Gita Chapter 18

Gita Chapter 18

This chapter summarises many key concepts propounded in the first 17 chapters.  Sort of a recap of the main principles:  What is karma yoga, what are the three qualities of nature and their relevance to what we do and how we do,  waht is best way to realize The Lord.

Karma Yoga as explained in Chapter 18:

One could be a Sanyasi and a Tyagi ( renouncer ) while at the same time being  engaged in action.  How ?  If you are not attached to the outcome and the fruits of your actions than even though you may be busy performing actions, you are a Sanyasi and Tyagi.  But if you have left the home but are performing what appears to be religious and spiritual actions but are doing them with attachment to your ashram or matha, than you may appear to be a Sanyasi, but you are not.  It is seen that someone may have become a sanyasi but now is very attached to  his asgram or congregation and the whole arrangement that goes with it.  They are namesake sanyasis only.

 If someone has given up action due to some delusion or due to being afraind of discomfort, than that type of renunciation is Raajasic/Taamsic renunciation and has no spiritual benefit to the seeker.

Often we feel we are causing the actions to happen,  But truly we have very little control on what is happening.  Five factors that determine what happens are :  who is acting to perform, where is he situated ( the place ), what tools he has at his disposal, what kind of effort he is making and the fifth but most important  being the sanskaras, the impressions from all the experiences from our previous lives and this life.  It is easy to see how these would influence the outcome.  Often we make the best effort but our tools do not perform like we expected, or we have the right tools but we do not make the effort required, or we have the right place, right tools, right motivation but the doer is week and incapable.  even when all these are fit, things may not go as we expect them to be and that is when the predetermined sanskaras or Divine will has played a role to cause the outcome to be other than what expected.

Knowledge that gives us the vision where we see Him in everything and see everything in Him only is considerd Saatvic knowledge.   That is the most desirable and tru knowledge.  But if we see everything in this world as a separate entity and we do not see the unity in this existence, it is Raajsic knowledge.  But for someone who is entirely self centerd on himself only than that knowledge is Taamsic knowledge.  so one can see the progression from Saatvic where a unity is seen in everything, it is saatvic from one extreme to the other extreme where a taamsic person only thinks of himself and nothing else.

Similarly examples are given of who is the Saatvic doer, raajasic doer, Taamsic doer.  Same thing applies to the inteligence,  resolve, pleasures and happiness.  Lord gives examples of how each of these can be saatvic, raajsic or taamsic.  Finally He states that there is nothing in this creation which is not characterized by one of these three gunas of prakriti.  ( The seeker may ask the question: so what does it mean for me ?  The answer is given in chapter 14 where Lord advises:  See yourself to be separate from these and not be influenced by the interpaly and interaction of these gunas )

Verses 41 - 48 introduce how one can achieve God Realization.  Lord describes the duties of all four varnas of the society.  some of these appear to be superior to others.  But Lord emphasizes that no task or duty is inferior to others and one should not think that my duty is inferior to the other person's duty.  As long as one performs his duties with full devotion to Lord and with all the qualities described earlier in the chapter, he will, no doubt, achieve God Realization.

From verse 50 thru 59 Lord is describing who and how one unites with The Lord.  he is describing the qualities of the right kind of seeker.These include:  sense control, self discipline,  established in dispassion, consumes very little, avoids crowded palces, firmly established in yoga etc.  Such a seeker gets established in the Para Bhakti ( supreme devotion ).  Once he is established in such supreme bhakti he is becomes qualified to truly know what od is, and once he truly knows what God is, he is able to unite with The Lord.  Once he is established in The Lord, than he is still able to perform all the actions but at the same time not be affected by them.  To the outside world he may be appear to be acting performing but he is completely free of any binding effects of these actions because he has offered all these to The Lord.

Most important verses of this chapter;

Verse 65:

Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

Verse 66:

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear. Finally arjuna accepts the knowledge givenby The Lord and he says: Arjuna said, My dear Krishna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy, and I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions. Sanjaya says the concluding verse: Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.

PurportFFiFf

Gita Chapter 17

Gita Chapter 17

Lord discusses the concept of  The Good ( Saatvic ),  The Bad ( Rajasic )  and The Ungly ( Tamasic)

If we do not understand these concepts and how they apply to what  ever action we do, material or spiritual, than the results of those acttons could be very good or could be very dangerous.  Even actions that appear t to be good such as Charity, Penance and Pooja etc, if done with  a certain mindset, can have good or bad outcomes. 

any given human being behaves according to his Swabhava, innate nature or tendancies.  These inturn depend on Sanskaras which in turn depend on the past Karmas.  Based on these Swabhavas, human beings can be classified in three main groups:

Saatvic  ( The good )
Rajasic  ( The Bad )
Taamasic ( The Ugly or really Bad )

Each category of individual will have certain way of acting and doing things.  This is what the main teaching is of chapter 17 of Bhagwadgita. 

Saatvic Person:   Will like food which  promotes longevity, happiness, cheerfulness, easy to digest  and promotes a calm mind.  He will follow the scriptures and will not engage in poojas which are done with a motive to hurt others.  He performs pooja as a matter of his duty.  He gives charity to the well qualified  recipient  at the right time and at the right place.  He honors the learned, and practices control on his senses, body and mind.  He performs charity and yajna without any expectations of any returns.

Raajasic person:  Will like food which is bitter, sour, salty,  hard to digest and food which promotes ill health.  He engages in severe penance causing pain and suffering to the body and the ONE residing inside him ( The Paramatma ).  He performs poojas and yajnas with a desire for recognition and fame.  His religious actions are prompted by desire for fruits.  He practices charity unwillingly and  with the hope of gaining fame and popularity. 

Taamasic Person:  He likes food which smells, poorly cooked, impure and polluted.  He engages in poojas and yajnas without following the proper methods and his religious actions are driven with the desire to harm others.  when he gives charity, it is to those who do not deserve it and he does it insultingly to the wrongful recipient in wrong place and time.

On a separate note Lord refers to OM TAT SAT.  He explains what these are and how these are applied.

OM represents the LORD as the  primordial sound, the very first manifestation of The Lord, in the form of sound.  Because OM was the firs manifestation of The Lord, whenevr the learned start anything auspicious they chant OM to recognize that OM came before the rest of the craetion did.  and also the sound of OM is the closes one can come to the Lord

TAT represents the LORD as 'that'  without specifying what is 'That', because one can not define what 'That' is.  Encompasses everything there is. " I am offering all my actions to That" is the feeling when one chants 'That'.  In this way one offers everything to The Lord. 

SAT represents the LORD as the Truth, Praiseworthy, auspicious and underlying all spiritual actions. So to denote something as pure or praiseworthy we place SAT before that. For example we say Satnaam, denoting purity or Godliness in the name.  or we say Satkaarya, meaning purity or  Godliness in actions.  or we say Satsanga denoting purity or Godliness in the company and so on and so forth.

 Lord is the Absolute Truth (SAT) , not  subject to time or place.  Everything else is a relative truth, being subject to and defined by time and place.  Everything we can sense with our sense organs and mind is true now and here but it was not true in the distant past and will not be true in the distant future.  What we sense is only true at a certain place only for a short time.  On the contrary Lord always was , is and will be and He is everywhere at the same time.  Therfore He is the Absolute Truth or SAT in the true sense.

ओम् तत् सत्

Gita Chapter 16

Gita Chapter 16
Key verse:

Daivi tendancies or Sampada leads to release from bondage
Aasuri  tendancies  or Sampada  leads to bondage

The transcendental (Daivi ) qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the demoniac ( Asuri ) qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, O son of Pandu, for you are born with the divine qualities.

Cause of Aasuri Sampada being dominant:

Kama ( desire ), Krodha ( anger ) and Lobha ( greed ) These are the three main perpetrators that promote  the development of Asuri assets.

There are three gates leading to this hell--desire, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.

Effects of Asuri tendancies:

Not only constantly going around the cycle of birth and death, but also being destined to be born and suffering through   the worst forms of Naraka and degraded life forms.  

Solution:

Study and follow what the scriptures say.  When you are not sure what your duty should be, look at what the Shastra ( scripture) says.  If one studied and   acted according to the teachings in the scriptures  he will attain real knowledge, peace, realization and ultimately reunion with  God.

One should understand what is duty and what is not duty by the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.

There are lot of details in the chapter regarding what Daivi qualities are and what Asuri qualities are. 

Divi qualities:  Verses   1 - 3

Fearlessness, Charity, Study of scriptures, staying resolute through difficulties in the spiritual path, non violence, compassion  to name a few.  Reader may look through these in the full text.

Asuri qualities:  Verses    4,  7 - 19

Arrogance, pride, anger, not knowing waht is right or wrong,  engaging in wrongful actions in mind, body and speech, hurting others,  full of unending desires and going to any length for the fulfilment of those desires. victim of lust and anger, ruthless pursuit of  material gains etc.  Even when they appear to be performing religious activities those activities are done with arrogance.  These are only a few of the Asuric tendancies.

Bottomline:

Study and live according to the scriptures.   Be good and do good.  If one does that, than he/she will be freed from this cycle of birth and death.  Even if not freed from the cycle of birth and death, good deeds will give us birth in good families while if we engaged in bad deeds ( Asuric) than we are bound to be born in Naraka and would have to go through suffering.

Gita Chapter 15

Gita hapter 15

Key Point:

Lord is the basis of everyhing, everything originates from Him, He is beyond what we see, He illuminates everything, what we see is perishable, Lord is imperishable, He could be realized by those Pure hearted Gyanis who are free of ego, attachment, desires and who are free from the duality of love-hatred, hot-cold etc.  once seeker has come to His abode than he is freed from this cycle of birth and death.

Simile of a tree is used to describe this creation.  Lord being the root of this tree.  Everything including Brahma springs from Him.  The interaction of Jivatma and three gunas of Prakriti along with the senses, mind etc creates this ongoing play that we call the Tree of the  world.  The Jivatma stays bound by this never ending cycle.  The ignorant ones who do not see this, keep going back and forth between birth and death.  Only the ones with the qualities described above are able to see this play with the help of  this wisdom.

Even though Jivatma is considered immortal but Lord is beyond that Jivatma as well.  Knowing Jivatma is not good enough.  One has to know The One that is not only beyond the apparent physical structure or body, but the one which is beyond Jivatma as well.   He is the source of all knowledge, He is before and after everything perishable and imperishable, He is the light of the Sun and Moon, He is the sustainer of all living entities, He is the One who just  IS ! ( has been, is and will be, He is not subject to the definition of past, present and future ).

Such a  One who is  beyond Sharira and  Jivatma  has been called Parameshvar, Paramatma and Purushottam.  He is the One that should be known.  Once He is known and realized than there is no more any birth or death.

Gita Chapter 14

Gita Chapter 14

Key Points:

Lord elaborates some of the key points from Chapter 13.  The concept of creation having come to existence due to the combination of the impure Prakriti and the pure Atman or jiva.  Also He provides a method as to how the seeker cam free himself from this bondage.
Jiva or the life form comes from, and is part of God or Brahman (not to be confused with Brahma, a member of the trinity)
Material  world is part of Prakriti.
Placement of Jivansh by Brahman or God in the Prakriti is the basis of the creation of 84 lakh species, Human being one of them
Jiva  being an ansh of God is inherently pure while material being part of Prakriti is impure
Association of Pure  Jiva with the impure  material prakriti and jiva not remembering it’s true nature leads to Jiva going through lot of suffering not only in this life but in the future lives as well.
Prakriti has 3 properties or qualities: ( The good, the bad and the ugly )
               Sattvic:    The ‘good’  leaning to Knowledge, light and calmness
               Rajasic     The ‘bad’  leaning to action, dynamism, selfishness
               Tamasic    The ‘ugly’   Destructive, negative,  driven by ignorance

Sattvic qualities are characterized by inclination to knowledge, spiritual practices, mental tranquility.
Rajas qualities are characterized by action, dynamism, enjoyment of the financial and material prosperity.
Tamas qualities are characterized by ignorance, not realizing who we truly are, engaging in intoxication, crimes and selfishness.
When Jiva identifies itself with these qualities it  is subject to the effects  of these qualities.  
This association also leads to the bondage of the Jiva in this life and due to the association with these qualities and the effect of these qualities it is destined to be born in a future life of Sattva, Rajas or Tamas.  Even though it would appear that Sattva is a great  quality to have and that is true relative to the Rajas and Tamas, but Sattva being a quality of Prakriti, nevertheless, it is still a form of bondage because it is not a quality of Brahman or God.


When a person is inclined to spiritual pursuits it is said that Sattva is dominant
When a person is driven by action and dynamism and life’s material enjoyments, it is said that Rajas is dominant
When a person is living a life of intoxication, crime, greed and selfishness and harming others, it is said that Tamas is dominant.
In a given person’s life at one time or the other  one of these three are dominant and the the proportion of these three is constantly changing.  So that we will see that the same individual behaves in a Sattvic manner at one time while at other times it behaves in a Raajasic or  Tamasic manner.  Often not knowing that his behavior is being determined by one of these qualities.
Our goal  should be to be able to  understand that my true nature is pure and divine and I am not part of the prakriti.  Therefore when  in me or around me when I see the effect of one of these qualities, I should not be perturbed and strive to continuously abide in my true self.  If I am able  see myself to be separate from these qualities, than I am able to get in touch my true nature and that is where the unlimited peace, tranquility and happiness is.  In other words I am able to reunite with the Supreme, from where I originated to begin with.

Gita Chapter 13

Gita chapter 13

Key points:

Kshetra same as the physcial body comprising of several components.

Kshetrajna  is the knower.  The ultimate knower being the Lord Himself

Knowing these facts is true knowledge.  Seeing the true nature of this kshetra and Kshatrajna would allow the seer to  separate himself from this and free himself from the impurities that come with the identification with the kshetra.

After describing the kshetra Lord describes the nature of Kshetrajna or the knower of the kshetra.  Lord says this knower is Me only.  He is everywhere, knows everything, even though it pervades teh body, senses, mind,

Kshetra has many components and characteristics some of them are good qualities whereas many others are really defects and impurities

Kshatrajna ( The Lord ) pervades everything and makes evrything happen but is not affected by the actions of what He pervades.  One example would be that of electricity.  Electricity is present in various different appliances.  Electricity is the same but what action takes place varies from appliance to appliance depending on the components and parts of the appliance.  How appliance behaves has no effect on the electricity.  Similarly Atman pervades and powers everything, without Atman nothing will sustain but each object has it's own nature due to different combinations of Prakriti's Gunas, Sattva, Rajsa, Tamas.  This is not a perfect example, because at the Atman and object level, ulimately even the object is only a modification of the Atman in one sense.  But on the other hand appliance is not made up of electricity.  While the object at a very deeper level is comprised of Atman only.  But I am giving this example to create an understanding at a very gross level.  Ultimately Vasudeva Sarvam Iti  is the ultimate truth.  Understanding this and knowing this is the True Knowledge.

There are several components to what this knowledge is:

Seeing the impermanence in the objects of nature vs  permanence of the Atman

The creation comprises of the union of the permanent ( Kshatrajna or the Lord ) and the impermanent. ( Prakriti )

Atman and paramatman is the same.  Lord is uniformly situated and makes up the essence of everything.

He (Lord ) is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of everything

He is the knowledge, knower and to be known

He illunminates everything, He only appears to be divided but He really uniformly pervades everything.

Lord is not the doer of what happens, Prakriti  is the doer.  Seeing the permanent ( Lord ) as the basis of and underlying all the impermanent, is true knowledge.

Particularly important verses which deliver the key message of Chapter 13 are:

O chief of the Bharatas, whatever you see in existence, both moving and unmoving, is only the combination of the field of activities and the knower of the field.

One who sees the Supersoul accompanying the individual soul in all bodies, and who understands that neither the soul nor the Supersoul is ever destroyed, actually sees.

One who can see that all activities are performed by the body, which is created of material nature, and sees that the self does nothing, actually sees.

Gita Chapter 12

Bhakta Shiromani

Gita Chapter 12

Summary of key messages;

Saguna vs Nirguna
Saakaar  vs Nirakar

Both can be realized by the one who has the following qualities:

Ananya Bhakti
Mind fixed on Lord only
Intellect fixed on Lord only
Firm Faith in Him only
Engage in the good of the others
Perform all actions as an offering to the Lord
Perfom all actions without being attached to the outcome.

BUT:

Realizing the Niraakar or Nirguna is very difficult for the one with the physical body.  Therefore for the devotee who posseses the above qualities, he can realize The Lord and reach the same Supreme abode while worshipping the Saguna, Saakar form of The Lord.  And it is relatively lot easier.  ( It is lot easier to relate to the form than to the formless, it is easier for us humans to relate to a form which we can toucn, see and feels with the physical senses )

Lord gives four easy ways for the devotee to be able to realize the Lord:

Think of Him only all the time  or
Steadfastly engage in spiritual practice or
Offer all your actions as an offering to The Lord  or
Perform all actions without attachment to the fruits of actions.  ( They will happen no matter what )

Lord also describes the qualities of a Bhakta in verses 13 - 19.  some of these qualities include loving, compassionate, equanimous, non clinging, friendly, kind, non egoist, forgiving,  having offered his mind and intellect to The Lord, one who is neither disturbed by others nor disturbs others, firmly established in the pursuit of his sadhana.


These are some of the many qualities described in this chapter.

Aadhyatmic vs Bhautik ( Spiritual vs Material )

Aadhyatmic:  That path, process, life style or practice that brings you closer to,  or in touch with your real SELF.  This is also called Sattvic or Daivi ( Divine )

Materialistic:  That path, process, life style or practice that takes you away from your real self and keeps you focussed on the outside material world.  This is also called Rajasic/Tamasic or Aasuri ( Demonic )

Aadhyatmic craetes a vision that sees ONE underlying the many, sees unity in diversity, embodies Vasudhai Kutumbukam ( Whole earth as one family ).  It is distributive, beleives in sharing,  non ownership of assets.

Materialistc clouds true vision and creates a mentality of hoarding, collecting, accumulating, me me and only me and mine mentality, wants to own everything.

Aadhyatmic fosters peace, satisfaction, calmness, feeling of having been fulfilled, lack of fear and doubt and self sustained.  Thoughts, speech and actions are the same.  There is no difference in these three for the one established in Spirituaality.  such an individual's actions. speech and thoughts are the same.  he is the same inside what he appears to be on the outside.  He is not afraid to die because death is not an 'end all' to him.  He is not defined by what he posseses so fear of losing those at the time of death does not bother him.  He is called  SUBODH ( The realized one ).  He has a sense of thankfulness towards everyone and everything.

Materialistic  causes agitation, restlessness, fearfulness without any obvious reason, feeling of insecurity, self doubt  and desire to control as a means to feeling of self esteem.  such an individual thinks in one way, speaks in another and acts in an entirely different way.  There is no concordance in his thoughts, speech and actions.  He is not what he appears to be. He is defined by his possessions, therefore fear of  losing his possessions makes him very afraid of death. He is called ABODH  ( Ignorant, the one not realized).  He always wants more, never satisfied or thankful to any one or anything.

Aadhyatmica person is in search of truth and does not stop until he attains it.  He feels compassion and kindness towards all living beings.

Materialistic person is wandering around in pursuit of worldly materialistic things AT ANY COST.  He has no sense of compassion or kindness towards no one.

Gita chapter 16 verses 1 - 3  describe some of the Daivi qualities:

The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one's existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity; nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation, tranquility, aversion to faultfinding, compassion and freedom from covetousness; gentleness, modesty and steady determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from envy and the passion for honor--these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.

Gita chapter 16 verse 4 and verses 7 - 18 describe aasuri qualities

Arrogance, pride, anger, conceit, harshness and ignorance--these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Prtha

Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them.

And so on for the next several verses Lord describes the qualities of asuri beings. 

Gita Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Arjuna wants to see Lord's divine form.  Since he has been hearing about it from Lord, now he wants to see it.  Lord is everything and everywhere so anything and everything is Him alone.  But he wants to see it.  so gracefully Lord offers him the vision of His divine form.   Until now Arjuna is primarily using his senses, mind and intellect to listen and understand what Lord is saying.  These being physical intsruments, Lord tells Arjuna, that these physical instruments are incapable of beholding Lord's Divine form.  so Lord bestows upon Arjuna, Divine Eyes ( Divya Chakshu ).  No one but Lord can grant these divine eyes.  Here the point being no matter how much effort one makes on the spiritual path, the realization happens when Lord is pleased with the seeker and grants him the boon of Divine eyes.  A Brahmnishtha Sadguru can also fulfill this role. with the help of divine eyes now Arjuna was shown Lord's limitless, timeless, all encompassing cosmic view ( Vishwarupa).

Because everything is  Lord only, when Lord reveals His form to Arjuna, everything in creation appears placed within His Form.  Arjuna was able to see  that the entire creation which appears to be in varied forms, was all situated within Lords form.  This form had no end in sight, had countless arms, faces, as bright as thousands of solar systems. He could not see where this Form began adn where it ended.  He could see all the devtas, rishis, everything that people behold as divine was contained within this form of the Lord.  all those devtas etc that people worship asking for worldly gains were seen disappearing and being devoured  in Lord's mouth.   Bhishm, Drona and everyone else that Arjuna knew was seen rapidly being devoured by this. 

Arjuna could not handle this sight.  He implored the Lord to tell him who this was.  Lord than told him that " I am the ultimate destroyer of all these galiant warriors.  You think you are doing this, you think you are killing them.  No, you are just an instrument to carry out what I am doing.  these people are going to die any way." 

  Lord also emphasizes the value of Bhakti.  A special form of Bhakti called "Ananya Bhakti"   Lord says:  " It is not possible to realize My Form by engaging in the studies of scriptures, doing intense Tapas, Giving Dana or charity or engaging in any type of Karma or action, but only through the practice ananya Bhakti." 

नाहं वेदैर्न तपसा न दानेन न चेज्यया।
शक्य एवंविधो द्रष्टुं दृष्टवानसि मां यथा।।11.53।।
na aham vedaih na tapasaa na daanena na ca ijyayaa
sakya evam vidhe drastum drustuvaan asi maam yathaa.

Not through the four Vedas, not by tapas (austerity like chandrayana etc.,) not by giving gifts like land, gold etc., not even by sacrifices and worship I can be seen in the form that has been seen by you.

भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्यमहमेवंविधोऽर्जुन।
ज्ञातुं दृष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परंतप।।11.54।।
But only through "bhaktyaa ananyayaa" (bhakti based on "no second thought") it is possible.
Ananyayaa bhakti is where thought of the Lord is always there, even when we are engaged in any worldly task.  Where we depend on the Lord only for everything,  Where there is no other.  Lord has emphaiszed the importance os this exclusivity in other places in Gita.  Chapter 18, verse 66

सर्वधर्सान् परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः

The key message from Chapter 11:

Everything is pervaded by Lord, He is in everything.  To be able to Him in everything you need divine vision, Divine vision can be granted only by Him,  He will grant that Divine vision only to those who engage in Ananyayaa Bhakti, that is one pointed devotion to God while we go about doing things in this world,.

LIFE: Upayog or Upabhog

Life:   Upayog or Upabhog

Do we live a life of Upbhog or do we live a life of Upyog ?  What dooes it mean ?  We all have many resources, every individual has them.  These include time, the most important one, but also other tools, the most important being the body, mind and intellect. Minor tools also include money and other material assets. 

Upbhog is when these resources are used primarily for gratification and enjoyment of the senses.  But in Gita Krishna says:


Gita Ch 5 v 22

ye hi saḿsparśa-jā bhogā

duḥkha-yonaya eva te

ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya

na teṣu ramate budhaḥ

An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.

Since these pleasures derived from sense gratification are temporary, the individual keeps going after more and more and before one realises, life is over.  And than start over and that  cycle for some keeps repeating over and over again, birth after birth.

पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं
पुनरपि जननी जठरे शयनम् .
इह संसारे बहुदुस्तारे
कृपयाऽपारे पाहि मुरारे .. २१..

Born again, death again, again to stay in the mother's womb !
It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of samsaara . Oh
Murari ! Redeem me through Thy mercy.

When we live a life of Upbhoga, we do not respect natural resources, we abuse,  overuse and misuse natural resources.  We do not make others a partner in our wealth, we do not share it with others.  A person like this never commands respect from others. He may command fear but not respect.  People never remember him for any good deeds.  This person is bound to go through the endless cycles of life and death.

Where as if these resources and tools are used for the benefit of others without a selfish motive, without the desire to enjoy the fruits of our actions than these actions are non binding.  Use the reources with balance, reason, discipline, discretion and concern for others.   Apply viveka and discrimination while using these resources. 


Gita ch 3, v 9

yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra

loko 'yaḿ karma-bandhanaḥ

tad-arthaḿ karma kaunteya

mukta-sańgaḥ samācara

Work has to be performed as a sacrifice to the Lord, otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti,  perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.

gita ch 4, verse 19

yasya sarve samārambhāh

kāma-sańkalpa-varjitāh

jñānāgni-dagdha-karmānam

tam āhuh panditam budhāh

One is understood to be in full knowledge whose every endeavor is devoid of desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker for whom the reactions of work have been burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge.

When actions are performed as a service to the Lord, As a service to the fellow human beings than it is a true use of the God given resources of time, body, mind etc and that has a purifying effect.  when we use natural resources with respect, when we apply our wealth for the benefit of others  This is true Upyoga.

 Some of the examples of people who lived a life of Upyoga include Swami Vivekananda, Adi Sankara, Guru Goving Singh to name  a few.  These individuals did not live for a hundred years, they did not accumulate lot of material wealth, but the way they lived their life, it set a great example of what a life lived with Upyoga can be.

If we wnat to look for examples of people who lived a life of Upbhoga, we do not need to look too hard.  It is all around us. We do not need to go too far.  We can look at ourselves.

Destiny and free will on spiritual path

Destiny and free will on spiritual path

Destiny will bring you the proximity of the saints.  If it is in your fate or Prarabdha that you will meet a saint, it will happen.  But how much you benefit from their teachings and their proximity will depend on the effort you make.  It is not good enough to be in the company of saints.  One needs to listen, reflect and internalize the teachings of those saints and than,  put them into action in one's own life.  ( Shravan, Manan, Nidhidhyasan and Action )  And that is effort dependent, that is in your control and thus that is free will. Examples include that of Sage Valmiki.  He was a ruthless robber but he came in contact with the sages and after he received the RAM mantra he put in lot of effort and he became a saint himself.  there is also the story of Angulimaal who came in contact with Buddha ( that was destined to happen ) but than he put in lot of effort and became a realized soul.

 Similarly, finding spiritual books and scriptures happens through destiny and fate.  But what benefit I derive from those scriptures depends on my effort that I put in to study them and put those teachings into action.  Merely having those scriptures is not going to help.  If that was the case than every librarian will be the most learned and educated person in the world.  We know that does not happen.  Every bookseller will be a pandit.  Does not happen, we know that.

If the saint and the scripture says:  Be benevolent, engage in charity, do good to others, practice karma yoga, meditation etc and one understands what those mean but  does not put them into practice than even though one came in contact with the saint and received the teachings, even though one found the scriptures and  teachings, they are not going to do any good because unless I put them in to practice they are mere words.

It is a common observation that a classroom has many students and the teacher gives a lecture and explains the subject matter to all of them in the same manner, but how many actually get a good grade in the exam.  Not everyone who attended the lecture.  Only a few do, why ? because not everyone is paying the same dgree of attention in the class, not everyone  does home work after leaving the class, not everyone puts in the same effort in  continuing to study on their own after the class.

There are thousands of people when a saint is visiting a place and they are lsitening to the saint's words and teachings.  Saint is speaking to everyone, saint is bestowing the blessings on everyone at the same time. But for most of the people, words of the saint go in through one ear and out through the other.  Shravan ( listening ) is there but there is no manan ( reflection ) and therefore no nidhidhyasan.  And it would appear that there was no benefit from the visit to the saint.  Seeker and the devotee are  brought in the company of the saint because of destiny but lack of effort and free will on the part of them will keep them from benefitting from the holy company and the teachings of the saint.

When a saint has given us a teaching, whose responsibility is it  to do Manan and Nidhidhyasan followed by Action, and  after a saint has  shown us the path, who is the one who really needs to do the walking ? It is the seeker , the  student who has to do the walking.  That is free will.

Bade bhag manus tan pava, sur durlabh sab granthin gava - After great luck one gets the human body. All the scriptures sing that it is difficult even for Gods to get the human body.
If Destiny has granted the opportunity to come in contact with Saints, do no waste it.  Exert and exercise free will and take advantage of this rare opportunity. 

Uttishtha Jagrata Prapya Varan Nibhodata—“Arise, awake and stop not till the Goal is reached.”

Gita Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Here Lord is expanding on the concept of His Omnipresence that He briefly refered to in the previous chapter.  In short He is saying that He is in everything that was, is and will be.
Arjuna wants to know how can he contemplate on the form of Lord.  Here Lord gives him so many ways to contemplate on Him.  Literally Lord can be contemplated upon by contemplating on any of his creations, since there is no difference between Him and His creation.  Lord gives Arjuna so many examples.  Examples from rivers, mountains, warriors, rishis, planets, ocean, devi devtas, mantras, various forms of Yajnas, Chhandas, trees,  weapons,  in various creatures that live in water, earth and air, various bhavas, qualities, all living and non living entities and so forth. 

all these have been created by the Lord and He is in all of them and by contemplating on any of them one is really contemplating on Him alone.

 As you read this chapter and try to understand it you will  get a good idea of Hindu scriptures and mythology.  Because as He says, for example that He is Shankara among eleven Rudras, youwill have to look up that information and so on so forth.  He is Bhrigu rishi among rishis and Japayagna among various forms of Yajnas.  etc.

couple of other important messages from this chapter:

Only Lord can describe what He is: 

No one else is qualified to even come close to say what Lord is and what His manifestations and qualities are.  And here in this chapter Lord has graced us by giving only a brief glimpse of His Vibhutis or divine qualities.  all the learned sages, rishis etc can not describe fully what Lord is because Lord has been there before they were and Lord is the one who created them.

Who is qualified to know of these:

Those who have their mind only in Him
Those who constantly remember Him
Those who have purified their Antahkaran

when one shows these qualifications than Lord will light the lamp of  knowledge within and remove the darkness of ignorance.  Than devotee is graced with blemishless Bhakti or devotion and starts to  Him in everything in this creation.  As these bhaktas continuously engage in His worship, than Lord grants them Tatvajnana.  ( Experientially realizing the ultimate reality ), once they have reached this state they reunite with The Lord.

Gita Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Now Lord is re-emphasising on the concept of His Omnipresence.  He is the basis of all creation.  All the creation  is sustained by Him alone.  He is the Craetor, Sustainer and Destroyer of it all.  There is no other basis of this universe.  Even all the actions, poojas, materials used in the poojas and homas are nothing but He alone manifesting in all these different forms and actions.  It may seem like I am performing a pooja but the entire process of pooja is actually nothing but Lord Himslef manifesting. 

This is a very special knowledge that He is giving us.  But to benefit from this knowledge the seeker must have:
Unshakable faith in Him,
Firm detrmination,
Constantly remember Him alone
See Him alone in all creation

He is everything and every happening.  Lord is going to elaborate on this concept further in chapter 10 and 11. But suffice to say here that there is nothing material and non material that is not Him alone. 

There are people who want to reach Swarga by performing different forms of rituals and no doubt, they do  recieve the fruits of those rituals and go to Swarga, but those fruits are temporary.  The beneficial  effects of those rituals   soon run out and these seekers have to come back to this world again.  But if you worship only Him than you will be united with the Lord and will not have to go through this cycle of birth and death any more.   As a form of bonus Lord says that it is not difficult to worship Him.  One does not have to be a Ved Pandit or an expert in rituals to be able to worship Him.  The items needed to worship Him are easily available. These are:

Flowers,
Fruits,
Leaves
Water

As we know these are available in nature everywhere.  Lord does not say which flower or which fruit.  Any flower or any fruit will suffice as long as devotee offers these with love for the Lord.   Even though He is everywhere and in the heart of everyone, but the He manifests and can be experienced only by those who have intense devotion and love for Him and to those who offer all their actions to Him as a service and devotion to Lord. 

Lord also has a reassuring message for those who have been not been worshipping Him.  He says even the worst kind of sinner can reach me as long as he has made up his mind and he develpos one pointed devotion in the Lord.  Here the point to remember is ONE POINTED DEVOTION TO LORD.  If one can do that no matter he belongs to a low caste or he is a sinner, he will reunite with the Lord and experience that unlimited bliss that comes only from the Lord. 

In summary the key to reuniting with the Lord is:

See Him everywhere and in everything
Singleminded devotion
Singleminded worship of Him alone not the devtas
Singleminded surrender to Him

Gita Chapter 8

 

 

Gita Chapter 8

 

Now Krishna is giving some methodologies and techniques.  Although he gave meditation technique in Chapter 6 but he is now giving another simpler technique that can be practiced anywhere and all the time.  Even while we are doing our day to day duties.  The Dhyana technique in Chapter 6 requires one to sit down in a place and follow a certain technique.  The technique given in this chapter does not require sitting at any one place. In this technique we can have Him constantly in our thought and keep doing what we are doing.  Anu-smaran, Anu- chintayan etc. 

 

Lord said to Arjuna that our thought determines our state of being at any given moment and in the moment immeditely following that moment.  What we are thinking is what determines what is going to happen to us next.  This is all the more important at the time of death.  The thought we have at the time of death is going to determine our future birth.  So He tells Arjuna to have his mind and intellect constantly engaged in Lord while he is fighting so that even if he doed foghting,  he will reach the Lord.  Because we often do not have any control on what we are thinking especially when we are busy and fighting as was the case with Arjuna, one needs ot train the mind in such a way that at all the time the mind and intellect is engrossed in His thoughts.  This would need to be done consciously initially and later on it wil become a habit and normal state of mind.  An example from real life was that of Mahatma Gandhi.  When he was  shot he uttered words " Hey Ram Hey Ram"  This could not have happened unless tose words were all teh time present in his mind no matter what he was doing outwardly. 

 

Giving another technique Lord says:   Control your senses, control your mind and establish your attention between the eyebrows and recite "AUM" constantly and at the same time   contemplate the formless Lord.    While engaged like this if he leaves his body, he realizes the most exalted state of being, that is reunites with the Brahman.  That individual is freed from the cycle of birth and death becasue now  he has come to my   Abode.  All the abodes up until Mine , are transient.  You can reach any high level abode but they are all temporary.  But once you have reached Mine  than, that will put an end to the wandering around for the soul.  Lord gives the example of Lord Brahma ( the creator of universe)  Even though he lives for millions of years even he will   die one day.  So no matter how long the life of a devta, it is going to come to an end one day.  Also Lord gives the example of  limitations of space.  No matter how large something appears to be it has an outer limit.  But beyond this limited ( even though huge ) expanse of space and physical creation and beyond this seemingly millions of years of existense of Brahma( which to humans may appear to be  a long time) it also comes to an end.   The one who understands this concept of time adn space, are truly wise.  But that which is beyond this apparent physical reality of time and space, is what never ends and is never destroyed.  And that is the true Abode of Lord.  Swarga loka and many other lokas  all one day come to an end.   But His abode is forever.

 

There are many rituals and observances descibed in scriptures.  Some are better than the others.  Many have lot of spiritual benefits.   A true Yogi or a wise man realises that even though good deeds are good and they give lot of good fruits, but the fact is that all those fruits of good deeds will come to an end one day.  Therefore a truely wise yogi goes beyond all these good deeds  also.  Everyone knows not to do bad deeds.  But good deeds can be binding also and the one who goes beyond those also is the one who reaches the abode of the Lord.

Gita Chapter 7

Gita Chapter 7

The focus in the last five chapters was primarily on NISHKAAM Karma.  Now the focus shifts to NISHKAAM Bhakti.  The core message and the most important take home message from this chapter is NISHKAAM BHAKTI towards Lord only.    Also Lord is going to give a glimpse in His true nature.

Lord is going to give a glimpse of His true nature to Arjuna.  Focus is now going to shift from Arjuna and his actions to the true nature of Divinity and Lord himself.  Once truly understood this knowledge of the Lord will have liberating effect for teh devotee.   Lord puts forth qualities a devotee need to have:

Thinking only of Me

Devoted only to Me

Loving only Me

If you have theses qualities, you are qualified to know Him.:

Trying to understand Him is not easy.  Of the millions who try only a rare one is actually able to truly know Him.

He is  in everything that you can see and can not see.  Material and non material both.  He is in earth, water, fire, air and space.  He is in sun, moon etc.  There is nothing that He is not present in.    He is Omnipresent.  Even three gunas of prakriti can not exist without Him.  He is the source of their existence although He is not affected by them like us human beings are. 

  He is also immanent across time.  he always was, is and will be.  He knows what has ever happened, whatever is happening and whatever is going to happen.  One can make a garland with a cotton thread.  The beads of garland are made by weaving knots from the same  thread.  so these knots look different but they still are made up  of the thread itself.  Similarly it may appear that all these things that we see are different but they are nothing but He alone manifesting in all these forms.   

Sakaam vs Nishkaam Bhakti

Human beings are so influenced by the myriad manifestations and play of three gunas of Prakriti that they are not able to see the TRUE SOURCE that exists beyond these three gunas and they engage in all kinds of Sakaam bhakti.  They engage in all kinds of worship of different dieties and devas desiring woeldly things.    It is the law of cause and effect that their actions  bear fruits.  Although Devas  grants them the fruits of their bhakti, but these fruits are temporary in nature.  Lord calls these Alpabuddhi( individuals with limited  knowledge)  as opposed to Jnani.    These alpabudhi ignorant  humans are constatntly striving after their  material worldly  desires.  They are always under the grips of the Duality Complex ( Sukh-dukha, laabh-haani, heat-cold, love-hatred etc)  These strivings cloud their true knowledge and this ignorance causes them to not realize Lord's true nature.

  But the the one who is a Jnani ( has realized wisdom) that one does not go after the worldly gains. He is endowed with EKBHAKTI ( senses, body, mind and intellect are all the time engrossed in Lord ONLY ).  This Ekbhakti leads him to Lord only and  he reunites with Lord.   His Bhakti is also Nishkaam.  He does not ask for anything in return for his bhakti towards the Lord. Such Jnanis  easily realize and gain true understanding of  what  Brahman, Karma and Spirituality are.  And that allows them to understand the true nature of the Lord. 

Gita Chapter 6

In continuation to the prvious chapters the concept of what is Karma yoga, who is a Yogi vs Sanyasi.  Sankalpa is given importance as a factor.   Dropping all Sankalpas and than performing action will be liberating.  Activity vs action.  Activity without Sankalpa is liberating Action, activity with Sankalpa can be a bining action. 

Lord defines further who is a Yogi and Sanyasi.  Unlike what commonly held opinion is, just because some one has given up the household or is not engaging in any activity, it does not make him a yogi or sanyasi.  But the one who is performing action without attachment to the outcome and who is freed from the sense gratification only than he even though engaged in action, can be called a yogi or sanyasi. Such an  Action can be a useful means to getting established in yoga.  Qualities of the one who is established in Yoga:

Senses and mind are under his control
Over come dualities of warmth and cold, respect and disrespect,  happiness and grief
His mind intellect complex is satiated by wisdom and knowledge
His senses ar firmly in his control
He has Samta Bhava: He does nto see any difference in gold and a peice of stone
No matter what company he is in :  he is calm and unattached
Not inclined to hoarding and collecting things
The one whose Rajoguna has been quietened
He is balanced in his diet, activity, sleep and rest and socializing

When he is so inclined and established in these qulaities, he  engages in the practice of meditation. ( technique described in the chapter )

This in turn leads to him developing a state which is called YOGYUKTA.  this state is characterized by:

Like the flame of a  lamp in a windless space, no ripples, no disturbance, calm and stable
Purified intellect is able to get in touch with the reality of the Lord
He is firmly established in the peace that comes from the Lord. He experiences that form of peace that can be  esperienced only with the purified Antahkaran
He will not give up this state no matter what temptation he is subjected to
He becomes one with HIM and experiences that peace
He sees everything in Lord and Lord in everything.  The entire creation is Lord Himself

Yogi with such qualities is truly the best and most admirable

  Even though this task is very difficult but it   can be accomplished by constantly engaging in  practice ( Of Karma yoga )  and dispassion.( towards the siddhis that come with the practice) 

As usual Arjuna has a doubt:  What if I die before reaching that state ?

Krishna offers  hope  for such questioners:

What ever you have accomplishde in this life time is not going to go to waste.  If you do not reach that ultimate state of union with the  LORD, and you died, you will still enjoy the benefits of all the spiritual practices you have engaged in.  You may enjoy the benefits of heaven and than be born in   pious families or in the families of wise sages.  You will bring back with you all the good  sanskaras from previous  yogic practices and you will pick up from wehre you left in the previous life and will re-engage in the same  pursuit with vigor and energy.  The efforts wil  soon lead to the accomplishment of that state of re-union with the Lord.

Gita Chapter 5

Arjuna as usual seems to be confuesd.  So he wants to know should he give up the performance of action or he should engage in the performance of action.  He is asking the same question again.  So Krishna explains to him again:

Both are equally good but in your particular circumstance it is better for you to engage in the perfomance of the action.  Performing of the action  for you will be liberating BUT it has to be performed in a certain way and with a certain special mindset. If you act in such a special way than you are going to the  same place as the one who is a Sanyasi ( does not engage in the performance of action.)  The following qualities are necessary;

Free of dualities  ( Nir dwanda)  Be free from being caught up in profit-loss, attachment-aversion, etc.  He is than able to overcome and withstand the upheavel caused by the forces generated by the Kama and Krodha.

Free of Raag dwaesha, and wants and desires

Performing actions only  with the goal of purifying his  Antahkarana ( mind, intellect etc)

Being engrossed forever in The Lord with mind and intellect and have full faith in Him

Established firmly in Samta bhava ( Equanimity )

Cultivating and acquiring Wisdom.  This Wisdom than removes the ignorance and allows the divinity to shine through the clouds of ignorance  Thsi divinity is not outside somewhere.  It is within but has been covered by the cloud of ignorance and thereore is not seen or experienced.


Practice Karma Yoga:  This would entail performing action with full control of senses, body, mind and intellect.  Most of the time when we are performing actions we are driven by what our senses, body and mind want rather than what is the right thing to do. We are driven by the desire for sense gratification.  If I have control on these three ( senses, mind, body ) than my actions will be non binding and that is Karma yoga.  He is able to separate himself from the functioning of the senses etc and even while senses are engaged in their activities, he being able to stay separate from them,  is able to see such sense activities happening.  Such as eating, drinking, walkin etc, he KNOWS and SEEs that these are just the activities of the senses that the senses are engaged in, due to the inherent nature of the senses.  When he is able to achieve that state (of separation from teh sense body mind complex ) he is freed from the actions of the senses and he experiences a special kind of peace that comes only from the Brahman.  He than resides in this city of nine doors with peace. ( two each of eyes, ears, nose and one each of mouth, organs of excretion and reproduction. )

He develops equanimity and he than sees all aspects of creation ( Brahmin and untouchable, cow and dog etc ) without  being perturbed by the apparent differences.  When all of the above are practiced with full devotion and vigor than the following happens:


All his doubt get clarified

He gets released from all his impure deeds, (Paap )

He withdraws from the outside objects and firmly established within himself, commited to making ceaseless effort towards Moksha

With the help of of a mind that he has under his control and with a pure intelelct he is able to get in touch with the Brahman situated inside himself and experience that peact that comes from Brahman. 

After this he is able to realize my true nature and reunite with me.

Gita Chapter 4

Gita Chapter 4

Lord is introducing Arjuna to the concept of time and at the same time reminding him of the cycle of life and death that He alluded to in the first half chapter 2.  Here He si giving His own example by telling Arjuna that I gave this knowledge to Sun in the beginning of time and Sun in turn imparted that knowledge to Vaivasvat and  who in turn gave this to Ikshvaku.  and so forth.  Arjuna, being the doubter can not beleive that Krishna was around so long ago.  That is when Krishna tells him about His own Divya Janam, Immanance, Eternal nature and Omnipresence.  Lord tells Arjuna not to be hung up just on this life time.  He tells him that Arjuna and everone else has taken birth and gone through death several times in the past.  But Arjuna does not remember that, and that is why he is so attached to this life time.  Once a person has truly realized  the fact that I have existed before and i will be, in the future although in different form, the attachemtnt to this one particular body and family will be overcome.  Thus allowing us to carry out our duties without being handicapped by this attachment  or Moha.  Here Lord also tells him how HE, from time to time,   comes to save the good people from the bad ones and also to re-establish Dharma. 

Understanding this concept of cycle of life and death in such a way and contemplating on Him in such a way clears the path for us to becoem one with Him and become like Him.  We become what we think and contemplate.  If we contemplate strongly enough about the Divine qualities of the Lord, than we will become like Him and become ONE with Him.

I am immanent, omnipresent, eternal, omniscient.  Those who contemplate me like that they they unite with me or become like me.  Jiva is considered to be the ansh or a  part of the Lord.  The process of contemplation on the qualities of God, makes it possible for the Jiva to reunite and regain the same qualities as of the Lord

Ignorance, doubt and scepticism is an obstacle in the spiritual path.  Acquire knowledge and overcome  these.  To acquire knowledge go to, respectfully ask question and serve a qualified sage.  That sage will give you the knowledge.  There  is nothing as beneficial as   knowledge in this world.  Just as fire burns the wood completely, similarly, knowledge ( of what  is action and what is inaction) will burn all the, karmas or  binding actions. ( knowledge will help you perform action without the binding effect, in essence meaning that  fire of knowlede has burnt the actions )  It helps you overcome doubt and scepticism and help you understand what it means to be engaging in action which is non binding.  You will be able to continue to perform non binding actions while you still appear to be engaged in activity.  It is really difficult to understand what it means to be perfoming an action, without acting, and what it is to be non performing an action and still be engaged in activity. 

When you engage in an activity without attachment to the outcome it means non performance of action.  But on the contrary if you are, all the time worried about the outcome and are engaging in activity with attachement to  the outcome and with the desire to enjoy the fruits of activities, than even if it appears that you are not doing anything, it is a binding action. 

Another way to be a non performer, but at the  same time engaging in activity is if you  perform all actions as Yajna or as worship to the Lord.  If all your actions are performed as an offering to the Lord, than also, those actions are non binding. 

Scriptures have described so many ways an individual may be performing Yajna:

    Sense control
    Pranayam practice
    Hatha Yoga
    Performing Homa and Havan to please various Devas
    Charity
    Vows of non violence etc
    Studying of the scriptures

These are some of the examples of Yajnas.  All these are performed with the help of  senses, body and mind etc. These all are physical actions or karmas But If these are performed as an offering to the Lord and some of the leftover  fruits are used for meeting the needs of the body, than  the fruits of thses Yajnas are like Prasadam. Than these will not have any binding effect.  But the ignorant ones may be performing these but if they keep all the fruits of these Yajnas for themselves only  than they are never going to be liberated. They keep going throught the cycle of life and death.  The wise ones understnd this and are freed and they come to me.