March 23 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 3; Verses 3.40-3.41 (Day 83) Karma Yoga

 March 23 – Day 83

Verse 3.40-3.41

इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते ।

एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम् ॥ ३-४०॥ 

indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣhṭhānam uchyate
etair vimohayatyeṣha jñānam āvṛitya dehinam (40) 

இந்த்³ரியாணி மனோ பு³த்³தி⁴ரஸ்யாதி⁴ஷ்டா²னமுச்¹யதே¹ |
ஏதை¹ர்விமோஹயத்¹யேஷ ஞானமாவ்ருத்¹ய தே³ஹினம் ||40|| 

40. The senses, mind and intellect are said to be its seat; through these it deludes the embodied by veiling his wisdom. 

COMMENTARY: If the abode of the enemy is known it is quite easy to kill him.  So, Lord Krishna, like a wise army general points out to Arjuna the abode of desire so that he may be able to attack it and kill it quite readily. 

तस्मात्त्वमिन्द्रियाण्यादौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ ।

पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम् ॥ ३-४१॥ 

tasmāt twam indriyāṇyādau niyamya bharatarṣhabha
pāpmānaṁ prajahi hyenaṁ jñāna-vijñāna-nāśhanam (41) 

த¹ஸ்மாத்¹த்¹வமின்த்³ரியாண்யாதௌ நியம்ய ப⁴ரத¹ர்ஷப⁴ |
பா¹ப்¹மானம் ப்¹ரஜஹி ஹ்யேனம் ஞானவிஞ்ஞானநாஶனம் ||41|| 

41. Therefore, O best of the Bharatas (Arjuna), controlling the senses first, do thou kill this sinful thing (desire), the destroyer of knowledge and realization! 

COMMENTARY: Jnana is knowledge obtained through the study of scriptures.  This is indirect knowledge or Paroksha Jnana.  Vijnana is direct knowledge or personal experience or Anubhava through Self-realization or Aparoksha Jnana. Control the senses first and then kill desire. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda [verses 40-41] 

Responsiveness to sense-stimuli is inherent in the senses, mind and Intellect. All these are the material half of divine nature. Water dissolves salt but not stone. Fire burns dry firewood but not a plantain stem. There is a responsive relationship. This responsiveness is instinct in the senses, impulsiveness in the mind and judgement in the intellect. The same power is given a different attribute when it operates from its different seats. Thought converts these natural responses into pleasure which gives rise to desire, or craving which veils wisdom.

Wisdom refers here to the right knowledge of the nature of desire and also the nature of the witness consciousness within. The effort to curb instincts and impulsiveness and also to restore saner values is meaningful only because the self is forever untouched by desire. This is wisdom.

This wisdom is veiled by the turbulent senses. impure mind and unwise intellect ridden by false values. It is as if we are looking at the bed of a lake through the disturbed surface of muddy water which covers the pearl as also pebbles on the bed. A start must be made somewhere. The desire-aggravating activity of the senses must be curbed first; of course, this is only another way of denoting control of the mind. When the mind and senses are calm, the intellect must be made to abandon its false values.

“With what and by whom is the mind controlled?” – is a question that does not admit an easy answer. The desire to give up desire arises in the mind, but when it is rightly understood there is awakening of an intelligence other than the mind.

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