[Advaita-l] gItA bhaashhya sudhaa binduH - 1

[Ramakrishna Upadrasta]

OM shrii gurubhyo namaH .

An excellent Telugu translation of Adi Sankaracharya's Bhagavad Gita
Bhashya into Telugu is by Mahamahopadhyaya Shri Pullela
ShriRamachandrudu Garu. (It also contains a partial translation of by
Shri Ramaraya Kavi, which includes refutation of non-advaitin
positions.)

At the end of the book is a collection of 70+ quotations from
gItaa-bhaashhya of shankaraachaarya bhagavadpaada called as
gItaa-bhaashhya-sudhaa-binduH ('bhagavadgItaa-bhaashhyamuloni konni
shankara vacana-sudhaa-binduvulu' in Telugu). This series covers the
originals in transliteration with annotations from Swami
Gambhirananda's English translation.


1. braahmaNatvasya hi raxaNe raxitaH syaadvaiidiko dharmaH\,
tadadhiinatvaadvarNaashramabhedaanaam.h ||upodghAta \-
giitaa\-bhaaShya ||

##When the Brahminhood is preserved, the Vedic Dharma becomes well
guarded, for the distinctions among the castes and stages of life
depend on it.##


2. svaprayojanaabhaave.api bhUtaanujighRRixayaa vaidikaM
dharmadvayam.h arjunaaya shokamohamahodadhau nimagnaaya upadidesha\,
guNaaadhikairhigRRihIto.anushhThiiyamaanashcha dharmaH prachayaM
gamishhyatiiti ||upo. bhaa ||

##Although He had no need for Himself, still for the sake of favoring
the creatures He imparted that very two fold Vedic dharma to Arjuna
who had sunk into the sea of sorrow and delusion, with the idea that
dharma would surely propagate if it is accepted and put into by
practice by people who are endowed with an abundance of good
qualities.##


3. abhyudayaarthau.api yaH pravR^ittilaxaNo dharmau
varNanaashramaaMshchoddishya vihitaH\, sa
devaadisthaanapraaptiheturapi san.h\, iishvaraaarpaNabuddhayaa
anushhTiiyamaanaH\, sattvashuddhaye bhavati phalaabhisaMdhivarjitaH ||
upo | bhaa ||


##That dharma, characterized by action and enjoined for different
castes and stages of life, even though it is meant for acheiving
prosperity and attaining heaven etc. yet, when performed with the
attitude of dedication to God and without hankering for (selfish)
results, leads to the purification of the internal organ (consisting
of citta (mindstuff), buddhi (intellect), manas (mind) and ahaMkaara
(ego)).##


4. sarvapraaNinaaM shokamohaadidoshhaavishhTachetasaaM svabhaavata eva
svadharmaparityaagaH pratishhiddhasevaa cha syaat.h | svadharme
pravR^ittinaamapi teshhaaM vaa~NgmanaHkaayaadiinaaM pravR^ittiH
phalaabhisaMdhipuurvikaiva saahaMkaaraa cha bhavati || 2.11 ||


##It is thus that in the case of all creatures whose minds come under
the sway of the defects of sorrow, delusion etc. there verily follows,
as a matter of course, abandoning their own duties and resorting to
prohibited ones. Even when they engage in their own duties their
actions with speech, mind, body, etc. are certainly motivated by
hankering for rewards, and are accompanied by egoism (Egoism consists
in thinking that one is the agent of some work and the enjoyer of its
result.)##


5. saMsaarabiijabhuutau shokamohau | tayoshcha sarvakarmasaMnyaasa\-
pUrvakaadaatmaj~naanaat.h naanyato nivR^itttiriti tadupadidaxuH
sarvalokaanugrahaartham.h arjunaM nimittiikR^itya aaha
bhagavaanvaasudevaH || 2.11 ||


##Thus, sorrow and delusion are therefore the sources of the cycles of
births and deaths. And their cessation comes from nothing other than
the knowledge of the Self which is preceded by the renunciation of all
duties.  Hence, wishing to impart  (knowledge of the Self) for
favouring the whole world, Lord Vasudeva, making Arjuna the medium
said 'ashochyaananvashochastvaM iti' (2.11)##


6. na hi pittaprashamanaarthinaH vaidyena madhuraM shItalaM cha
bhoktavyam.h ityupadishhTe tayoranyataratpittaprashamanakaaraNaM brUhi
iti prashnaH saMbhavati || 2.11 ||


##Indeed, when a physician tells a patient who has come for a cure of
his biliousness that he should take things which are sweet and
soothing, there can be no such request as "Tell me which one of these
two is to be taken as a means to cure biliousness"!##


(To be continued.)
praNAmaH
Ramakrishna