(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)
Divine Is Punishment And He Is Proper Conduct Amongst Secrets He Is Silence, And In The Wise He Is Wisdom
दण्डो दमयतामस्मि नीतिरस्मि जिगीषताम् |
मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां ज्ञानं ज्ञानवतामहम् || 10.38||
daṇḍo damayatām asmi nītir asmi jigīṣhatām
maunaṁ chaivāsmi guhyānāṁ jñānaṁ jñānavatām aham|| 10.38||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 10- Ver. 38:
I am punishment among subjugation tools, and strategy among triumph seekers. I am also silence amid the secrets, and knowledge among the knowledgeable.
Explanation
Because of the human nature, sermons alone are insufficient to ensure good behaviour among individuals. Punishment, when administered in a timely and reasonable manner, is an effective instrument for correcting sinful behaviour and teaching people in proper conduct.
One of its objectives is to prevent people in society who might be tempted to commit wrongdoing. Even one minute of appropriate punishment for wrong activities and one minute of appropriate reward for good actions can correct people’s habits, according to modern management philosophy.
Victory is a common ambition, but individuals of good character are unwilling to sacrifice morals or ethics in order to attain it. The power of God is symbolised by the victory obtained via the road of righteousness. A secret is something that is kept hidden from the general public for a specific reason. The most important secret is the one that is kept hidden in silence.
True wisdom develops as a person’s spiritual knowledge matures via self or God realization. It gives a person the ability to see all events, people, and objects through the lens of their relationship with God. Such insight purifies, satisfies, and elevates the individual. It offers meaning to life, the fortitude to deal with its ups and downs, and the drive to see it through to the conclusion. According to Shree Krishna, he is the wisdom that manifests in the wise.
Verse & what we can learn
Shri Krishna considers punishment to be the most powerful of Ishvara’s phrases that constrain or subdue people in this shloka. As we saw in the second chapter, focusing on sense objects can easily lead to the loss of even a smart person’s intelligence, as well as discriminating, which can lead to illegal behaviour.
A society with no means of punishing offenders is unworkable and would lead to anarchy and disaster. From our perspective, we must constantly monitor our minds and sense organs to ensure that they do not lead us wrong.
Shri Krishna, the supreme strategist, considers strategy to be Ishvara’s most prominent manifestation among victory seekers. We can cope with a variety of individuals and situations using strategy, and we can design a plan to win every time. we have a choice: we can either snap back at the person or remain mute. We may say something that will come back to haunt us later if we respond.
Ishvara’s most prominent form among secrets is silence. Those intelligent people who follow Ishvara’s advice gain their wisdom through Ishvara’s divine manifestation as well.
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.
In the next Shloka we continue to learn more about Ishvara’s expressions.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…