In this excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, chapter 16, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains that there are two kinds of glories in Kashmir Shaivism:

“Now, Lord Śiva (Lord Kṛṣṇa) says that there are two kinds of glories: one is divine glory, one is not divine glory. Divine glory shines in those who are blessed and the symptoms of divine glory are what He says now.”

Chapter 16

DVD 16 (00:01)

अभयः सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः  ।

दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम्  ॥१॥

आहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागोऽसक्तिरपैशुनम्  ।

दया भूतेष्वलौल्यं च मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम्  ॥२॥

तेजः क्षमा धृतिस्तुष्टिरद्रोहो नातिमानिता  ।

भवन्ति संपदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत  ॥३॥

दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च  ।

अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ संपदमासुरिम्  ॥४॥

दैवी संपद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता  ।

मा शुचः संपदं दैवीमभिजातोऽसि पाण्डव  ॥५॥

abhayaṁ sattvasaṁśuddhirjñānayogavyavasthitiḥ /

dānaṁ damaśca yajñaśca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam  //1//

āhiṁsā satyamakrodhastyāgo’saktirapaiśunam /

dayā bhūteṣvalaulyaṁ ca mārdavaṁ hrīracāpalam  //2//

tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtistuṣṭiradroho nātimānitā /

bhavanti saṁpadaṁ daivīmabhijātasya bhārata  //3//

dambho darpo’bhimānaśca krodhaḥ pāruṣyameva ca /

ajñānaṁ cābhijātasya pārtha saṁpadamāsurīm  //4//

daivī saṁpadvimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā /

mā śucaḥ saṁpadaṁ daivīmabhijāto’si pāṇḍava  //5//

Abhayaṁ, the absence of fear, when there is the absence of fear in some person (this is first: the absence of fear). He does not get afraid because he is pure, purely situated in devotion of God.

Sattva saṁśuddhir, and he has purified behavior, the purest behavior.

Jñāna yoga vyavasthitiḥ, and he is established in jñāna and yoga, in the knowledge of God and being united with His nature (that is yoga). Dānaṁ, he has got the tendency to give alms to the poor who [are in] need.

Damaśca–damaśca means, he has got the power to keep his organs controlled¹.

Yajñaśca, he performs yajñas (yajñas means, offerings). He offers to the gods and to the poor and to those who [are in] need.

Svādhyāya, he is always absorbed in singing the glory of Lord Śiva in books, in Shaivite books.

Tapa, he has got penance. Tapa means, he who has got penance in mind, in body, and in soul (tapasya, tolerance).

Ārjavam, he has got . . . ārjavam means, rujita, he is simple, simple behavior. Simple behavior does not mean that he is dull, [that] he is a duffer. No. “Simple” means, he is alert in [being] concentrated upon God consciousness. But he is not a duffer, he is not that simple. But he has got all behaviors [that] are simple, without crookedness.

Āhimsā (verse 2), he does not want to hurt anybody.

Satyam, and he speaks the truth.

Akrodha, he is not given to wrath.

Tyāga, he has the power of detachment. 

Asaktir, he is not a slave to, he has not become slave to, this [attachment]. Asakti means, he has not become a slave to his desires. He controls his desires, which [means that] he understands [what] is a good desire [and] he possesses that. [That] which is a bad [desire], he does not allow that [to enter] in his mind.

Apaiśunam–apaiśunam means, chugalkhor, he is not a chugalkhor. Chugalkhor means he [who] says absolute falsehoods [about] others to [their] nearly-attached persons. For instance, if I have got āsurī saṁpat (demonic behavior), I will tell you a falsehood, a falsehood about your wife, a falsehood about your kith and kin. [I will tell you], “They are not behaving [with] good character with you.” Afterwards, face-to-face [with you], they behave with good actions. But when you are out [of the chugalkhor’s presence], they talk about you with bad manners [amongst] your kith and kin so that your kith and kin will get wrath, will [develop] hatred for you for nothing. This is the act of āsurīs (demons). But he [who has divine glory] has not this [demonic behavior]. He does not do this chugalkhor. Chugalkhor means, to speak [of] false behavior . . .

JOHN: Gossiping.

SWAMIJI: Bad opinion.

JONATHAN: Behind somebody’s back.

SWAMIJI: Behind somebody’s back.

JOHN: Caviling.

SWAMIJI: Huh?

JOHN: Caviling? To cavil somebody is to say bad things about them and make rumors and . . .

SWAMIJI: Yes. So that [your associations] don’t behave [with] you as they ought to behave [with] you. They want to separate; two beloved ones, they want to separate [them]. But those who have not [āsuri saṁpat], they want to join [them]. Those who have got daivī saṁpat (godly behavior), they want to join the two, one couple, with each other. They don’t want to separate them. That is apaiśunam, the absence of chugalkhor. Chugalkhor means that. Do you understand chugalkhor?²

Dayā bhūteṣu (verse 2), and they have got dayā (dayā means, compassion for all living beings).

Alaulyaṁ ca, they have got no selfish motive [in their dealings with] others.

Mārdavaṁ, they use only soft words.

Hrīr, they are ashamed [of] bad behavior, conducting bad behavior. They don’t conduct bad behavior. They are ashamed of that. They don’t like to indulge in bad behavior. Who? Those who have got . . .

DENISE: The ones who have the wealth of spiritual knowledge.

SWAMIJI: Yes. Acāpalam, who are not moved easily from that one-pointedness.

Tejaḥ (verse 3), who have got tejaḥ (tejaḥ means, who have got brightness, brightness of mind, brightness of being).

Kṣamā, who have got kṣamā (kṣamā means, tolerance). They don’t lose their wits.

Dhṛti, they have got dhairya (dhairya means, tolerance).

Tuṣṭiḥ, they have got satisfaction, they are always satisfied with what they have, [with what] they possess.

Adroha, they don’t hate anybody, they don’t hate anybody [whether they are] good or bad.

Nātimānitā, and they don’t think they are [more] well-off than others. They think, “Everybody is fine, everybody should rise. If I rise, that is also well, but everybody should rise along with me.” They don’t say that, “I must only rise and all [others] must become subsided.” This is the wealth of spiritual wealth, and this I have found in you, O Arjuna.

Dambha (verse 4)–dambha means, kapaṭ. Dambha means, ahaṁkāra, it is ego, and with that ego he says, “I am a great person”, although he is not great.

Darpaḥ–darpaḥ means, I-ness, uncontrolled I-ness.

Abhimānaśca–abhimānaśca means, abhimāna (arrogance), e.g., “I am such and such person.”

Krodha, wrath, always conducting [himself] with wrath.

Pāruṣyam, harsh words, he [uses] harsh words with everybody.

Ajñānaṁ, and negligence and forgetfulness of God.

These behaviors are found in those who have got rākṣasi (demonic) behavior. And daivī (godly) behavior (verse 5) is supposed to be sentencing you in mokṣa, Parabhairava, in the union of Parabhairava. And āsurī saṁpat (demonic behavior) is for entangling [you] in the wheel of repeated births and deaths. [O, Arjuna], mā śucaḥ, don’t get afraid. You have got . . . I feel there is the rise of daivī saṁpat in you.

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1 “Control of breath, breath control. You see, meditation should be done with breath control. You know breath control? You have not to stop breathing. You have not to stop breathing. You have to follow your breath–that is breath control. When you breathe, breathing moves like this, you have also to follow with it [with awareness]. That is breath control because it gets controlled, checked, it does not go astray. Because breath is the cause of thought, breath produces thoughts. This breath movement will create thoughts only when it knows there is nobody watching it.” from the Bhagavad Gītā (LJA archive, 1978).

2 Chugalkhor, Literally., a snitcher or person who backbites and spreads false rumors about people.

Source: Bhagavad Gita, in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism,
revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo

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