[Advaita-l] Fw: Why did Krishna said that he was unable to repeat Gita?

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Sat, 10 Dec 2016, Siva Senani Nori via Advaita-l wrote:

>
> In Gita, sannyasa means doing karma without phalaapekshaa. In fact 
> Arjuna at one stage asks - "what is better: karma or karma sannyasa?" to 
> which Bhagavan's reply is to the effect that they are not different. So 
> the meaning of Arjuna's words करिष्ये वचनं तव may be taken to mean "I shall 
> fight without expecting victory or defeat".  RegardsN Siva Senani
>

This is a good point and the dual use of sannyasa as karmasannyasa and 
karmaphalasannyasa in the Gita (or as some might object, the Shankaran 
reading of the Gita) is one of the problems in understanding it.

This is what Shankaracharya says in his introduction is the epitome of the 
Gitas message:

tasyAsya gitAshAstrasya saMkShepata.h prayojanaM paraM niHshreyasaM 
sahetukasya saMsArasyAtyantoparamalakShaNam taccha 
sarvakarmasannyAsapUrvakAdAtmaGYAnaniShThArUpaddharmAdbhavati |

In the translation of A. Mahadeva Shastri (paraphrased a bit by me),

"The aim of this famous Gita Shastra is, briefly, the Supreme Bliss, a 
complete cessation of samsara and of its cause.  This accrues from that 
Dharma which consists in a steady devotion to the knowledge of the Self, 
preceded by the _renunciation_of_all_works._"

sarvakarmasannyasa is not easy.  It was not easy for Arjuna and I daresay 
it is not easy for most readers of this list.  Certainly not for me! 
Therefore Bhagavan out of dayA and Krpa for his creation has also shown 
the path of karmayoga.

Shankaracharya after giving several quotes from anugItA and gItA including 
the one I mentioned last time, goes on to say:

abhyudayArtho.api yaH pravR^ittilakShaNo dharmo varNAshraMAMshchodishya 
vihitaH sa cha devAdisthAnaprAptiheturapi 
sannishvarArpaNabuddhyAnuShTIyamAnaH sattvashuddhaye bhavati 
phalAbhisandhivarjitaH shuddhasattvasya cha 
GYAnaniShThAyogyatAprAptidvAreNa GYAnotpattihetutvena cha 
niHshreyasahetutvamapi pratipadyate |

"Though the Dharmas characterised by motive[1], -- which, as a means of 
attaining worldly prosperity, is enjoined on the several varnas and 
ashramas, -- leads the devotee to the region of the Devas and the like, 
still, when practised in a spirit of devotion to the Lord and without 
regard to the (immediate) results, it conduces to the purity of the mind 
(sattva-shuddhi).  The man whose mind is pure is competent to tread the 
path of knowledge, and to him comes knowledge; and thus (indirectly) the 
motivated Dharma forms also a means to the Supreme Bliss."

[1] Mahadeva Shastriji translates this as "Religion of Works,"  I.e. the 
karmakanda which contains actions which are means to specific ends.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>