Inane Interpolations In Bhagvad-Gita, BS Murthy [free novel reading sites .txt] 📗

it's then that I come forth. 

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛijāmyaham

Ch4, V8

It’s thus I from time to time
Manifest here to uproot ill   
And uphold well for public good.

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitām
dharma-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge

Ch4, V9

Grasp who this true self of Me  
Are bound to become one with Me.

janma karma cha me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

Ch4, V10  

So with who lead poised life
Reining in their base instincts.   

vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśhritāḥ
bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ.

Now read the next three out of context verses that follow-

V 11 - In whatever way people surrender unto me, I reciprocate with them accordingly. Everyone follows my path, knowingly or unknowingly, O son of Pritha.

V12 - In this world, those desiring success in material activities worship the celestial gods, since material rewards manifest quickly.

V13 - It is I who engineered the division of men into four varna (castes) based on their guna (innate nature) and karma (earthly duties) but yet although I am the creator of this system, know me to be the non-doer and eternal.

It may also be noted that while V11 is a replica of V9, V12 is a worn out ritualistic hymn and V13 comes from nowhere, without rhyme or reason, with its second line being the borrowing of the first line of the succeeding v14 and the last one a rehash of the verse of the seventh chapter that follows it hereunder –

Ch4, V14

Detached Am from what happens     
It's this knowledge that frees man.

na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛihā
iti māṁ yo ’bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate.

And onto –

Ch7, V12

Virtue, passion so too delusion  
Send I forth though all of them

Come to dwell in none of them                                                                                          

ye chaiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās tāmasāśh cha ye                                   
matta eveti tān viddhi na tvahaṁ teṣhu te mayi

So, going by Krishna’s narrative up to V10, it is left for man to make it to the Him and in V14 he’s detached from the goings on in this world, so his alleged creation of the four castes that too based on group nature does not jell, and moreover, he had stated that

Ch6, V5

Noble or naughty it’s thy make
Self thus thine but shapes thyself

uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

Now the following v24 to v32 that are of religious / ritualistic nature, like in the previous chapter, clearly are out of context besides being prejudicial to the Gita’s philosophical character. Moreover, prior to this seemingly interpolated body of eleven slokas, the nature of the Supreme Spirit and the conduct of those who realize it are dealt with as follows:

Ch4,V20  
He that content leans on none 
Resigned he lives in thick of things. 

tyaktvā karma-phalāsaṅgaṁ nitya-tṛipto nirāśhrayaḥ
karmaṇyabhipravṛitto ’pi naiva kiñchit karoti saḥ

Ch4,V21  
Mind if keeps thy greed at bay
It’s no sin thou meet thy needs.

nirāśhīr yata-chittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ
śhārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣham

Ch4,V22  
One that truly well realized 
Happy being with his share 
Rids of envy from his mind 
Easy he feels ever engaged 
Treats he alike grief ’n joy 
Wins ’n losses not to speak.

yadṛichchhā-lābha-santuṣhṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ
samaḥ siddhāvasiddhau cha kṛitvāpi na nibadhyate

Ch4, V23

Acts of man to favour none 
Grace they have of deeds selfless.

gata-saṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthita-chetasaḥ
yajñāyācharataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilīyate

After the self-actualization clues is this recurring ritualistic regimen that’s an anathema to Krishna!

V24 

brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam
brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahma-karma-samādhinā

For those who are completely absorbed in God-consciousness, the oblation is Brahman, the ladle with which it is offered is Brahman, the act of offering is Brahman, and the sacrificial fire is also Brahman. Such persons, who view everything as God, easily attain him.

V25 

daivam evāpare yajñaṁ yoginaḥ paryupāsate
brahmāgnāvapare yajñaṁ yajñenaivopajuhvati

Some yogis worship the celestial gods with material offerings unto them. Others worship perfectly who offer the self as sacrifice in the fire of the Supreme Truth.

V26 

śhrotrādīnīndriyāṇyanye sanyamāgniṣhu juhvati
śhabdādīn viṣhayānanya indriyāgniṣhu juhvati

Others offer hearing and other senses in the sacrificial fire of restraint. Still others offer

sound and other objects of the senses as sacrifice in the fire of the senses.

V27 

sarvāṇīndriya-karmāṇi prāṇa-karmāṇi chāpare
ātma-sanyama-yogāgnau juhvati jñāna-dīpite

Some, inspired by knowledge, offer the functions of all their senses and their life energy in the fire of the controlled mind.

V28                                                                                                                  

dravya-yajñās tapo-yajñā yoga-yajñās tathāpare                                 
swādhyāya-jñāna-yajñāśh cha yatayaḥ sanśhita-vratāḥ

Some offer their wealth as sacrifice, while others offer severe austerities as sacrifice. Some practice the eight-fold path of yogic practices, and yet others study the scriptures and cultivate knowledge as sacrifice, while observing strict vows.

V29 

apāne juhvati prāṇaṁ prāṇe ’pānaṁ tathāpare
prāṇāpāna-gatī ruddhvā prāṇāyāma-parāyaṇāḥ 

Still others offer as sacrifice the outgoing breath in the incoming breath, while some offer the incoming breath into the outgoing breath. Some arduously practice prāṇāyām and restrain the incoming and outgoing breaths, purely absorbed in the regulation of the life-energy.

V30 

apare niyatāhārāḥ prāṇān prāṇeṣhu juhvati
sarve ’pyete yajña-vido yajña-kṣhapita-kalmaṣhāḥ 

Yet others curtail their food intake and offer the breath into the life-energy as sacrifice. All these knowers of sacrifice are cleansed of their impurities as a result of such performances.

V31 

yajña-śhiṣhṭāmṛita-bhujo yānti brahma sanātanam
nāyaṁ loko ’styayajñasya kuto ’nyaḥ kuru-sattama

Those who know the secret of sacrifice, and engaging in it, partake of its remnants that are like nectar, advance toward the Absolute Truth. O best of the Kurus, those who perform no sacrifice find no happiness either in this world or the next.

V32 

evaṁ bahu-vidhā yajñā vitatā brahmaṇo mukhe
karma-jān viddhi tān sarvān evaṁ jñātvā vimokṣhyase

All these different kinds of sacrifice have been described in the Vedas. Know them as originating from different types of work; this understanding cuts the knots of material bondage.

What is more, the discontinuity in the discourse, brought about by the body of the above interpolative verses, would be self-evident if we read the preceding v23 (cited already) and the succeeding v33 of this very chapter:

Ch4, V23

Acts of man to favour none 
Grace they have of deeds selfless.

gata-saṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthita-chetasaḥ
yajñāyācharataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilīyate

Ch4, V33

Better wise deeds than acts selfless 
Wise thus strive to better themselves.

śhreyān dravya-mayād yajñāj jñāna-yajñaḥ parantapa
sarvaṁ karmākhilaṁ pārtha jñāne parisamāpyate

And then this

V34 

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā
upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ

Learn the Truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him with reverence and render service unto him. Such an enlightened Saint can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the Truth.

This indeed is laughable to say the least for not only was Krishna imparting divine wisdom to Arjuna at that very moment that is but also is absurd in the context of the discourse fashioned to set the latter’s fears at rest in the battlefield itself, then and there.

 

Chapter 5: Karma–Sanyasa Yoga

 

What characterizes the interpolations in this chapter of 29 verses is the tasteless ‘Omnipresence of the Supreme in Brahmins, cows, elephants, dogs and dog eaters’ of v18, which could be but an interpolation as it ill-behoves Krishna’s eloquence and his sophistication of expression seen throughout the genuine text.

Moreover, V27-v28 that deal with yogic practices and V29, which asserts the Supreme as the beneficiary of sacrificial rituals, are but interpolation for reasons that bear no repetition.

In response to Arjuna’s plea at the very outset, Krishna delves into the renunciation of action.  

Ch5, V1

Pray be clear, as Thee aver

Act ’n give up in selfsame breath.                                           

sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛiṣhṇa punar yogaṁ cha śhansasi
yach chhreya etayor ekaṁ tan me brūhi su-niśhchitam

Then, Krishna sets the tone for the self-help with the opening statement thus:

Ch5, V2

Give up all ’n thou be freed                                               

So’s the case with selfless work

But know latter scores much better.  

sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaśh cha niḥśhreyasa-karāvubhau
tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt karma-yogo viśhiṣhyate

Continuing in the same vein, Krishna affirms that – 

Ch5, V17

In clear conscience ’n fairness 
Gives man freedom faith in Him.

tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas tan-niṣhṭhās tat-parāyaṇāḥ
gachchhantyapunar-āvṛittiṁ jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣhāḥ

Next appears the silly and tasteless description of the Omnipresence of the Supreme in Brahmans, cows, elephants, dogs, and dog eaters!  Wonder if this is not an idiotic interpolation, then what it is only the blind votaries of the Gita ‘as it is’ can explain

V18 

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śhuni chaiva śhva-pāke cha paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśhinaḥ 

The truly learned, with the eyes of divine knowledge, see with equal vision a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater.

In contrast, the succeeding verse is the true successor of the former (V17).

Ch5, V19

Keeps who equity ever in thought   
Faultless being attains he Brahman.

ihaiva tair jitaḥ sargo yeṣhāṁ sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ                            
nirdoṣhaṁ hi samaṁ brahma tasmād brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ

Now, over to the other interpolations -

V27                                                                        

sparśhān kṛitvā bahir bāhyānśh chakṣhuśh chaivāntare bhruvoḥ
prāṇāpānau samau kṛitvā nāsābhyantara-chāriṇau

Keeping external sense objects outside, and eyes in the center of the eyebrows, and also equalizing the incoming and outgoing flow of breath inside the nostrils;

V28 

yatendriya-mano-buddhir munir mokṣha-parāyaṇaḥ
vigatechchhā-bhaya-krodho yaḥ sadā mukta eva saḥ

That person who has restrained his senses, mind and intellect, and whose ultimate goal is liberation, who is devoid of desire, fear and anger; that person is also a monk, he is ever liberated.

The v27 that deals with yogic practices and v28 for its ascetic association with it would not fit even in the Gita’s spiritual space and thus are but interpolations for reasons that bear no repetition.  

V29 

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśhvaram

suhṛidaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śhāntim ṛichchhati

Having realized Me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all the worlds and the selfless Friend of all living beings, My devotee attains peace.

This Supreme as the beneficiary of the sacrificial rituals is but an interpolative hat, and thus these four verses are nothing but inane interpolations. 

 

Chapter - 6: Ātma Samyama Yoga 

 

This chapter of 47 verses deals with all aspects of self-control needed for renunciation in action. Here Arjuna’s queries as to what would be the fate of man in his efforts at self- control were he to fail midway, (v37). Even if it were the case, assures Krishna, still one wouldn't come to grief here or hereafter (v40). In this context of the renunciation in action, the yoga-class that follows (v10-v17) informative though, is but a square peg in the round philosophical hole that this discourse is, and so the following verses are but interpolations, even going by what is stated in the very opening verse by Krishna: 

Ch6, V1

Forego none if forsake chores 
Eye not gain ’n thou be freed.

anāśhritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ
sa sannyāsī cha yogī cha na niragnir na chākriyaḥ

V10 

yogī yuñjīta satatam ātmānaṁ rahasi sthitaḥ
ekākī yata-chittātmā nirāśhīr aparigrahaḥ

Those seeking Yogice state must reside in seclusion, constantly engaged in meditation

with a controlled mind and body, getting rid of desires and possessions for enjoyment.

V11 

śhuchau deśhe pratiṣhṭhāpya sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ
nātyuchchhritaṁ nāti-nīchaṁ chailājina-kuśhottaram 

To practice Yog, one should make an āsan (seat) in a sanctified place, by placing kuśh grass, deer skin, and a cloth, one over the other. The āsan should be neither too high nor too low.

V12 

tatraikāgraṁ manaḥ kṛitvā yata-chittendriya-kriyaḥ
upaviśhyāsane yuñjyād yogam ātma-viśhuddhaye

Seated firmly on it, the yogi should strive to purify the mind by focusing it in meditation with one pointed concentration, controlling all thoughts and activities.

V13 

samaṁ kāya-śhiro-grīvaṁ dhārayann achalaṁ sthiraḥ
samprekṣhya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ diśhaśh chānavalokayan

He must hold the body, neck, and head firmly in a straight line, and gaze at the tip of the nose, without allowing the eyes to wander.

V14 

praśhāntātmā vigata-bhīr brahmachāri-vrate sthitaḥ

manaḥ sanyamya mach-chitto yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ

Thus,with a serene, fearless, and unwavering mind, and staunch in the vow of celibacy, the vigilant yogi should meditate on me, having me alone as the supreme goal.

V15 

yuñjann evaṁ sadātmānaṁ yogī niyata-mānasaḥ
śhantiṁ nirvāṇa-paramāṁ mat-sansthām adhigachchhati

Thus, constantly keeping the mind absorbed in me, the yogi of disciplined mind attains nirvāṇ,