CHAPTER 9, VERSE 22 - The Promise of Shri Krishna - योगक्षेमं

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जना: पर्युपासते |
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥22॥

Transliteration:
ananyāśh chintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣhāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣhemaṁ vahāmyaham



Translation
Those persons who, becoming non-different from Me and meditative, worship Me everywhere, for them, who are ever attached (to Me),
I arrange for securing what they lack and preserving what they have.

My Understanding:

ॐ नमो नारायण ! जय श्री कृष्णा

श्रीमदभगवतगीता (ShriMad Bhagwat Geeta) is the Sun of knowledge. It's the brightest light that enlightens the world within ourselves. With Acharya Shri Shivender Nagar Ji's teaching and guidance I am attempting to understand and to see. Following is a record of my understanding of the highest knowledge available to mankind.

The intent of this verse is to build confidence in the seeker. Confidence is imperative, as it is the prime motivating factor to continue further study of Geeta Ji. A seeker should only continue beyond chapter 9 with absolute belief and understanding of this verse. Otherwise, it's best to leave it now.

A few Highlights of this verse
• भगवान श्रीकृष्ण (Lord Krishna) gives a guarantee card in form of his promise.
• Many people considered this verse as the centre verse of Geeta Ji, but technically it isn't.
• A part o this verse is on (LIC) Life Insurence Corporation of India's emblem
• It's a Masterpiece

Everyone does some form of तप (effort) in their daily lives. A school-going child who wakes early in the morning for school is doing तप. A homemaker who cooks cleans and performs various duties for her family is doing तप. An Office-goer who supports his family by working day and night is doing तप. No matter who you are if you are alive you must be doing some form of तप, it can be very small or extremely big. Our day to day obligated duties and actions are not the point of focus here, but the thoughts we have while performing any action. Our thoughts define our actions. Let's find out how.

Any action done with the thought of fulfilment of your desires will result in the addition of more desires. Like, doing business for profit will lead to desires for more and more profit. But performing your obligated duties as a means to abolish your desiers will lead to true fullfillment.

In this verse भगवान श्रीकृष्ण says if you are doing your obligated duties, your तप with अनन्य भाव (without any other thought or sentiment), then I promise to give योग (Spiritual enlightenment) and क्षेम (material happiness). Now, any action that anyone does in this world will be done with 3 thoughts:

• Selfish
• Unselfish
• Selfless

Articulating materially and spiritually, any action done selfishly will yield nothing in the end. Like an office-goer who wants to relax when everyone else works, will not get anywhere. Action that is done unselfishly will lead to great success in life, like a manager who works with the team, will yield amazing results. And finally, selfless acts like teaching people for free will yield to ultimate spritual happniess and peace.

भगवान श्रीकृष्ण says to do all your karma your obligated duties with the thought of ब्रह्मार्पणम. ब्रह्मार्पणम signifies actions that will take me towards my ultimate goal of self-realization and if it is not then I should not be doing it at all. And anyone who follows my doctrine will recieve योग & क्षेम from me.

There are different interpretations of योग & क्षेम - the promise of Lord Krishna:
• योग means Spiritual enlightenment and क्षेम means material happiness.
• योग means gaining what you don't have and क्षेम means preserving what you have gained.
• योग means stability in spiritual pursuit and क्षेम means the ultimate state of realization.

In very simple words, a school teacher promises his students that if you study properly for the exams then you will get good marks for sure.

The irony is योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् is on the emblem of LIC which we believe in without any doubt. And we doubt the voice which said those words.

ॐ तत् सत्

Short Story - One True Friend

ॐ नमो नारायण ! जय श्री कृष्णा 

While teaching and explaining Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta, Acharya Shri Shivender Nagar Ji tells beautiful and knowledgeable short stories. These short stories are instrumental in explaining a point in the discussion. The following is one such short story.

As I heard it from Acharya Ji, I am not aware of the original title so I named it One True Friend. This story is for explaining the 12 यज्ञ (Yagya) in chapter 4 of ShriMad Bhagwat Geeta Ji.

Imagine that you are in a very deep sleep. You are dreaming about a lot of things. In your dream, your stomach starts to ache very badly. Although it is a dream still you feel agonizing pain. The pain is so bad that you can't even stand, you vomit all over the place and you lie down with no despair.

Further in your dream, all of your friends visit to check on you,

The first friend of your visits you he gives you some money to get yourself treated. He tries to help you financially.

The second friend of your visits you and clean up your room of vomit. He tries to help you physically

The third friend of your visits you and offers to help you mentally and takes care of teaching your children and taking them to school.

A fourth friend of yours who is a doctor gives you some consultation on how to get your stomach ache treated. He tries to help you with knowledge.

The fifth friend of your visits you and after understanding your state gives you a tight slap across your face. Due to the sudden shock, you wake up. You realize it was a dream and you do not have a stomach ache.
Acharya Ji concludes the story here.


Learnings from the story:

As an explanation, sharing one चौपाई (Chopayi) from श्रीरामचरितमानस (ShriRamCharitManas) अरण्यकाण्ड (Aranyakand)

चौपाई : उमा कहउँ मैं अनुभव अपना। सत हरि भजनु जगत सब सपना॥

भावार्थ : हे उमा! मैं तुम्हें अपना अनुभव कहता हूँ- हरि का भजन ही सत्य है, यह सारा जगत्‌ तो स्वप्न (की भाँति झूठा) है।


The question here is, out of the five who is your one true friend ??

Quite simply anyone will choose the fifth one who made you realize the truth, that it was just a dream.

But how does this story is relevant to our daily lives ??

Our life and its problems are represented by stomach ache. We try to live our lives and solve our life's problems financially, physically, mentally, and with knowledge.

But only through spiritual guidance, we can realize the truth. The truth that our lives are nothing more than a dream. A dream we can try to wake up from by self-realization. Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta Ji is a guide to be self-realized.

In chapter 4 of ShriMad Bhagwat Geeta Ji, from verse 25 to  30. Bhagwan Ji talks about 12 यज्ञ (Yagya) the we do and can perform. The above 5 friends which are discussed in this story are part of the it.  

Anyone can study, practice and try to wake from the dream that we all are in.

Short Story - Self Realization

ॐ नमो नारायण ! जय श्री कृष्णा 

While teaching and explaining Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta, Acharya Shri Shivender Nagar Ji tells beautiful and knowledgeable short stories. These short stories are instrumental in explaining a point in the discussion. The following is one such short story.

As I heard it from Acharya Ji, I am not aware of the original title so I named it Self Realization. It depicts the supreme learning of वेद (Veda) through this simplest of all stories.

Once there was a young man named Manish. After some argument with his parents, Manish left his parents home and went out of town. Manish's parents started to look for him, but they were unable to find him. Perhaps the Manish didn't want to be found.

Manish's father focused all his energy on work to overcome the grief of his lost son. Due to his newfound focus, his small business started to thrive and over the years he became very wealthy.

Manish's parents lived a full life and before they died, they asked their friend who was also a lawyer to take care of their wealth after they are gone. And if someday their son returns give all the money to him. Both of them died soon leaving behind immense wealth.

After a few years, Manish returned to his native city, he wasn't young anymore. His time on his own was very harsh on him, due to immense poverty he looked just like another beggar. Starving thin body covered in torn old clothes and rusty old shoes confirmed his deteriorating state of life.

He soon found that his parents were dead, as a last resort he started to search for his father's lawyer friend. After locating him he went to meet. His intention was to get any job even of a peon so that he doesn't starve to death. Manish's father's friend was a kind-hearted and righteous man, he recognized Manish and initiated the process of transferring money to its rightful owner.

The lawyer took Manish to a bank, he asked Manish to wait outside while he went inside an office to meet with the bank manager. Manish thought he must have gone to arrange for some work for him. The lawyer told the manager that the rightful owner of the biggest estate is sitting outside and arrange for the transfer. Soon after which Manish found that his parents have left him a huge sum of money. Manish's life was changed forever.

Acharya Ji concluded the story here.

Learnings from the story:

Just like the son of a Sharma is also Sharma and the son of Gupta is also Gupta. Similarly, if we are children of God then who are we ??

Acharya Ji quotes we all are अमृतस्य पुत्रा (Amritasya Putra) आत्मस्वरूप (Atmswaroop), ब्रह्मस्वरूप (Bhramswaroop) which I believe is from उपनिषद् (Upnishads). Which simply means children of immortality or simply children of God. So, if we are children of God then we are God as well.

Although Manish lived like a beggar for most of his life, he was always quite rich. If we think carefully then we will realize his worth was quite a lot but he just wasn't aware. Once he is aware his life got changed.  

Similarly, we all children of God and part of him, we are not yet aware of the fact. We can if we are self-realized. And the way for self-realization is discussed in ShriMad Bhagwat Geeta Ji.