(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

The Many Qualities In Humanity Are Derived Solely From The Divine

बुद्धिर्ज्ञानमसम्मोह: क्षमा सत्यं दम: शम: |
सुखं दु:खं भवोऽभावो भयं चाभयमेव च || 10.4||

अहिंसा समता तुष्टिस्तपो दानं यशोऽयश: |
भवन्ति भावा भूतानां मत्त एव पृथग्विधा: || 10.5||

buddhir jñānam asammohaḥ kṣhamā satyaṁ damaḥ śhamaḥ
sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhavo ’bhāvo bhayaṁ chābhayameva cha|| 10.4||
ahinsā samatā tuṣhṭis tapo dānaṁ yaśho ’yaśhaḥ
bhavanti bhāvā bhūtānāṁ matta eva pṛithag-vidhāḥ||10.5||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 10- Ver. 4 & 5:

Intelligence, knowledge, clarity of thought, forgiveness, truthfulness, control over the senses and mind, joy and sorrow, birth and death, fear and courage, nonviolence, equanimity, happiness, austerity, charity, fame, and infamy are all attributes that come from Me alone.

Explanation

Lord Krishna continues to affirm his Supreme Lordship and absolute sovereignty over all that exists in creation in these two lines. He lists twenty emotions that show in varied degrees and combinations in different persons to make up the unique fabric of human nature. He claims that all of humanity’s moods, temperaments, and dispositions emerge from him.

All attributes, according to Shree Krishna, manifest in persons to the level that he alone has sanctioned. As a result, he is the source of all good and evil in living beings. God’s energy emerges in us positively or negatively in the current and past lifetimes, depending on our puruhrth (the actions we choose by exercising our freedom of choice).

Verse & what we can learn

Ishvara manifests as intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, self-control, joy and sorrow, creation and destruction, fear and fearlessness. Any time we come across one of these expressions, we should immediately recognise it as Ishvara expressing himself.

Intellect is the ability to understand subtle facts that our senses do not pick up on right away. The ability to distinguish between the eternal essence and everything else is defined as wisdom. We are prepared to engage with the world on the basis of intellect, wisdom, and non-delusion. The manifestations of Ishvara are in pairs. We are frequently drawn to one of the two aspects of the duo while avoiding the other.

Shri Krishna wishes for us to maintain equanimity and balance in each of these pairs. Ishvara may deliver a sad event in order to increase vairagya (passionlessness). He might instill dread in us so that we don’t do something illegal or unethical. Non-injury is usually considered to mean not harming a live being physically. But, in a broader sense, it means not depriving someone else of happiness, knowledge, or finiteness.

Keeping equanimity is a sign of healthy detachment and dispassion. The ability to accept everything in life, good or terrible, joyful or sorrowful, as a gift from Ishvara is referred to as “prasaada Buddhi.” The energy that builds up in our bodies as we practise restriction of our sense organs is referred to as penance.

“Ayashaha” is the infamy that results from the pursuit of adharma, or unlawful activity, and “dharma” is the reputation that results from the pursuit of right conduct. Ishvara is the one who instills all of these attributes in us.

There are, however, a set of guidelines that control the development of these attributes.

Which qualities or states arise within us is determined by our karma, or actions. We will immediately internalize good attributes if we are continually surrounded by nice company, and vice versa.

To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.

There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There is also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

Starting with the next shloka, we will witness Ishvara’s real, visible expressions.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…