Bhagavad Gita: Purushottam Yoga

Department of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh hosted International Gita Mahotsav during Dec 1-3, 2025 at multiple venues across the state. On Dec 1, to commemorate Gita Jayanti, more than three lakh devotees – gitapremi – assembled in 55 district towns and 313 block development towns, and tunefully chanted Chapter 15 of Gita under the guidance of Acharyas of ShriKrishna Parampara.

(16th century painting, Unknown author. 

Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Why was Chapter 15 – Purushottam Yoga – chosen for the mass recitation? Because ShriKrishna delivers to Arjuna the most-sacred, secret, esoteric, deep, and profound knowledge contained in the shastras - guhyatamam shastram (Shloka 20) in this chapter?

Another reason could be - Chapter 15 with 20 shlokas is the shortest of the 18 chapters of Gita (Chapter 12 – Bhakti Yoga - also has 20 shlokas!) and could be chanted in under ten minutes. It takes Swami Brahmananda of Chinmaya Mission about seven minutes to recite. 

Purushottam Yoga

What is the core teaching in Chapter 15?

ShriKrishna says:

I am Purushottam, the Supreme Being. The manifest world emanates from me. I uphold and maintain all the lokas. I reside in every living being (jiva) - सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो.

Those who comprehend this deep, profound, and supreme knowledge attain me and reach my abode – param dham – from which there is no return to the messy world of sensory pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow.

To achieve this supreme goal, the devotee must firmly severe the sturdy roots of the asvattha tree with the sharp axe of non-attachment and rise above the miasma of physical senses to attain the highest awareness and knowledge. That is the essence of all the scriptures.

The Inverted Ashvattha Tree

Purushottam Yoga – begins with the celebrated metaphor - ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं  - an inverted ashvattha (Peepal, ficus religiosa) tree with its roots in the skies and the trunk and the branches hanging down.

Sanskrit

श्री भगवानुवाच

ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्।

छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित्।।15.1।।

Transliteration

śhrī-bhagavān uvācha

ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śhākham aśhvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam chhandānsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit

Word Meanings

śhrī-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Divine Personality said; ūrdhva-mūlam—with roots above; adhaḥ—downward; śhākham—branches; aśhvattham—the sacred fig tree; prāhuḥ—they speak; avyayam—eternal; chhandānsi—Vedic mantras; yasya—of which; parṇāni—leaves; yaḥ—who; tam—that; veda—knows; saḥ—he; veda-vit—the knower of the Vedas

Translations

The Bhagavat said, [The scriptures] speak of a non-perishing holy fig tree, whose roots are high and branches are low, and of which the [Vedic] hymns are the leaves. He who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.

- Dr. S. Sankaranarayan

The Blessed Lord said: They (the wise) speak of the indestructible peepul tree, with its roots above and branches below, whose leaves are the meters or hymns; he who knows it is a knower of the Vedas.

- Swami Sivananda

Asvattha is the most sacred tree in Hinduism. Brahma resides in its roots, Vishnu in the trunk, and Shiva in the leaves (Skanda Purana). Asvattha sarvavrikshanam – among trees, I’m Ashvattha – declares Krishna in Bhagavad Gita.

In this shloka, the inverted Peepal tree represents the material world. A seeker must break free from the bondage of the sensory and sensual world to attain param dham, the abode of the Supreme Being – Purushottam.

Shlokas 1-5 describe the inverted tree, the general inability to comprehend its illusion and limitation, and the qualities essential to rise above these trappings. Shlokas 6-20 elaborate on param dham, Purushottam, and the recommended path for the true seeker.

सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च।

वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम्।।15.15।।

I reside in the hearts of all; from Me come the faculties of memory, knowledge, and discernment; none but Me is to be known by means of all the Vedas; I am the author of the Vedas and of the Vedantas, too.

यो मामेवमसम्मूढो जानाति पुरुषोत्तमम्।

स सर्वविद्भजति मां सर्वभावेन भारत।।15.19।।

He who, undeluded, knows Me as the highest Purusha, he, knowing all, worships Me with his whole being (heart), O Arjuna.

- Swami Sivananda 

निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः।

द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञै र्गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत्

।।15.5।।

The wise ones, free from pride and non-discrimination, who have conquered the evil of association [hatred and love arising from association with foes and friends], who are ever devoted to spirituality, completely free from desires, and free from the dualities of happiness and sorrow, reach that undecaying state.

Link for my previous blog: Gita Counselling: Supreme Healer's Public Therapy:

https://www.pkdash.in/2025/01/gita-counselling-supreme-healers-public.html

***

 

She’s a "BITCH"*, BAN her book!

(Blogger’s Note: This is a piece of satire. Do not read, if you do not like satires. The book and its author are real, but CRF is a fictional society, and its views may not be construed as the blogger’s own views.) 

Citizens' Reading Forum (CRF):

Protecting the Nation from Dangerous Literature

To,

Competent Authority,

Ministry of Home Affairs,

Government of India,

New Delhi.

Date: 23 Nov. 25.

Subject: Memorandum for BAN of an OBJECTIONABLE book under section 98 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Dear Sir,

The Citizens’ Reading Forum (CRF) is a Registered Society of responsible citizens committed to support and strengthen our democratically elected government which has firm faith in the Constitution including the Right to Freedom of Speech.

It is the duty of the Government to protect the citizens from obscene, dangerous books masquerading as literature. To alert and advise the Government for appropriate action when deemed necessary, CRF members quickly read and evaluate new books.

CRF in its latest meeting has passed the following unanimous resolution:

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy is a BAD book and must be BANNED forthwith.

The reasons why the book must be banned are elaborated hereunder:

·      The cover page of the book has a photo of the author smoking a bidi. Smoking causes cancer. It kills. The book should be banned since it promotes tobacco consumption and smoking. It should be investigated if she has received a commission from a tobacco company to promote smoking under the garb of a literary work. The publisher’s disclaimer at the back cover in small print that the photo is for representational purpose only does not constitute the Statutory Warning against consumption of tobacco.

·      The author narrates with unseemly candour her sexual peccadilloes including premarital and unprotected sex leading to an unwanted pregnancy and a highly dangerous abortion without anaesthesia. Exposure to such narratives can be a corrupting influence on young women and pose a serious threat to our traditional moral values.

·      Massey Sahib, the 1985-film should also be banned; now that the author has revealed that she acted as Massey’s wife and cradled a child in her arms after returning from an abortion. How ironical and fake! Since she flaunts her honesty and authenticity at every available opportunity, why didn’t she tell her Director and co-actors before the shot about her recent abortion?

·      The author has walked with armed Naxalites in the forests of Bastar. She is an urban Naxalite sabotaging our democratic government and society.

·      She is anti-national as is evident from her writings on Kashmir. Her book Azadi is among the 25 books recently banned in Jammu and Kashmir.

·      She is anti-development as is evident from her active support to Narmada Bachao Andolan, and her writings against Big Dams and displacement of tribals.

·      Her intelligent mother could spot early on the seeds of rebellion and contempt for traditional values and mores in her daughter, and presciently called her a BITCH.

·      Mary also said, ‘I wish I had dumped you in an orphanage’; ‘You’re a millstone around my neck’.

·      Unfortunately, Mary’s vagrant, wayward, prodigal daughter became a famous author by a fluke. ‘God of Small Things’ won the Booker Prize. God know what literary merit the Booker judges found in that silly book! Maybe, the English-language publishing industry, unnerved at the rising popularity of Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannadiga, and other Indian languages, bribed or otherwise influenced the Booker committee to declare GoST as the winner, to perpetuate Macaulay’s machinations to keep Indians yoked forever to a foreign language.

·      She ran away from her mother who was suffering from acute asthma and was under serious financial difficulties. In stead of joining her mother’s school as a KG teacher, she went away to Delhi to study architecture though she never wanted to be an architect.

·      On her train journey from Kerala to Delhi, she carried a knife which reveals her lack of faith in our highly efficient and dependable police system.

·      Alone at night at Pipariya bus stand, she was in danger of being abducted. By the time the police were alerted, she had boarded the bus for Pachmarhi. The super-efficient Pipariya police chased the bus, intercepted it about midnight in a jungle stretch, and offered to chaperon her by the police jeep to Pachmarhi. She declined owing to her inherent distrust of the police, but the determined police party boarded the bus, two constables got her to sit between them to prevent her abduction, and ensured her secure handover to the film crew at Pachmarhi. Did she even say thanks to the helpful police contingent?

·      She is unrepentant and foul-mouthed. She has called herself ‘the Hooker who won the Booker.’ In an interview at Los Angeles, she claimed that she called herself a ‘hooker,’ in retaliation to the Supreme Court judges repeatedly calling her ‘that woman.’ Why, what is wrong with ‘that woman’? She should be thankful to the judges that they didn’t call her ‘that disreputable, subversive, seditious, adulterous woman!’

·      She stole a married man from his wife. Her conduct is unbecoming of an Indian woman and a threat to our family values.

The above-mentioned details establish without any doubt that the book is UNHEALTHY (bidi-smoking), OBSCENE(unprotected, premarital sex), SEDITIOUS (Bastar-naxalites, Kashmir secessionists), UNSAFE and ADULTEROUS (sex by an unwed girl with a married man).

Before Mother Mary Comes to Me becomes another bestseller, makes her much richer, and wins a second Booker or any other prize, the book must be banned.

Therefore, we request for your quick and decisive action. Please BAN the book before many more readers are exposed to its corrupting influence.

We, at the Citizens’ Readers Forum, have read the book, despite the grave risk of moral contamination, with a view to alerting the Government about this objectionable, obscene, and dangerous book, and counselling fellow citizens to refrain from reading the book.

Should the concerned committee of the Government require it, CRF is willing to provide necessary assistance. We have culled out all the objectionable passages, and can quickly brief the committee without requiring the members to plod through all the garbage contained in the stinking book.

If invited to Delhi, we request for economy class flight tickets and accommodation in Ashoka Hotel for two of our distinguished representatives.

Statutory Warning

We understand that the Government would follow due procedure before banning the book which may take some time. Therefore, we suggest that the Government may issue an interim order to the publisher to paste on the cover page in BIG and BOLD letters the following Statutory Warning:

·      Smoking KILLS (with photo of a cancerous mouth)

·      Author or Publisher do not recommend or encourage premarital, unprotected sex, or adultery.

·      Abortion without anaesthesia is highly dangerous, and can be fatal.

·      Supporting Kashmir secessionists is an act of sedition and liable to criminal prosecution.

·      Anyone who emulates the author and walks with naxalites in Bastar may get killed in police encounter.

Yours in Eternal Vigilance,
President,
Citizens’ Reading Forum
(Reading books so you don’t have to)

***

*Note: We believe in civilised discourse and refrain from using defamatory words for any lady even though we may criticise or condemn her book. The inappropriate word is not ours; Mother Mary used it for her daughter who later became an author.

 

A Forbidden Handshake

In 2004, India-Russia Summit level meetings were held between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi. A Summit meeting at Head of State (HoS) level is a very serious affair for which the Ministry of External Affairs prepares meticulously and well in advance, sometimes a full year before the proposed Summit. Several rounds of consultations between senior functionaries of both countries are held to prepare the detailed agenda, including Draft Minutes and Press release for the Summit. The outcomes of the Summit are reported by media, and watchers and analysts of foreign affairs evaluate the success or otherwise of a Summit in light of the actual gains accruing to both countries.

MEA coordinates with other concerned ministries to prepare a shelf of Agreements: MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) and MoAs (Memorandum of Agreement) to be signed by the two countries during the summit, with the signing ceremony in the presence of the HoS. There is a significant difference between MoU and MoA. Suffice it to say that an MoU outlines the shared perspective of the Organisations, Departments, or Governments toward a certain goal or project, whereas a MoA details the specific roles and tasks to be assumed by the parties in support of their shared objective. Someone has observed that since an MoU is not legally enforceable, it’s nothing more than a ‘formalized handshake’ to get things going between the signatories.

One of the shortlisted MoUs for the forthcoming summit was a tripartite Understanding to be signed among ECGC (Export Credit Guarantee Corporation) of India, Vnesheconombank, and Eximbank of Russia. Chairman & MD of ECGC was the signatory on behalf of India. Mr. Vladimir Dmitriev, Chairman of Vnesheconombank, and Mr. Nikolai Gavirlov, Chairman, Eximbank were the signatories from the Russian side.

Concerned Director, MEA convened a meeting of all signatories from the Indian side to brief them about the protocol of signing. The exact sequence of MoU signing by various Departments and Organizations, at what exact hour and minute a particular MoU would come up for signature and exchange of documents, where they would be seated, etc. were explained at length at the end of which the officials were given a printed copy of the Protocol for Signature of MoUs & MoAs reiterating the detailed oral brief by the Director. On top of the document was emblazoned ‘Secret & Confidential’ as is the norm for most MEA documents.

The Summit meeting was held the next day. HoS level meeting was held in the morning and was followed by a State Banquet Lunch hosted by the Prime Minister at Hyderabad House for the visiting dignitary. The signing of all agreements was scheduled to commence at 3.00 pm. MEA had briefed the signatories to report at 2.00 pm and be seated at the earmarked chair by 2.15 pm.

It was a big occasion for the lowly Joint Secretary (JS) who had never before signed an agreement in the presence of HoS. A GoI Agreement for a ministry is signed by the Minister or the Secretary. If it involved his segment of work in the ministry, the JS would be responsible for preparing the draft agreement, getting it vetted at all required levels and preparing the folder for the Minister or the Secretary, as the case may be. But under fortuitous circumstances, the JS had been given additional charge of CMD of ECGC when the previous incumbent had superannuated and the government had still not issued orders for the posting of a new Additional Secretary level officer. ECGC was a fully-owned government company under the administrative control of the Commerce ministry, but neither the Secretary nor the Minister could sign on behalf of the company especially since the counterparts on the Russian side were also Joint Secretary equivalent officers.

When the JS took out his best suit and favourite tie, his spouse could figure out that something big and important was coming up during the day. ‘Any important meeting today?’ she asked. ‘Signing an Agreement in the presence  of the Prime Minister. Mr. Putin would also be there,’ he replied trying to sound cool though he wasn’t. She quietly took the suit and tie and pressed it once again even though it had recently come back from dry cleaning and hadn’t been worn thereafter.

As directed, the JS reported at Hyderabad House punctually and took his seat at 2.15 pm. The Under Secretary requested the signatories to once again go through the written instructions given by MEA regarding Protocol and reminded them that no officer was to shake hands with either of the HoS, but only with the counterpart signing the document.

CMD, ECGC’s turn came at the scheduled slot and time, and he rose and approached the spot in front of the VVIPs where the exchange of the folders was to take place. The Agreement had been pre-signed, as agreed between both sides, in the interest of saving time. Only the exchange of documents, a handshake with the counterpart, and a brief pose for the official photographers were required. The drill was completed as per schedule.

At this point, the Russian counterparts briefly bowed to their President upon which Mr. Putin rose and shook hands with them, after which he extended his hand to the JS. MEA’s mandate of ‘No Handshake’ applied to the JS, but his counterparts and the President of Russia were obviously not bound by it. Had the JS abided by MEA’s direction and refused to shake hands with the VVIP, it might have caused a diplomatic flutter. Disregarding MEA’s briefing and stern instruction regarding protocol, he promptly shook hands with Mr. Putin. Dr. Manmohan Singh, having watched the scene with mild amusement (surely MEA had also briefed the PM that VVIPs were only required to watch and smile for the photograph), also got up and shook hands, first with the Russian counterparts and then with the JS.

The next day, the JS attended the marriage Reception for the Commerce Minister’s son. When he went up to the dais to congratulate the newly-wed couple and present them a bouquet, Mr. Kamal Nath introduced the JS to his son, ‘Meet my Joint Secretary. Yesterday, he shook hands with Vladimir Putin!’

MEA didn’t call for an explanation from the JS regarding the breach of protocol. Thoughtfully, PIB (Press & Information Bureau) sent him a copy of his photo shaking hands with Mr. Putin.  For his personal records!

***

This story is from my book ‘Invisible Poet and Other Stories.’