Sraddha in the Gita in the light of Sri Aurobindo
Sushrut Badhe
The Bhagavad Gita is a five thousand year old mystic enigma that has been considered as “The Essence of the Veda” and many realised thinkers have termed the seed scripture to be an Upanishad in itself, calling it Gitopanishad as it is considered by them to be one of the most, if not the most, important Vedantic scriptures. The chief proponents of both the Vedantic schools i.e. Advaita Vedanta (Monism), Sankaracharya and Dvaita Vedanta (Dualism), Madhavacharya who fiercely attacked the former school of thought, found in the Gita a reinforcement of their individual schools of philosophy. Later on even the founder of the Vedantic school that proposed the middle path - Vishistadvaita (Qualified Monism), Ramanujacharya found evidences in support of his philosophy in the Bhagavad Gita. From the ancient to the modern times, most of the realised thinkers born in the Indian soil have been influenced either directly or indirectly by the teachings of the Gita. Throughout the ages, the Gita has transformed a number of minds that were once unconscious like dull metal into radiant minds of gold with an alchemist’s precision and the Gita began to receive the respect of a philosopher’s stone. However, with the respect and reverence there also came a superstition that pushed the sacred text slowly from the bookshelf into the prayer-room and a large section of the populace began to stop living and began memorising the verses and worshiping the Gita. This superstition is precisely what Sri Aurobindo wants us to avoid while approaching the Gita. In his Essays on the Gita, he emphasises that the object of our studying the Gita should be neither a scholastic nor an academic scrutiny of its thought nor an analysis of its dialectics or historical and metaphysical speculation because this sacred text has for centuries confounded and also continues to confound the most erudite scholars who approach the scripture relying solely on their mental faculties of cognition and reason.
According to Sri Aurobindo, the real purpose of the Gita is to effect a reconciliation of the innermost spiritual truth of man and his outer life and action. It addresses the most important paradox that faces the human existence i.e. the paradox of the integration of the spiritual and the material life. This paradox has confused even the greatest amongst intellectuals whose rational minds have been unable to accept the very fundamental logic of an integral yoga that assimilates and embraces both – the spiritual and the material equally. Though we see a precursor of the integral yogic concepts in the Gita, most schools of thought do not recognise this union in the Gita as according to them Sankhya, the ancient way of renunciation, and Yoga with reference to the way of union through liberated action are opposites. Both Sri Krishna and Sri Aurobindo point out that this is a misconception and they call such persons to be childlike in their mentality for tending to compartmentalise the two and discriminate between liberation and liberated action.
This is evident from the following verses of the Vth Canto of the Gita which illustrates that the actions that this integration of both is truly possible.
साङ्ख्ययोगौ पृथग्बाला: प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिता: |
एकमप्यास्थित: सम्यगुभयोर्विन्दते फलम् || 5.4||
It is the children naïve who have this rigid stand,
That liberation and liberated actions are different
Even if one is followed integrally, the wise understand
The fruits of both ways are in its result present|5.4|
यत्साङ्ख्यै: प्राप्यते स्थानं तद्योगैरपि गम्यते |
एकं साङ्ख्यं च योगं च य: पश्यति स पश्यति || 5.5||
The same status which from renunciation may be won,
By a Divine union in works, can be reached with ease
For both renunciation and liberated actions are one
He who can thus see, he truly sees|5.5|
It becomes quite clear to us that our purpose of reading the Gita should be for the realisation of this integral union for there can be no worthier purpose than liberating our soul from the boundaries and shackles that have been placed on it by the rigid logic and primitive rationale of our own outer minds. And so we shall approach the Gita by conditioning our minds in this light.
“We are not called upon to be orthodox Vedantins of any of the three schools or Tantrics or to adhere to one of the theistic religions of the past or to entrench ourselves within the four corners of the teaching of the Gita. That would be to limit ourselves and to attempt to create our spiritual life out of the being, knowledge and nature of others, of the men of the past, instead of building it out of our own being and potentialities. We do not belong to the past dawns, but to the noons of the future.” (Sri Aurobindo1)
While it is true that the Gita has bewildered the wisest scholars for centuries and also continues to confuse the erudite intellectuals even today; a very interesting aspect of the Gita that comes to the forefront is that the same text that perplexes the wisest philosophers becomes a perspicuous manual for realising the triad of sat-chit-ananada (truth-consciousness-bliss) in life that is very much within the reach and understanding of even a lay person, if and only if it is approached with the right mental attitude. The key to garnering this right mental attitude lies in a singular word – śraddhā and it thus becomes very imperative for us to understand the meaning of the śraddhā in its true spirit.
Though Sri Aurobindo has chosen the word Faith to be its closest English equivalent, he has himself clearly stated that Faith is not adequate enough to convey the true meaning of śraddhā .
“This śraddhā — the English word faith is inadequate to express it — is in reality an influence from the supreme Spirit and its light a message from our supramental being which is calling the lower nature to rise out of its petty present to a great self-becoming and self-exceeding. And that which receives the influence and answers to the call is not so much the intellect, the heart or the life mind, but the inner soul which better knows the truth of its own destiny and mission.” (Sri Aurobindo2)
In Sri Aurobindo’s light, we can say that śraddhā is the invitation of the Supramental being that moves beyond the koshas or sheaths of intellect, heart and life-mind and penetrates the jeevatman or the life-soul of an individual. This intervention is a Divine call to awaken the dormant inner soul caught in the slumber of the individual’s lower consciousness and selfish natures. While it is really not possible to define the experience, we can simply describe the phenomenon of śraddhā as a beautiful human experience that spontaneously springs out of the innermost caverns of the soul, transforming the life of the mortal and elevating him to the plane of the Divine. Devotion, Love, Confidence and Trust are all different shades of this one joyous human emotion that is innately divine. It is the ambrosia of the Gods that every man is capable of tasting. From the human perspective, it makes both the adored and adorer more adorable.
Moving on to the Gita, we see a fully armed Arjuna in Kurukshetra in the battlefield’s centre experiencing an absolute breakdown after seeing that his elders and beloved teachers had all sided with his Kauravan opponents with a desire to kill him. His entire world had come crashing down and to him his life had lost its sense of purpose and meaning. He began to mentally ration that even death was better than a victory over the three realms if it came by slaying his own elders, teachers and loved ones. His throat became dry as he began to mentally prepare himself to face death by facing his foes unarmed. And in this suicidal depression, his famous Gandiva bow fell to the ground and he dropped onto his chariot as he had already accepted defeat. It was in this dark hour, that the supramental intervention of Krishna took place as he invoked the will within Arjuna with the words “Uttishta Parantapa”.
In the beginning verses of II Canto of the Gita, Sri Krishna says:
कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् |
अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन || 2.2||
“Arjuna, From where hast this delusion
So untimely within you arisen?
This behaviour doesn’t behove brave hearts,
Seekers of heaven or fame nor stalwarts!|2.2|
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गम: पार्थ नैतत्तवय्युपपद्यते |
क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप || 2.3||
Yield not to this impotence of action,
Not worthy of you is such a renunciation.
This base weak-heartedness has no relevance
Give this up, Stand up O Warrior of eminence|2.3|”
Arjuna was so self-obsessed in his own depression that he did not for a moment ponder or care about the consequences of his actions on his own mother, brothers, family and all the warriors who had assembled to fight by his side. Though Arjuna was under the control of depression he was not full taken over by the hostile forces. His faith in Krishna ensured that one portion of his soul remained open to the Call of the Divine and this opening was enough for the Divine to raise him up and awaken the hero within him. And Arjuna responded to the call by an act of surrender and sought the shelter of Krishna
कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभाव:
पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेता: |
यच्छ्रेय: स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे
शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् || 2.7||
I ask you in this state of confusion
Tell me my right course of action
Thus afflicted and infected by fear,
I seek your refuge, Show the way teacher!|2.7|
In life, each of us, at one point or another, receives the Divine Call and with it an invitation to tread on the spirit’s path but very few pay heed to it. Fortunately, Arjuna belonged to this category for the consequences of his renunciation would have otherwise been devastating individually and collaterally.
In Savitri, we see Sri Aurobindo highlighting the rarity of the occurrence of an individual hearing and responding to the Divine Call
“Heaven’s call is rare, rarer the heart that heeds;
The doors of light are sealed to common mind
And earth’s needs nail to earth the human mass,
Only in an uplifting hour of stress
Men answer to the touch of greater things:” (Sri Aurobindo3)
There is nothing more unfortunate in the world than that of a heart that hears and responds not and consciously choose oblivion. Śraddhā is a necessary condition because without it, responding to the Call is not possible, for all the doors of the psychic are closed and no divine intervention is possible.
Let us try and grasp the full meaning of śraddhā in Sri Aurobindo’s light just as Arjuna attempted to sincerely understand it from his beloved lord of Yoga, Yogeshwara Krishna. The word śraddhā in the Gita appears on different occasions and it receives the most prominence in the ultimate canto of the Gita in the final message given by Krishna to Arjuna. The object of this work is to explore some of the shlokas of the Gita wherein we find the occurrences of the Sanskrit term śraddhā and attempt to seek an integral understanding of its real meaning and significance.
In the concluding verses of Canto IV of the Gita, where Sri Krishna opens the Gates of Knowledge for Arjuna to see, we witness Krishna elucidating to Arjuna the consequences of śraddhā and aśraddhā urging him to rend all his inner doubts with the sabre of knowledge.
श्रद्धावाँल्लभतेज्ञानंतत्परःसंयतेन्द्रियः।
ज्ञानंलब्ध्वापरांशान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति॥4.39॥
He whose faith is strongly ordained
And a control over senses, he who has attained
Is by the supreme knowledge enlightened
And his ascent to absolute peace is ascertained.|4.39|
अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्चसंशयात्माविनश्यति।
नायंलोकोऽस्तिनपरोनसुखंसंशयात्मनः॥4.40॥
The one who is faithless and ignorant
For whom neither this world nor the other is existent
By infinite doubts, his mind is plagued,
And by his own scepticism he is destroyed.|4.40|
योगसंन्यस्तकर्माणंज्ञानसंछिन्नसंशयम्।
आत्मवन्तंनकर्माणिनिबध्नन्तिधनंजय॥4.41॥
O Arjuna, He who has above doubts risen
And sacrificed all, desiring nothing for himself
Is no more bound in Karma’s prison
For he has attained a true knowledge of the Self|4.41|
तस्मादज्ञानसम्भूतंहृत्स्थंज्ञानासिनात्मनः।
छित्त्वैनंसंशयंयोगमातिष्ठोत्तिष्ठभारत॥4.42॥
Therefore this ignorance that your heart has borne
Let its veil be shred and torn
With the sabre of knowledge, besiege its disguise
O Son of Bhaarath! Attain the union, awaken and rise.|4.42|
“Finally, we must have a faith which no intellectual doubt can be allowed to disturb, śraddhāvān labhate jñānaṁ. “The ignorant who has not faith, the soul of doubt goeth to perdition; neither this world, nor the supreme world, nor any happiness is for the soul full of doubts.” In fact, it is true that without faith nothing decisive can be achieved either in this world or for possession of the world above, and that it is only by laying hold of some sure basis and positive support that man can attain any measure of terrestrial or celestial success and satisfaction and happiness; the merely sceptical mind loses itself in the void.”
(Sri Aurobindo4)
In the final verse of Canto VI, we see Sri Krishna telling Arjuna that śraddhā enables a person to transcend even the tapas of firm ascetics and men of great wisdom and knowledge by earning a place close to the Divine which even the best Yogis do not reach.
तपस्विभ्योऽधिकोयोगीज्ञानिभ्योऽपिमतोऽधिकः।
कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिकोयोगीतस्माद्योगीभवार्जुन॥6.46॥
In comparison to the firm ascetic, he is greater
Amongst men of knowledge and works too he is better.
He who practices Yoga integrally is most superior for me
And so a Yogi is what, O Arjuna, I ask you to be|6.46|
योगिनामपिसर्वेषांमद्गतेनान्तरात्मना।
श्रद्धावान्भजतेयोमांसमेयुक्ततमोमतः॥6.47॥
He whose inner Self to Me has been consecrated
For Me an infinite faith and love he has accommodated
Amongst all the Yogis who hold the Divine dear
He is in union with Me and to me He is most near|6.47|
“But faith is necessary; if faith is absent, if one trusts to the critical intelligence which goes by outward facts and jealously questions the revelatory knowledge because that does not square with the divisions and imperfections of the apparent nature and seems to exceed it and state something which carries us beyond the first practical facts of our present existence, its grief, its pain, evil, defect, undivine error and stumbling, aŚubham, then there is no possibility of living out that greater knowledge.” (Sri Aurobindo5,CWSA, vol.19, p.204)
In the opening verse of Canto XVII of the Gita which deals with Faith and the Triple formulae in Nature, we see Arjuna very sincerely trying to understand from Krishna the nature to which the actions of a person who had not entirely understood the scriptures and yet had a firm śraddhā in the Divine belonged to. He asks Krishna whether such a person belongs to rajas, tamas or sattva nature. From Krishna’s reply we understand that śraddhā can belong to any of the three natures as it encompasses all the three natures.
अर्जुनउवाच
येशास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्ययजन्तेश्रद्धयान्विताः।
तेषांनिष्ठातुकाकृष्णसत्त्वमाहोरजस्तमः॥17.1॥
Arjuna asked:
“O Krishna, What about those who follow not the scripture
And Yet perform sacrifices with a faith of highest stature
What is the underlying nature of their devotion?
Which of the three, sattva, rajas or tamas is their action?|17.1|”
श्रीभगवानुवाच
त्रिविधाभवतिश्रद्धादेहिनांसास्वभावजा।
सात्त्विकीराजसीचैवतामसीचेतितांशृणु ॥17.2॥
Sri Krishna replied
“A Triple combination of the natures, it may be told
Listen for I shall verily explain their faith three-fold
Whichever of the three
qualities is dominant
In that being, that nature of faith is predominant”.|17.2|
सत्त्वानुरूपासर्वस्यश्रद्धाभवतिभारत।
श्रद्धामयोऽयंपुरुषोयोयच्छ्रद्धःसएवसः॥17.3॥
O Arjuna, The faith in every being is distinct
Depending purely on the soul’s natural instinct
Made up of faith is the inner embodiment living
However his faith is, that way is the being.|17.3|
“The answer of the Gita first states the principle that the faith in us is of a triple kind like all things in Nature and varies according to the dominating quality of our nature. The faith of each man takes the shape, hue, quality given to it by his stuff of being, his constituting temperament, his innate power of existence sattvānurūpā sarvasya śraddhā. And then there comes a remarkable line in which the Gita tells us that this Purusha, this soul in man, is, as it were, made of śraddhā, a faith, a will to be, a belief in itself and existence, and whatever is that will, faith or constituting belief in him, he is that and that is he. śraddhā-mayo 'yaḿ puruṣo yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ.” (Sri Aurobindo6)
And in the final Chapter, we see Sri Krishna revealing the power of śraddhā in not only emancipating the individual but also liberating him completely. In the most important 71st shloka of XVIII Canto of the Gita, we hear Krishna saying that even merely listening to the divine instructions with śraddhā is sufficient enough for attaining the Ananda that comes from liberation.
श्रद्धावाननसूयश्चशृणुयादपियोनरः।
सोऽपिमुक्तःशुभाँल्लोकान्प्राप्नुयात्पुण्यकर्मणाम्॥18.71॥
Even the man who merely listens intently
Full of faith and devoid of any envy
For Himself the liberation he shall obtain
And the righteous realms of happiness he’ll attain .|18.71|
The Gita then closes with Krishna concluding his Divine sermon with a question, Arjuna answering it with an unswerving dedication and the exclamation of the awe-struck oracle Sanjaya who, like us, was a blessed witness of the great conversation between the Lord of Yoga and the best among men.
कच्चिदेतच्छ्रुतंपार्थत्वयैकाग्रेणचेतसा।
कच्चिदज्ञानसंमोहःप्रनष्टस्तेधनंजय॥18.72॥
O Arjuna, All that I said, did you intently hear,
With a concentrated mind, by lending your ear?
Has the delusion’s veil been lifted?
O Arjuna, Has your ignorance been obliterated?|18.72|
अर्जुनउवाच
नष्टोमोहःस्मृतिर्लब्धात्वत्प्रसादान्मयाच्युत।
स्थितोऽस्मिगतसन्देहःकरिष्येवचनंतव॥18.73॥
Arjuna replied:
“My delusion is destroyed, my memory has returned
O Krishna, By your grace alone, things have thus turned
I am now firm in my resolve, with all doubts cleared
I shall now act, as per Thy words golden that I’ve heard|18.73|
संजयउवाच
इत्यहंवासुदेवस्यपार्थस्यचमहात्मनः।
संवादमिममश्रौषमद्भुतंरोमहर्षणम्॥18.74॥
Sanjaya said:
“Thus I heard the words of Krishna, The Divine lord
And also that of the pious Arjuna, His precious ward
So wondrous it was for me to understand
That it has caused my hair at their ends to stand|18.74|
From the verses of the Gita, it becomes obvious to us that the relation between Krishna and Arjuna is not that of a commander and a subservient slave. Even though Arjuna surrendered his personal egoistic will, to realise and fulfil the purpose of the Divine Will, we do not see in Krishna and Arjuna a relationship of a master and servant. Instead we see in them an equality of relationship that exists between two best friends where the younger one sincerely acknowledges his elder and receives the wisdom from him. Like a doting father, imparting his knowledge to his son, we see the Godhead instilling in Man all his divine qualities with love and affection.
“Arjuna and Krishna, this human and this divine, stand together not as seers in the peaceful hermitage of meditation, but as fighter and holder of the reins in the clamorous field, in the midst of the hurtling shafts, in the chariot of battle.” (Sri Aurobindo7)
After imparting this final message in the Gita, Krishna ends with a question asking Arjuna if all his doubts were dispelled. On a cursory glance, it seems very intriguing as to why Krishna chose to end with a question and not an instruction because he could have easily given an order to Arjuna. Arjuna, who was initially petrified by the vision of Krishna’s terrible world destroying form - Vishwaroopam and later on filled with an absolute calmness and devotion at the vision of the peaceful one Chaturbhujaroopam or four-armed form of Vishnu, was ready to give his life for Krishna’s sake because he had recognised and surrendered to Krishna. However, if we look deeply it conveys to us a very important spiritual principle which in itself is the kernel of the Gita’s message which also teaches us the real meaning of surrender.
भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्वत: |
ततो मां तत्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् || 18.55||
He who by devotion evolves to know Me
And about all My vast existences that can be
My reality and principle he truly understands
Uniting with My consciousness, supreme he stands.|18.55|
चेतसा सर्वकर्माणि मयि सन्न्यस्य मत्पर: |
बुद्धियोगमुपाश्रित्य मच्चित्त: सततं भव || 18.57||
By surrendering oneself completely to Me
When all the actions and thoughts can devoted be
Through Yoga, when one incessantly strives
Uniting the heart and mind, in My shelter he arrives.|18.57|
The Gita reveals that devotion and surrender are the essential conditions for progressing on the spiritual path. Both devotion and surrender are phenomena for which śraddhā is the cause. With time slowly and steadily, the purity of devotion and the sincerity of surrender increases and the individual’s ego self begins to recoil and recede until it is completely replaced with the Divine’s consciousness.
When man devotedly surrenders to God, he places his life in the hands of the Divine with śraddhā. The Divine neither demands anything else in return nor utilises man for fulfilling an ulterior motive. Like an inert catalyst, the Divine manifests and unfolds the life of man as per his individual śraddhā. The choice wrests with man for śraddhā cannot be imposed by instruction. It has to spontaneously arise in man. Mankind has been bestowed with a binary choice where man can only choose whether or not he wishes to place his faith in the Divine but he cannot choose the consequences of his actions. His life will undoubtedly unfold as per his śraddhā and his choice will determine his destiny. When we understand this fundamental principle of śraddhā, we begin to truly recognise the beauty of the Gita and Sri Krishna and we understand why the wise teachers fondly proclaim in jubilation ‘Vande Krishnam Jagadgurum’ – Glory be to Krishna, the Guru of the world. Arjuna chose to place his faith in Krishna’s hands and we saw him independently proclaim his decision to take part in the war without being under any duress or pressure. But even before he had found this unadulterated confidence, Arjuna took a great leap of faith in surrendering to Krishna which was especially significant as he was buckling under the stress of a terrible depression. This leap was possible only because his śraddhā in Krishna was firm and nothing else in the world mattered more to him. In the Mahabharata, we see that though his physical skill and mental prowess played their parts in the battle, it was only his intense and unwavering śraddhā that saw him through.
Thus, we ultimately learn from the Gita that progress on the spiritual path does not depend solely upon one’s physical and intellectual capacities. It all finally boils down to one’s own śraddhā in the Divine. If at all it is our aim to tread the sunlit path of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and ascend to receive the tidings of the golden world, we will have to strengthen our resolve and make our faith unbreakable and unshakable for this alone shall lead to our spiritual emancipation.
The first steps on the spirit’s path are full of pain
On the outside you many find nothing to gain.
Sacrificing all that you love, cherish and hold
To an invisible will your hands you have to fold.
You have to strive towards an unknown goal,
Doubts attack and leave you unsure of your role.
Oh the path of the spirit seems to be only pain
All your simple dreams appear wasted and vain
As you walk further you find you are still alone-
Your path only you have to find - “To each his own”
Treading further you realise and the way you see
With your life only can the surrender complete be.
On the Spirit’s path such a high price you must pay
Offering all that is dear only can you embark on the way!
Once the mighty ransom you have sincerely paid
The mind’s chaos and pain begin to fade.
Your every footstep is guided by grace
For you seek something pure for the entire human race!
On the path of the spirit then there is no pain;
And by your consecrated efforts all shall gain
For you begin to see what is really true-
“The Divine has laid the path just for you.”
The process is without doubt, painful in the initial stages but as the individual progresses on the path of the spirit, the pain begins to reduce and finally there is only the experience of bliss or Ananda. This Ananda is the final destination and purpose of our very existence and our śraddhā is the great vehicle that ferries us across the ethereal seas, unsullied by the ploys of Maya to the Divine destination.
The invitation to climb and ascend has been thrown open to all by the Divine who patiently waits with his arms wide open, to share the rapture of his brilliant kingdom with us.
“I am the Lord of tempest and mountain,
I am the Spirit of freedom and pride.
Stark must he be and a kinsman to danger
Who shares my kingdom and walks at my side” (Sri Aurobindo8)
To live a life Divine wilfully embracing great challenges to transform one’s nature or to live a life of flaws at the mercy of nature- the choice is truly yours.
References:
1.CWSA, vol.19, Essays on the Gita, p.10, ISBN8170584965
2. CWSA, vol.24, The Synthesis of Yoga-II, p.774, ISBN8170584965
3. CWSA, vol.34, Savitri - A Legend and a Symbol, Parts Two & Three, p.689, ISBN8170584965
4.CWSA, vol.19, Essays on the Gita, p.204, ISBN 8170584965
5.Wisdom of the Gita: Second Series, Guidance of Sri Aurobindo, compiled by M.P.Pandit, p.68, ISBN0941524752
6.CWSA, vol.19, Essays on the Gita, p.482, ISBN 8170584965
7. CWSA, vol.19, Essays on the Gita, p.19,ISBN 8170584965
8. CWSA, vol. 2, Collected Poems, p.201, ISBN8170584965