-4th chapter: verses 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 5, 2020.
-The subject of verse 24 is how to spiritualize our entire life - how every secular activity, every word, deed, thought, emotion can be spiritualized – how we can stop seeing the distinction between the secular and spiritual.
-Verse 24 is uttered with a deep sense of reverence before people eat food. It emphasizes that everything is, spiritually, one. This truth can be realized by associating all actions with the Divine.
-With the imagery of a Vedic ritual (Yajna), this verse says: “the process of offering, what we offer, the one who offers, into what it is offered, the act of performing the ritual, the goal to be reached – everything is Brahman.” Our purpose, our actions, the tools that we use, the mantras that we chant, the Agni (fire) – all are expressions of the same supreme reality. This is natural for the person with highest realization – to him, every act is equally spiritual; there is no distinction between the secular and spiritual.
-Similar verse is in Bhagavata Purana. It says: “Whatever we do with body, mind, senses of perception, senses of action – dedicate it as an offering to God”
-Actions that we do deliberately, and our instinctive tendencies and thoughts – all can be given a spiritual orientation, by attaching a sense of sanctity of sacredness, by being free from selfish motives, and by offering them to God. We can start this spiritual journey at any time.
-These secular activities then become many ways for us to progress towards our spiritual destination, while at the same time, allowing us to serve for the good of the world. Then, we feel inner harmony and contentment.
-Every thought becomes a meditation, every word becomes a mantra, every action becomes an act of worship, every travel becomes a pilgrimage, every movement becomes a circumambulation around the deity, and the whole life becomes an offering to God.
-A beginner sees secular and spiritual activities as separate. A more evolved seeker does his secular activities as spiritual. For an even more advanced seeker, the line of demarcation between the two disappears. For the seeker at the highest level of realization, whatever he does is spiritual, including activities such as eating food and interacting with others.
-A great devotee looks upon inconveniences also as friends, as they remind him of the higher spiritual reality and the limitations of this world.
-Verses 25-29 describe different types of sacrifices. Some perform sacrifices to the devas (gods); some sacrifice in the fire of Brahman; some sacrifice all activities at sensory level; some sacrifice the functions of all the organs and pranas; some sacrifice through penance and others through Yoga; some sacrifice through reading of scriptures.
-All these sacrifices can be given a spiritual dimension by performing them as Yajna. The attitude with which the sacrifice is performed makes all the difference. Yajna has two meanings: (1) Vedic rituals for harmony and peace of the world and material prosperity (2) Any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others, without selfish motives, and as an offering to God. Gita discusses Yajna in its broader sense of noble activity, which becomes a royal highway for spiritual prosperity.
-All of our daily activities – even the minutest one – can be done as Yajna. The act of cooking food, eating, digesting – all can be done as Yajna. By thus spiritualizing the secular, we get Chitta-prasada (inner contentment).
-This attitude can be extended to human relations and also to external nature. Vedic mantras emphasize harmony and balance of nature. Let the earth, clouds, skies, plants, trees and the entire cosmos remain pure, undisturbed, and in perpetual peace and harmony.