Inane Interpolations In Bhagvad-Gita by BS Murthy (pdf to ebook reader .TXT) 📕

ritualistic aspects of and mundane expectations from the Vedic ceremonies (Ch2, v42 -v 46 ‘n v53). Given that the avowed philosophy of the Gita is to tend man on the path of duty without attachment, the about turn in
this chapter, v9 - v16, to formulate the procedural aspects of the rituals and the divine backing they enjoy (not to be confused with bhakti that is devotion to god) cannot stand up to commonsense not to speak of logic and reason.

Thus, it is unthinkable that Krishna, having been unequivocal about the fallacy of the Vedic rituals, and the lack of wisdom in those that lay store by the ceremonies that promise rewards here and in hereafter, would have, in the same breath, advocated the following that turn the rational clock back in the ritualistic direction. 

V9 

yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya mukta-saṅgaḥ samāchara 

Other than those actions performed for yajna, this world gets bound by action. Therefore, O Kaunteya, perform actions in that regard, without attachment. In so far as the spirit of the rituals is concerned, so far so good, but then comes

V10                                                                             

saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛiṣhṭvā purovācha prajāpatiḥ                              
anena prasaviṣhyadhvam eṣha vo ’stviṣhṭa-kāma-dhuk

In ancient times, Prajaapati created humanity along with yajna. He said “through this (yajna) let everyone prosper, and may it become your fulfiller of wishes”. 

However, if it was the Lord that so readily changed his mind in the above and the two succeeding verses, then it would lend credence to Allah’s over and again abrogation of his own diktats in the Quran! But at the mundane level, it can be inferred that the interpolator was just mindless, and so are those that fail to discern this and other ‘divine’ contradictions that abound in the Gita in vogue.

V11 

devān bhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ
parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ śhreyaḥ param avāpsyatha

You will make the deities prosper through this (yajna), and the deities will make you prosper. By mutually making each other prosperous, you will attain the highest good.

V12 

iṣhṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajña-bhāvitāḥ

tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ 

The deities, nourished by yajna, will also provide you the objects you desire. One who consumes these objects without offering them to others, he is a thief.

V13 

yajña-śhiṣhṭāśhinaḥ santo muchyante sarva-kilbiṣhaiḥ
bhuñjate te tvaghaṁ pāpā ye pachantyātma-kāraṇāt 

The spiritually-minded, who eat food that is first offered in sacrifice, are released from

all kinds of sin. Others, who cook food for their own enjoyment, verily eat only sin.

V14 

annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ                       
yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ 

All living beings subsist on food, and food is produced by rains. Rains come from the performance of sacrifice, and sacrifice is produced by the performance of prescribed duties.

V15

karma brahmodbhavaṁ viddhi brahmākṣhara-samudbhavam                          
tasmāt sarva-gataṁ brahma nityaṁ yajñe pratiṣhṭhitam 

The duties for human beings are described in the Vedas, and the Vedas are manifested by God himself. Therefore, the all-pervading Lord is eternally present in acts of sacrifice

V16 

evaṁ pravartitaṁ chakraṁ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ                     
aghāyur indriyārāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati

O Parth, those who do not accept their responsibility in the cycle of sacrifice established by the Vedas are sinful. They live only for the delight of their senses; indeed their lives are in vain.

However, in contrast to the above postulations, it is pertinent to note that while describing the Omnipresence of the Supreme Spirit in Ch10,V22, it has been averred that among the Vedas, the Supreme Spirit is Sama Veda that, symbolizes music but not Rig   or Yajur Veda, both associated with ritualism.

Ch10, V22

I am the Sama of Vedas  
It’s Me Indra, god of gods 
Of all organs, mind is Me
And so life in all beings.

vedānāṁ sāma-vedo ’smi devānām asmi vāsavaḥ
indriyāṇāṁ manaśh chāsmi bhūtānām asmi chetanā

And again, in v25 of the said chapter, it is averred that among the sacrifices, He is tapo yagjna, prayer muted, and not Asvamedha, the horse sacrifice. 

Ch10, V25

Bhrugur I am the well-realized 
So Am ‘Om’ that sound supreme, 

Of rituals Am prayer muted  
Himalayas high that kiss the skies.

maharṣhīṇāṁ bhṛigur ahaṁ girām asmyekam akṣharam
yajñānāṁ japa-yajño ’smi sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ

Hence, it can be said without any contradiction that the eight above cited verses are no more than mere interpolations for the purpose already stated. 

Now, over to the rest of the rest of the interpolations in this chapter thus: 

V17 

yas tvātma-ratir eva syād ātma-tṛiptaśh cha mānavaḥ        
ātmanyeva cha santuṣhṭas tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate 

But those who rejoice in the self, who are illumined and fully satisfied in the self, for them, there is no duty.

V18                                                                                                      

naiva tasya kṛitenārtho nākṛiteneha kaśhchana         
na chāsya sarva-bhūteṣhu kaśhchid artha-vyapāśhrayaḥ 

Such self-realized souls have nothing to gain or lose either in discharging or renouncing their duties. Nor do they need to depend on other living beings to fulfill their self-interest.

Clearly intended to exonerate the Brahmins from the tedious menial occupations, the above two verses v17-v18 are out of context as well, even in the interpolated text, which, along with the preceding ones, as can be seen below, unambiguously break the continuity of the discourse between v8 ‘n v19

Ch3, V8

Lest thee should stake survival 
Turn thy back not on thy work.

niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥ
śharīra-yātrāpi cha te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ

Ch3, V19

Ever thee act at par duty 
Let that be thy goal of life.

tasmād asaktaḥ satataṁ kāryaṁ karma samāchara
asakto hyācharan karma param āpnoti pūruṣhaḥ

Then comes this

V24 

utsīdeyur ime lokā na kuryāṁ karma ched aham
sankarasya cha kartā syām upahanyām imāḥ prajāḥ 

If I ceased to perform prescribed actions, all these worlds would perish. I would be responsible for the pandemonium that would prevail, and would thereby destroy the peace of the human race. 

which is but an analogy of

Ch3, V23 

Were I to fail to self-exert  

Man might follow suit as well

yadi hyahaṁ na varteyaṁ jātu karmaṇyatandritaḥ
mama vartmānuvartante manuṣhyāḥ pārtha sarvaśhaḥ,

This thus is an interpolation. 

Then this mischief monger

V35 

śhreyān swa-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣhṭhitāt
swa-dharme nidhanaṁ śhreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ 

It is far better to perform one’s natural prescribed duty, though tinged with faults, than to perform another’s prescribed duty, though perfectly. In fact, it is preferable to die in the discharge of one’s duty, than to follow the path of another, which is fraught with danger.

This motivated insertion (and its convenient cousin V47 in Ch18) obviously meant to confine the Shudras to the menial work, read together with its preceding and succeeding ones in the text, is contextually out of place in this egalitarian discourse, fouled by the motivated interpolations, and any whitewashing of the cynical intent by Gita’s diehards in rationalizing these with holistic spins won’t cut much ice.

Ch3, V34

Pays it to see grips avarice 
Senses those thine nature tends.  

indriyasyendriyasyārthe rāga-dveṣhau vyavasthitau
tayor na vaśham āgachchhet tau hyasya paripanthinau

Ch3, V36

Thus spoke Arjuna:
Why should one with right intent 
Stray ever on the wayward ways!

arjuna uvācha                                                                 

atha kena prayukto ’yaṁ pāpaṁ charati pūruṣhaḥ
anichchhann api vārṣhṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ

That’s about the interpolations in this chapter.

 

Chapter - 4: Jñāna–Karma-SanyasaYoga

 

This chapter of 42 verses that deals with the spiritual knowledge and practical wisdom is replete with interpolations, including the damning chātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛiṣhṭaṁ (v13) the first of the caste-centric precepts in the Gita ‘as it is’. The plain reading of this verse would have us believe that the Lord Himself had created the four-caste system, of Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Shudra, to suit their innate inclinations towards respective callings of social and spiritual life in this world. And then, as a rider that is vague at the very best; Krishna says that though he is the author of it all, he should not be deemed as the doer. These so-called caste characteristics and duties later figure in v41-v48 of the concluding eighteenth chapter, a long wait indeed, and they are discussed therein.

So, it is imperative that we try to see whether the following verses actually belong to the original text, or are latter-day insertions, meant to sanctify the Aryan caste credo with the underpinning of 'exclusivity of duties' through the venerated Gita, however, keeping in mind the Brahmanical self-aggrandizing mischief in the Purusha Sukta.   

V11                               

ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāns tathaiva bhajāmyaham
mama vartmānuvartante manuṣhyāḥ pārtha sarvaśhaḥ

In whatever way people surrender unto me, I reciprocate with them accordingly. Everyone follows my path, knowingly or unknowingly, O son of Pritha.

It should not be lost on one that this return of favour by the Lord is juxtaposing to the stated detachment of His as espoused thus in

Ch 4, V14

Detached Am from what happens 
It's this knowledge that frees man

na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛihā         
iti māṁ yo ’bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate

Hence, v11 could be nothing but an interpolation, and so also,

V12 

kāṅkṣhantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ

kṣhipraṁ hi mānuṣhe loke siddhir bhavati karmajā

In this world, those desiring success in material activities worship the celestial gods, since material rewards manifest quickly.

On the other hand, this ritualistic verse that is akin to,

Ch7, V20 

kāmais tais tair hṛita-jñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ
taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛityā niyatāḥ svayā

Those whose knowledge has been carried away by material desires surrender to the celestial gods. Following their own nature, they worship the devatās, practicing rituals meant to propitiate these celestial personalities,

as would be seen therein, is in itself an interpolation.

Now arrives the totally out of context Spoiler-in-Chief

V13                                                            

chātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛiṣhṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśhaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhyakartāram avyayam 

It is I who engineered the division of men into four varna (castes) based on their guna (innate nature) and karma (earthly duties) but yet although I am the creator of this system, know me to be the non-doer and eternal.

As already seen, this alleged godly caste-ing of man goes against the grain of the His creation exemplified by –

Ch9, V6

Skies in rooted wind as spreads
Dwell in Me though disperse all.

yathākāśha-sthito nityaṁ vāyuḥ sarvatra-go mahān
tathā sarvāṇi bhūtāni mat-sthānītyupadhāraya.

Ch6, V31

Me who sees in all beings 
He’s the one that dwells in Me.

sarva-bhūta-sthitaṁ yo māṁ bhajatyekatvam āsthitaḥ
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi sa yogī mayi vartate

As broached before, one school of thought tends to view chātur-varṇyaṁ as a way of general differentiation amongst men. However, apart from what was earlier discussed on this subject, this ingenious argument cannot cut much ice since common sense suggests that Krishna would have been well aware that such a turn of phrase is bound to be viewed by man only in caste colours rather than in ethereal terms. That being the case, he would have been circumspect in his word choices to convey his scheme of things governing man’s birth if they aren’t really as narrow as the Aryan caste credo.

Or, is the chātur-varṇyaṁ his real will, whether one likes it or not? The answer could be found in his averments as one goes through the Gita that is by skipping its interpolative turns. The four types of beings he identified by their nature and disposition are - the virtuous, the vile, the passionate, and the deluded. Isn’t the proposition that people of a given nature and disposition could be bracketed into a single caste so absurd? Why, in every family, of any of the four castes, one sees assorted natures and myriad proclivities among its members, and that being the case, could have Krishna, the Jagadguru been so naive as not to know about it at all! 

However the clinching evidence that the three above verses are interpolations is provided by the preceding and the succeeding ones of this contentious verse as –

Ch4, V7

Wanes if good ’n vile gain reign 
Know