तस्मात्प्रणम्य प्रणिधाय कायं
प्रसादये त्वामहमीशमीड्यम् |
पितेव पुत्रस्य सखेव सख्यु:
प्रिय: प्रियायार्हसि देव सोढुम् || 44||
tasmāt praṇamya praṇidhāya kāyaṁ
prasādaye tvām aham īśham īḍyam
piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuḥ
priyaḥ priyāyārhasi deva soḍhum
tasmāt—therefore; praṇamya—bowing down; praṇidhāya—prostrating; kāyam—the body; prasādaye—to implore grace; tvām—your; aham—I; īśham—the Supreme Lord; īḍyam—adorable; pitā—father; iva—as; putrasya—with a son; sakhā—friend; iva—as; sakhyuḥ—with a friend; priyaḥ—a lover; priyāyāḥ—with the beloved; arhasi—you should; deva—Lord; soḍhum—forgive
Translation:
Therefore I bow down and prostrate my body before Thee, the adorable Lord, and seek Thy grace. Bear with me, Ο Lord, as a father with a son, as a friend with a friend, as a lover with his beloved.
Commentary:
Pranidhayakayma: The manner of prostration before elders, Gurus and God, is described here. The whole body should touch the earth. This is ‘Sashtangavandanam‘. By this, the intractable ego, feeding itself on price and presumption, is killed. As the ego flourishes by identity with the body, the way to destroy it is by throwing down the body before elders, Gurus and God. Arjuna did so and received God’s grace, Sage Visvamitra prostrated himself before Vasishtha and became a Brahmarshi.
Arjuna had a glimpse of the infinite majesty, power and Glory of the Lord. Himself a warrior of might and repute in the world, he now fully realises that he is less than straw before the mighty Lord. The ‘durahankara‘ that agitates man is nothing else but ‘avidya’, and it functions by making man blind to the infinity that surrounds him and in which he exists just like the bubble in the ocean. How would we look upon the bubble if it feels proud of its power and glamour! We laugh at the silly little thing, knowing that its glamour is only for a second, that it will break and dissolve in the ocean. So would man think of himself when wisdom dawns on him. The infinitude of the Lord and the utter littleness of man is realised by the aspirant by contemplating the Glory of that mighty Being. The Vibhuti Yoga and Viswarupa Sandarsana Yoga serve the purpose of destroying the little ‘I’ and raising man to the plane of Divine Glory. The ecstatic adoration of Arjuna touches the peak point here. May all people rise to that plane! May all receive God’s grace!
Question: How is the Lord further described?
Answer: He is the ruler and the Lord of the world. He is the most revered of all.
Question: How should man show respect to elders, God and Gurus?
Answer: He should prostrate himself before them with true devotion and humility.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 11 🔻 (55 Verses)
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 |
