Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta Shlok Blog -58
Shlok-11
अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे । गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिताः ॥ 2-11 ||
English Transcription
Ashochyaananwashochastwam Pragyaawaadaanshch Bhaashase | Gataasoonagataasoonchashcha Naanushochanti Panditaah || 2-11 ||
Hindi Translation
Tmne shok na karne yogya ka shok kiya hai, or gyaan ki, vidwata ki baate karte ho, lekin jinke praan chale gaye hain, unke liye, or jinke praan nahin gaye hain, unke liye pandit log shok nahi karte.
English Translation
You sorrow over men you should not even be sorry for and you talk about issues around learning and knowledge? Wise men do not grieve the dead nor the living.
Meaning
In the previous Shlok, we saw how Shri Krishna psychoanalyzed Arjun’s mental condition and understood that he will have to tackle one issue at a time and first treat Arjun’s mind and then body with multiple simple, valid, and easy facts about everyone. Thus, in this Shlok, we will see how Shri Krishna manages to convince Arjun about fighting and why is it mandatory for the betterment of everyone.
A person is maximum sad when they create a divide between the people around them in the form of:
- These are mine, which consists of everyone they love, are connected with, related with, or know and hold positive thoughts about.
- These are not mine, which consists of people who might be the blood relatives of the person, but they don’t see them in good stride, strangers, and everyone else who doesn’t matter to the person even if they are close or not.
Now, for the ones the person loves, he will have a feeling of love, attachment, attraction, and connection. Now, with a person develops the above feelings are the ones who might do something that will create any reason for tension, stress, and sadness. When the person is unable to handle the tension, stress, or sadness, then these people become distant and start falling into the second category of “Not Mine” and the feeling of separation hurts more than the feeling of love. This is when the person starts feeling dejected and hatred develops from love similar to the saying that love begins from hate.
We have seen that in the beginning, Dhritrashtra says to Sanjaya that in the auspicious land of Kurukshetra, there are my sons and Pandu’s sons who are fighting it out and I don’t like it at all. Here Dhritrashtra only created a difference between the two people close to him and this escalated beyond control to a war situation. Dhritrashtra knew that his sons were wrong and yet he preferred them and loved them. This wa the same feeling that Arjun had when he saw his people around because he knew these people were wrong but he also knew that they were his people so he was ready to give up his life for them but not teach them a lesson or fight them at any cost.
The only difference was that Arjun wasn’t partial. Dhritrashtra knew his sons did wrong to his brother’s sons and yet he did not say a word. Arjun knew that the Kauravas were bad to their own brothers, the Pandavas, and yet he developed a feeling of love and affection for them thus, Dhritrashtra was attached for his personal benefit and Arjun was attached for everyone else’s personal benefit.
This was why Arjun was sad that he will be losing people whom he loved, even if they did not love them. So Shri Krishna told Arjun that he should listen to God. He should not be sad for those who will not be sad for him. He should not feel bad for those who do not want to feel bad for him in his worst situations also for their personal benefit. The world starts at the feet of Shri Krishna and ends where he wants it to end. So excessive grief or happiness will not contain anyone anywhere if they do not know what to do and when.
There are two things in the entire universe when it comes to a person’s physical facts. The first is the outer body and the second is the body. The outer body is mortal. It is sure to die one day and be done with. The body is the remembrance of the person like the soul, the blessings, and similar aspects which are abstract and are available for long because they cannot die with the person. The remembrances remain with the loved ones and the soul transfers from one body to another.
No one who is in their right mind and has the right attitude should worry about grieving the mortal remains of the body because that is written to be finished one day and the day it does, celebrate so that the soul can either rest in peace or find its right motive and enter the right body for functioning properly. Also, for the immortal remains, when something is not dead and cannot die and remain forever, then there is no point in grieving that. The soul is living as it never dies and it will move into someone else. The memories will remain forever and there is nothing that can erase it so there is no point in grieving it.
Anything that comes in front of a person is the result of what they have done. Being too happy about it or too sad about it is more stupid than anything else because be it a positive situation or negative situation, there is a destined start to it and a destined end to it and there is no in-between here so there is no confusion about this here and everyone knows it.
If the situation does not stop for even a single second, then there is no need for anyone to love it or grieve about it. It is thus plain and simple stupid and idiotic to express emotions for something that is predecided and petite.
Arjun was also talking about a lot of knowledge-worthy things that only a supremely learned person can do. In ancient times, the supreme learned people were called Pandits. So Krishna says to Arjun that he was talking about knowledge and everything and then he is not even able to understand the basic things that a Pandit knows. No learned person ever grieves upon what had to happen or what had happened because they know that it is of no use. So all the rant of Arjun saying that the family legacy will be destroyed when the family legacy is gone, the ethics will be bad, ethics will destroy the character, the character will give birth to bad blood, and that will create only Adharma (unethical behavior). All this will lead the entire legacy into the drain and then, not just the living, but the souls of the dead too will face the consequences of this entire episode. So if you know this much, you should know that if this war has come here and it is bound to happen, there is something destined and not doing that will be Adhrama and the result need not be grieved upon because that result was to happen to make everything under control. So if you think you are earned, then why don’t you behave like one?
Also, birth and death are very normal and natural. If you believe that what you give to the demised gets with them to heaven and they have to eat that food and drink that liquid, then if you cry upon their demise, then you will have to give them your sorrows and tears also that they will have to experience with and that is not at all respectful for the living or the dead. So if you are trying to be disrespectful to the dead because you did love them more and you could not understand that you need to be away from them, then it is on you and you are wrong here.
You should give the dead a happy goodbye so that when they travel to another body, they are done from their previous Karma and now they only get a good new start. Make arrangements for a happy demise of your loved ones and not for them to handle you crying and grieving over them when not just theirs, but your death is also written and guaranteed.
Arjun was also saying that his hands are shaking and his mouth was going dry thinking about how he will handle everything. This was when he was told that if he betrays his body of the most important thing it is good at, in Arjun’s case, his hands and legs because he was a fighter and his brains because he was a strategist, so then the person is insulting that capacity of the body and this is again another blow to the person’s capability.
There is a specific togetherness a person can feel with a lot of people and things and thus, if these things are unavoidable. But not doing your duty for this is a crime in the eyes of anyone and thus, Shri Krishna tells Arjun to handle himself with caution and care.
Conclusion
Everyone who is alive will be dead someday. Everything that is existing will cease to be one day. There is nothing that is forever. Even Chiranjeevi were born someday and they weren’t there before that. The understanding of this that there is going to be another day and there is a difference between loving something and not letting go is what makes a person ready to face life and its adversities. This is why, whenever there is a chance, it is a good idea to make sure that there is no grief or excessive joy in anything that does not need that at most.
That's all for Shlok-11, Chapter-2. We’ll see you again tomorrow for Shlok-12 Chapter-2. Till then, have a great time and enjoy reading ahead.
