(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)
Ishvara Is Responsible For The Sun’s Warmth The Sun’s Energy Comes From Ishvara And He Is Concerned About The Entire Planet’s Well-Being
तपाम्यहमहं वर्षं निगृह्णम्युत्सृजामि च |
अमृतं चैव मृत्युश्च सदसच्चाहमर्जुन || 9.19||
tapāmyaham ahaṁ varṣhaṁ nigṛihṇāmyutsṛijāmi cha
amṛitaṁ chaiva mṛityuśh cha sad asach chāham arjuna|| 9.19||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 9- Ver. 19:
I give off heat like the sun, and I also give off heat and rain. O Arjun, I am both immortality and death incarnate. I am both the spirit and the matter.
Explanation
When God is the only thing that exists, the substance used to worship Him is also non-different from Him. Shree Krishna reveals that He is the Vedas, the sacrificial fire, the syllable “Om,” the clarified butter, and the act of offering, as described previously in lines 16 and 17. There is nothing we can contribute to God aside from God, regardless of the form and sincerity of our devotion. Nonetheless, it is the attitude of love, not the action, that pleases God.
Krishna diffuses heat and light through the usage of electricity and the sun, His various energies. Krishna prevents rain from pouring from the sky throughout the summer, and then sends unending torrents of rain during the rainy season. Krishna is the force that supports us by extending our lives, and Krishna meets us at the end as death. By examining all of Krishna’s various energies, it is clear that there is no distinction between matter and spirit for Him, or, in other words, He is both matter and spirit. As a result, in the advanced stage of Krishna awareness, such distinctions are not made.
Because Krishna is both matter and spirit, the enormous universal form that encompasses all material manifestations is also Krishna, and His pastimes are those of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Verse & what we can learn
Instead of searching exclusively in things and places that our senses find delightful, we should look for Ishvara everywhere. Because we deal with the weather daily, it can serve as an excellent pointer to Ishvara. However, whether the weather becomes too hot, or there is an abundance of rain or drought, our bodies become uncomfortable, and we don’t even think of Ishvara.
It is Ishvara who provides the warmth of the sun. So, when it gets really hot, we should remember that Ishvara is the source of the sun’s energy. Even though we are uneasy, we must remember that Ishvara is concerned for the well-being of the entire planet. When it gets warmer outside, the water on the ground rises to form clouds, which then fall as rain. We would never get any rain on Earth if the sun never provided enough heat.
Ishvara can be found in both immortality and death. Knowing Ishvara as an endless being is genuine immortality while knowing Ishvara as a finite entity is a death, symbolically. We shall finally witness them “die” when we only observe waves and froth in the water. When we merely see the water, though, there is no death.
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 are 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 verse, Shri Krishna tells Arjuna forms of devotion.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…