I Am God -Aut0biography of God in the Gita

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I am God: Autobiographical Fragments

from the Bhagavad Gita



I am God: Autobiographical Fragmentsfrom the Bhagavad Gita

Article of the Month - December 2005

The Bhagavad Gita consists of seven hundred verses. Out of these, a massive

574 have been uttered by Krishna himself, giving us an unparalleled insight intothe true nature of divinity. The title of the poem too suggests this, meaning thesong (Gita) of God (Bhagavat).

For example, at one point

Krishna says:

'Amongst the great sages(maharishis) I am presentas Bhrigu.' (10.25)

Now this sage namedBhrigu has an interesting

history. Once, in order totest Vishnu's greatness, he

charged up to the latter'sabode and found himresting (as usual), on thecoils of a venomous snake,

with his wife Lakshmi lovingly massaging his feet.

Incensed that the Lord did not get up to welcome him, the saint mounted theserpent and planted a strong kick on Vishnu's chest. Bhrigu's temerity in doing sois however eclipsed by Vishnu's own reaction: He immediately got up and softlyrubbed the aggressor's heels, saying: "O dear sir, my chest is hard and your legssoft. I hope I did not hurt you. I am blessed to have been so honored by yourlotus feet whose imprint will always remain on my body." To this day, Vishnucarries on his chest this mark, known in popular parlance as the Shrivatsa.

(Bhagavata Purana 10.89)

It is well established that Krishna is an incarnation of Vishnu; in fact, in manyinstances, they are indistinguishable. As for Bhrigu, he is venerated in ancienttexts as a guru who exposes his disciples to torment and suffering, making themresilient and amenable to the inevitable ups and downs of life.

Thus does God inspire us to maintain equanimity in the face of adversity, saying:

"The calm man is completely composed in heat and cold, pleasure and pain,honor and dishonor." (6.7)

"One who deals equally with friend and foe, who is free from attachment, he whotakes praise and reproach alike, is silent and content with his lot (santushta),

Seshashyai Vishnu (With Chromatic Aberration)



without a sense of ownership (for his house etc), and of a steady mind, such adevotee (bhaktiman) is dear to Me." (12.18-19)

"He who regards a clod of earth, a stone and gold as being of equal worth, is wiseand views censure and praise as alike.." (14.24)

Why does Krishna have to subject himself to this apparent insult? To set anexample, because:

"Whatever the best one does, that others also do. Whatever standards he sets,the world follows. For me, in all the three worlds, there is nothing that I lack. YetI am ever engaged in action (karma). For if I did not continue to work withalertness, humans would in every way follow my example. If I did not perform

karma, these worlds would be ruined.." (3.21-24)

Here it needs to be observed that in the above narrative, God is both thetormentor (Bhrigu) and the tormented (Vishnu).

The God of Suffering

Krishna's autobiographical intent is not restricted to a specific humiliatingcircumstance. His wish is to encompass the entire spectrum of human suffering:

"Among the Rudras, I amShankara." (10.23)

Shankara is a synonym for

Shiva, who is the God of destruction in the Hindu

pantheon. Rudras are the classof deities responsible formaking humanity grieve (rud:weep). Shankara is their leaderand his name literally means

one who grants welfare (sham).This verse is illustrative of the

Hindu penchant for glorifyingthe enriching potential of suffering and indicates thatadverse circumstances in lifeare as much a gift of God as are

favorable ones. In fact, thephilosophers of yore stated that

it was only those who were hisfavorite did God thus bless,much like a mother who knowswhen it is best to shower herchild with affection and when toyield the stick, both of whichare necessary for the potential flowering of the infant's character. Only she knows

when to apply which principle. She may distribute sweets equally to all childrenplaying in a group; but will not chastise them in equal measure when theymisbehave. Only her own beloved child has a right over her rod. Thus does

Krishna also ensure our lasting welfare (Shankara), by exposing us to the rudrasof life.

Rudra



Significantly, Vishnu (Krishna) here identifies himself with Shiva. This seems acontradiction in terms since the former is credited with the creation of the worldand the latter with its destruction (death). However, God clarifies matters:

"I am immortality (amrita) as well as death (mrityu)." (9.19)

"I am the all-depriving death and also the source of all future beings." (10.34)

In Indian philosophy, death is not the opposite of life but its timely fulfillment.Destruction is not the end of creation, but the beginning of a fresh cycle.

Later, Krishna identifies himself with another, slightly different

instrument of destruction:

"Of weapons I am the thunderbolt

(vajra)." (10.28)

The vajra is no ordinary weapon,

having being created when allother means failed to restrain theforces of evil wreaking havoc onthe world. It was carved out of thebones of the celebrated saintDadhichi, who readily gave up his

mortal form for the divine cause.As the king of the positive forces inthe world, it was the privilege of

Indra to wield the thunderbolt.

In fact, God also says:

Amongst the demigods "Iam Indra" (10.22) and"amongst the finest of elephants (gajendera) I am

Airavata" (10.27). Thelatter was recovered whenthe demons and godschurned the ocean togetherto retrieve the nectar of immortality. It was laterhanded over to Indra as his

mount.

Indra Riding Airavata Holding the Vajra

Amrit Manthan



Not surprisingly, there is a marked preference for Indra, whose name literallymeans 'one who has conquered the sense organs (indriya)', an attribute whichGod immensely appreciates:

"One who has controlled the sensory organs is superior." (3.7)

The God of Evil

What however, about the question of

evil? Krishna states: "Everything is God"(Vaasudev Sarvam 7.19).

Hence, whatever is present in this worldis charged with God's own dynamism andthe latter has no qualms about declaring:

"Of the demons (rakshasas) and yakshasI am Kuvera (Vittesh)." (10.23)

A rakshasa is someone who protects (raksha: protection). Here, Krishna isreferring to those of us who lord over our wealth, jealously guarding it with ourlives, inhibiting its circulation. A yaksha is one who is not of a clenched fist, butnevertheless uses money solely for his or her own consumption, without anyintention of sharing it. In the latter case, though there is a flow of prosperity,

since one man's expense is another's gain, nevertheless, because of the absenceof altruistic intentions it lacks in spiritual merit (punya). Indeed, money can have

only one of the following three kinds of mobility (it cannot remain immobile):

1). Charity (daana)

2). Selfish pleasure (bhoga), or

3). Dissolution (naash).

It would have been hardly surprising if Krishna had identified himself with the

first characteristic. He however, speaks otherwise, saying that he is present in

those individuals who consume money selfishly and also those of us who do not

God is Everything (Vasudevah Sarvam)



let a penny escape, thus affecting the dynamics of nature adversely, ultimatelyleading to the annihilation of wealth.

The name Kuvera literally means one who has an

ugly (ku) body (vera). Legend has it that he wasborn extremely poor but by extreme penance

managed to please Lord Shiva who made him theguardian of the world's wealth. Our prosperitytoo is a boon of God and we may justify our

conduct taking cue from Krishna above. It mustbe remembered however that the result isobvious for all of us to see. True to their names,Kuvera (and the yakshas), have been given

grotesque horrifying forms in the Indian arttradition.

The God of Deception

"Among deceitful practices I am dicing (gambling)." (10.36)

The Bhagavad Gita is presented in the form of a dialogue between Krishna andhis friend cum disciple Arjuna. The latter had suffered lifelong due to his elderbrother's irresistible urge to indulge the dice. Thus Krishna here has a chosen aparticularly potent metaphor, lightening the serious mood of philosophical

discourse with the warmth of human interaction. This was one evil elementArjuna could easily relate to. Though he and his brothers lost their kingdombecause of the deception of the group playing opposite, the end result was the

destruction of the villains, the establishment of dharma, and the icing on the cake- a pertinent opportunity for God to deliver the discourse of the Gita.

Truly God is present in all that is good and bad. The choice however remainsours. Being subject to the inexorable laws of karma, we will reap what we chooseto sow. That is the reason he points out to us various specific and temporalmanifestations of his otherwise endless and eternal glory. By following theirbiographical narratives to their logical conclusions, expressed through an

autobiographical discourse in God's own voice, we gain a clearer roadmap foridentifying, and making the correct choices in our own lives.

Kuvera

Kushana period, 2nd century AD

Sandstone, 96 X 45 X 35 cm



The Female God

"In women, I am virtuous reputation (kirti), fortune (Shri), speech (vak), memory

(smriti), ability to imbibe things (medha), constancy (dhrti) and forgiveness(kshama)." (10.34)

A well-known piece of humor has it that we can get a taste of heaven on earth if we have the following:

1). An American salary to take home.

2). Chinese food to eat.

3). A British home to live in, and,

4). An Indian wife to go home to.

It is perhaps this fame of the virtuous Indian woman that Krishna is talkingabout. The reasons are not far to seek. When the Gita itself says that God residesin the steadfast woman, who lets only one man live in her memory (smriti), muchlike the goddess Shri (Lakshmi), the prosperity of one who has her for a consortis assured. Indeed, it is a belief in India that when a man and woman are boundin holy matrimony, it is a conjoining of their fortunes, and all sin (paap) and merit(punya) acquired by either is shared equally between the two. The lips of such awoman speak (vak) of no other than the one she has chosen to give herself upcompletely to. Since her very childhood it has been imbibed in her to remaincommitted to one only, till this chaste ideal becomes as integral a part of her

character as much as her breath is to her physical existence. It is her infinitecapacity to forgive and the forbearance inherent in womanhood that lets such a

divine relationship blossom on earth.

I am Me, You are also Me

In the tenth chapter God says:

"In the tribe called Vrishni, I am Krishna andamongst the five Pandava brothers, I amArjuna." (37)

Meaning, the one narrating the Bhagavad Gita(Krishna), is also the one listening to it,namely Arjuna.

Gita Updesha



God in The Philosophy of Language

"Amongst alphabets, I am the letter A, and of the different kinds of compounds in

grammar, I am the copulative compound." (10.33)

'A', pronounced as the first sound in the word 'amuse', is the immediate soundthat springs from the mouth as soon as it is opened, even though it comes fromthe deepest levels in the throat. It is hence naturally the first letter of the

Sanskrit alphabet and is a grammatical reminder that God is the origin of all.

The second part of the statement refers to the fondness of the Sanskrit writer to

make new, bigger words, by fusing together two or more of them. Thesecombinations are of four types:

1). Avyayibhava (Adverbial compounds): In this fusion, the first word retains itsprimary importance, while the latter may be reduced to a prefix. For example:

vanasya (forest) samipam (near) becomes upvanam.

2). Bahuvrihi (Possessive): None of the original words remain important,but a new one emerges, meaningsomething other than theconstituents:

neelam (blue) kanttham (throat)

yasya (one who possesses) becomesNeelkanth (Lord Shiva)

3). Tatpurusha (Determinative): The second word retains primacy:

rashtrasya (of nation) pati (lord) becomes rashtrapati

4). Dvandva (Copulative): Both the constituents retain equal primacy.

Nilkantha Shiva



Ram and Lakshman becomes Ramlakshmanau (au denotes duality).

Evidently, the copulative compound in Sanskrit is also the most democratic,giving equal weightage to both its constituents, knitting them together in one'advaita' identity, without destroying their individuality.

The Fire in the Belly

"I am fire" (9.16)

"Know the fieriness of fire to be mine." (15.12)

"Abiding in all living beings as the fire of life, conjoined with the two kinds of breaths (inhalation and exhalation), I digest the four kinds of food." (15.14)

Ancient philosophy divides food (anna), into four categories; namely that one canchew, drink, swallow or lick. In all cases it is God, existing in our body as the

warmth of life, generating the metabolic heat digesting it. He carries out this tasknot only in humans, but in every being (praninam).

All fire needs air for ignition. Likewise, inflamed by the incoming breath (apana),and the other, which is expelled (prana), flushing out the residue from thefurnace, the fire of life continues to pulsate in us.

Truly, we have to be very careful with what we eat. It is not ourselves but God

we are feeding, who consumes what we intake, much as the fire in the Vedicsacrifice devours the sacred fuel nourishing it.

The Topsy-Turvy World of God

"Of all trees I am the banyan (peepal)." (10.26).

Krishna mentions the banyan tree again:

"The wise speak of the imperishablebanyan tree (ashvattha), which has itsroots above and branches below. Its

leaves are the Vedas and he who knows

this is the knower of the Vedas. Itsbranches extend all about; nourished bythe three attributes of nature(luminescence, mobility and lethargy), thesensory objects are its shoots and below,in the world of men, its secondary rootsstretch forth, binding them in karma. Itsreal form (rupa) is not perceived here, nor

its end nor beginning nor its foundation.Let man first hew down this firm rootedbanyan tree with the strong weapon of detachment." (15.1-3)

The Inverted Tree



The banyan tree is unusualin that it can send forthfrom its branchessecondary roots, oftenreaching down to the

ground.

This is a daring, almostsurrealistic metaphor - atree with roots above andbranches below. At the topof such a tree resides Godand in the trunk is Brahma,

responsible for the creationof all manifested existence.We are howeveraccustomed to a verydifferent kind of tree, exactly the opposite of the one thus described. Hence are

appearances deceptive. Things are not what they seem at first sight. The richestare the poorest inside. Those who are seen smiling outside, feel terrible within,and the one successful is only sitting over his mound of failures. Once we gainthis discriminating vision, what Krishna calls the "divya chakshuh" (11.8), only

then can we see through appearances and perceive the root cause common to all- God.

The farther we move (evolve) away from the top of the cosmic tree, the moredistant we are from God himself and what we normally feel to be progression is inspiritual terms regression. Nevertheless, even though the branches and leavesmay spread out far and wide, they are always joined to their root cause (mula),

and therefore never separated from God, although perhaps at a remote distance

from him.

What we are able to see in the world is in truth the exact opposite of how thingsactually are. Conforming to this flawed vision our priorities too have becomeinverted. For example, spiritual activity is thought to be the opposite of worldliness. For those of us who have understood the true nature of the tree of life, living life inside out is the correct way to progress on the spiritual path. Godacknowledges this when He says:

"What is night for all beings is the time of waking for the disciplined soul; andwhat is the time of waking for all is night for the sage with vision." (2.69)

How can we gain this vision? By standing detached from the world, very muchlike a person on the moon, who would perceive all the trees of the world to behanging upside down, as they actually are, only because he stands apart from itall. Somewhat like Archimedes, when he said: "Give me a firm spot on which tostand, and I will move the earth." The eagerly sought spot is however not a

geographical location separate from where we already are. It is the mentalcondition of unattached (asanga) equanimity, with which we need to cleave theflawed tree of our distorted perception.

The Silent, Secret God

"In things mysterious, I am silence." (10.38)

The Banyan Tree with Secondary (Aerial) Roots



"The silent one (mauni) is dear to me." (12.19)

"Silence is the penance of mind." (17.16)

A typical malady of the modern era is mankind's inner turmoil, the offshoot of an

unnaturally fast pace of life. Silence (maun), means quietening this turbulence bywithdrawing from activity and turning all effort inwards. The internal dialoguequietens gradually; and then, when the silence becomes profound, the voice of God speaks.

Thus, the more we come near to hearing God's own voice, entering the ultimateof mysteries, our own need to speak becomes lesser. Shri Ramakrishna comparedthis to the honeybee, which hums only while hovering over a flower. No sooner

than it lands and begins to suck the nectar, all humming ceases.

The Serpentine God

"Among snakes (sarpas), I am Vasuki."(10.28).

"Among serpents (nagas), I am Ananta."(10.29)

In consecutive verses, Krishna identifieshimself with two different serpents.

There is a fine distinction between them.While the sarpas are single-hooded and

live on land, the multi-headed nagasdwell in water.

Specifically, Vasuki adorns Lord Shiva'sfinger as a ring and served as a ropeduring the churning of the ocean. Ananta

is the serpent on whom Vishnu reclinesduring his yoga-nidra (sleep).

Metaphysically, Ananta represents theinfinite potential energy lying dormant inus (Kundalini); and Vasuki, with one

head, its singular uncoiling.

Conclusion:

The Bhagavad Gita is in many ways God's picture album filled with self-portraits.

However, his voice is different from ours, and identification with one is not thenegation of the other. When he says, "In the rivers I am Ganga" or "amongst

birds I am Garuda", it is the underlying qualities making these manifestationsspecial that he is calling to attention. The Great Teacher knows that human

intellect is but naturally attracted to what it perceives to be extraordinary. This ismade explicit when he defines himself to be "the brilliance of all that is brilliantand the splendor of all that is splendid." He is the invisible infinite, whose essence

Yoga-Nidra (Yogic Trance Theory, Practice

and Applications)



permeates all finite things, much as "gems beaded on a string" (7.7), poeticallyrevealed as "the flavor (rasa) of water" (7.8).

(This article is dedicated to the memory of Swami Ramsukhdas, who wasnever photographed and whom the author never met. He died early this

year.)

References and Further Reading:

• Bhagavadgita, Srimad with English translation and transliteration (4thed.): Gorakhpur, 2004.

• Chaitanya, Krishna. The Gita for Modern Man (3rd ed.): Delhi, 1992.

• Chinmayananda, Swami. The Holy Geeta (8th ed.): Mumbai, 2002.

• Easwaran, Eknath. The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living (3 vols.) (5th ed.):Mumbai, 2005.

• Goyandka, Jayadayal. Shrimadbhagavadgita with word-to-word translation(54th ed.): Gorakhpur, 2004.

• Goyandka, Jayadayal. Srimadbhagavadgita Tattvavivecani (EnglishCommentary) (19th ed.): Gorakhpur, 2004.

• Goyandka, Shri Harikrishandas (tr.) Shrimadbhagavadgita with the

Commentary of Shankaracharya (25th ed.): Gorakhpur, 2004.

• Grimes, John. A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy (Sanskrit-English): Madras, 1988.

• Osho. Gita Darshan (Discourses on the Bhagavad Gita) (8 vols.) (3rd ed.):Pune, 2003.

• Radhakrishnan, S. The Bhagavadgita (21st ed.): New Delhi, 2004.

• Ramsukhdas, Swami. Gita Darpan Essays on the Gita (18th ed.):

Gorakhpur, 2003.

• Ramsukhdas, Swami. Gita Gyan Praveshika (11th ed.): Gorakhpur, 2004.

• Ramsukhdas, Swami. Gita Prabodhni (4th ed.): Gorakhpur, 2005.

• Ramsukhdas, Swami. God is Everything (4th ed.): Gorakhpur, 2003.

• Ramsukhdas, Swami. Sadhaka Sanjivani Commentary on the BhagavadGita (2 vols.) (5th ed.): Gorakhpur, 2005.

• Ramsukhdas, Swami. Sadhan Sudha Sindhu A Collection of Benedictory

Discourses (17th ed.): Gorakhpur, 2003.

• Rangacharya, M. The Hindu Philosophy of Conduct Essays on the

Bhagavad Gita (4 vols.) (2nd ed.): Delhi, 1989.

• Ranganathananda, Swami. Universal message of the Bhagavad Gita (3vols.) (2nd ed.): Kolkata, 2003.

• Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhaktiyoga (Discourses on the 12thchapter) (5th ed.): Varanasi, 1997.

• Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Gyan Vigyan Yoga (Discourses on the

7th chapter): Varanasi, 1999.• Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Shri Purshottam Yoga (Discourses on

the 15th chapter) (4th ed.): Varanasi, 1999.

• Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Vibhuti Yoga (Discourses on the 10thchapter) (2nd ed.): Varanasi, 2004.

• Tapasyananda, Swami. Srimad Bhagavata: The Holy Book of God (4vols.): Chennai.

• Vanamali. Nitya Yoga Essays on the Sreemad Bhagavad Gita: New Delhi,

2004.

• Warrier, Dr. A.G. Krishna (tr.) Bhagavad Gita Bhasya of Sri

Sankaracharya: Chennai, 2002.

• Yogananda, Sri Sri Paramahansa. God Talks with Arjuna (2 vols.) (2nd

ed.): Kolkata, 2002.



This article by Nitin Kumar.

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I Am God -Aut0biography of God in the Gita