomes the sword that cuts through material longings and awakens dispassion" v.28.
For no one, O great king, in whom a disgust
For things of this world
Has not arisen
Seeks liberation.
It is from this disgust that discernment arises
And the ideas-of-I-and-mine are challenged v.29
How many times in this present life have I felt that disgust? So many! About my life with Roger – even before, with alcohol and school. Then his abuse, and several times with speed, my own relationships with men, and alcohol lots of times, and being a victim. Over and over have I experienced this.
Wow. Verses 37-39 are so like what I've been feeling with this physical pain: "Despite the life that I have led the Supreme One has smiled on me." "Had I been truly unfortunate the despair of this world would not have been born in me." "With complete love and devotion I accept this gift that has been bestowed on me" v. 39.
Let me be grateful for this life I have been given, with all its many opportunities to see that wealth, luxury, financial security, the admiration of men, the escape of alcohol and drugs, physical fitness, beauty, etc., are not what bring peace and joy. Truly, while it seems sometimes it would be a lot nicer to be healthy, wealthy, and beautiful, would that really move me closer to where I want to be? The evidence all says "no." And while I'm still not ready to become sannyasin, am still working toward a little security, I can learn to be grateful for what I have, including this intense and unceasing pain.
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