Bhagavad Gita | Advaita Vedanta | English | Balaji Ramaswamy | [email protected]

Chapter 02 - Sankhya YogaSloka 19 - Atma is neither the doer nor the enjoyerIf atma is akarta and abhokta, who is the karta and bhokta?Who is in Samsara?How does other philosophies differ from Advaita in terms of who is karta and bhokta?If the body and mind are inert, how does it become conscious and sentient?Where does the mind borrow the consciousness principle?Which Shareera becomes the karta & bhokta?How does Bhagavan explain this concept in this sloka?Why does Bhagavan use the example of killing?What does Bhagavan say about the one who considers atma to be the "killer"?What does Bhagavan say about the one who considers atma to be the "killed"?What are the three analogies that we can use to explain atma?How can the space be compared to atma? Which among the panch bhoothas is not capable of destroying anything?How can the light be compared to atma?How is the cinema screen compared to the atma?What is the cause for our samsara?How can we use this feature to come out of samsara?Why is this sloka and this feature of atma significant?Does atma have karma?Does atma have punyam and paapam?Does atma have punar jenma?If atma does not have punyam and paapam, why are we doing shraddham and tarpanam?Does a jnani need to shraddham or tarpanam?Does a jnani have punar jenma?Sloka 20 - Atma is free from the 6 modificationsIs this sloka also taken from Katoponishad?Why has the meter been changed for this sloka?What are the shad vikaaraha (6-fold changes)?What does asti mean?What does Jayate mean?What does Vardhate mean?What does viparinamate mean?What does apakshiyate mean?What does vinashyati mean?

Sloka 17 - Atma is Changeless Eternal (Kootastha Nityam) and Un-objectifiable (Aprameyah)What are the 2 features of atma provided in this sloka?What are the 2 types of Nityam?How is Kootastha Nityam different from Pravaaha Nityam?Is the Universe (Jagat) Kootastha Nityam or Pravaaha Nityam and why?Is the atma Kootastha Nityam or Pravaaha Nityam?What is the meaning of the word Antah?Where is it said that the bodies belong to the Imperishable Atma?If the body is mortal, what should be our attitude towards it?On what should we identify the self to be?What is the meaning of the word Premeyaa?What do we mean by Atma Aprameyaha?If atma can never be the object of experience, can it be non-existent?What is that, which is ever existent, but which can never be known?Will the camera in which the pic was taken, be ever seen in the photograph?Is Atma the experiencer or the experienced?Can the subject be ever an object of experience?If atma cannot be experienced, it cannot be perceived by mind, and if words cannot show us the atma, then why are we listening to the class?Does the shastras say "THIS IS ATMA"?How does Shastras explain the Atma?What is the meaning of "Neti Neti"?What remains after removing anatma mixture from "I"?What does "yudhyasva" mean, according to Adi Sankara?What is the relation between doing duty and moksha?Sloka 19 - Atma is neither the doer nor the enjoyerFrom which upanishad are the slokas 19 and 20 taken from?Why does Bhagavan bring Upanishadic mantras hereWhat does akarta & abhokta mean?What is that within us, which says "I acted"?What are the 2 phalams of any action?What are the drshta and adrashta phalam of an action like daanam?What happens to drshta and adrshta phalam?Who converts the drshta/adrshta to sukham/dukham and when?Who experiences the result?How is Advaita philosophy different from other philosophies?

** Important Sloka **Sloka 16 (Contd...) - Adi Sankara' explanationWhat is Sankarar's pratigna?What does Seethoshnādi Sakaranam Asat mean?What is the reason Adi Sankara gives for Anatma to be Asat / Mitya?What does Vikaratvāt mean?What is the objection that Sankarar raise against this premise?What example does Sankarar use to negate Shoonyavaadam in a series of steps?What are the two types of buddhi according to Sankarar when we think of any object?Which among the Sat and Asat buddhi is constant?Which among the Sat and Asat buddhi keeps changing?Why can't Shoonyavaadam be true?What is the premise that Sankarar wants to establish next?What does "Nashte gade sat buddhihi na drashyate" mean?Which awareness is present at all times?Which awareness keeps changing?What happens when the pot breaks and another pot appears?Is Object buddhi satyam or Mitya?Is Existence buddhi satyam or Mitya?What happens when the pot breaks and cloth appears?What happens to the existence awareness in between the time between pot disappearing and cloth appearing?What is the main tattva / siddhanta of this philosophy?Why is nama/roopa (reflective medium) required for existence to be experienced?Can light be seen through eyes?Are we seeing light or the reflection of light?Why is outer space dark even though there is sun?Can SAT buddhi and ASAT buddhi exist at the same time?Can SAT and Mitya exist at the same time?Sloka 17 - I am impersihable, all pervading, changeless, formless ONEHow do we establish that atma is Sarvagataha (all pervading)?Can time and space be separated?Does law of nature allow 2 things to be at the same place at the same time?If atma is Nityaha (eternal from a time perspective) then how should atma be from space standpoint?If atma is all pervading, can it have a form or shape?What is the analogy that can be used to explain the formless nature of Atma?Why can't we see the atma?If atma is all pervading, how many atmas can be there?How many spaces can be there?What does avināśi mean?How is Bhagavan explaining Atma Nityaha in this sloka?When the pot gets destroyed, does the clay get destroyed too?What is the meaning of the word Vidhdi?Can atma be destroyed?Does atma change?Can Ishvara destroy atma?What happens to atma when body gets destroyed?What is the meaning of the word "Vyayaha"?What are the 2 reasons given by Sankarar for atma to be Avyayaha?What can go into decay?Can decay be avoided for those which has avyayam?What happens when the thing that we have abhimaana on decay?Does atma think anything to be its?Does atma have abhimana on anything?Which has abhimana / attachment on things?

** Important Sloka **Sloka 16 (Contd...) - Atma Satyaha Anatma MityaHow are Kaarana and Karya related?What are the differences between Atma and Anatma?How do we establish Atma is satya and Anatma is mitya using Avastha Thraya Viveka?How do we establish anatma is mitya using nirvikaraha principle?How do we establish the world is mitya using nirvikaraha principle?How do we see the body and the world?Why is the world appearing as saashvata?Will the world disppaear once we recognize it as Mitya? What is the equivalent analogy?Will Brahman appear once we recognize it as Satyam? What is the equivalent analogy?Can one understand only one statement and not the other - "Brahma Satyam" & "Jagat Mitya"?Can "Satyam" & "Mitya" be understood independently?Should anything that is ever existent be available for experience?Why does Bhagavan want to give us this knowledge that the world is Mitya?How do we need to handle the world?What should be the thought in our sub-conscious mind always?How does Adi Sankara approach this sloka?What is his initial hypothesis (Pratigna)?How does he explain that the world is mitya? What is the reason he gives?How does he he split the thought into 2 parts?

** Important Sloka **Sloka 16 - Atma SatyahaWhat is the essence of entire Gita?Why should we not self-study Gita and Vedanta?Will there be existence for the unreal?Will there be non-existence for the real?Who understands the truth of these both statements?What are the two types of Asat?What is Atyanta Asat?What is Mitya?What is the definition of the term Mitya?What is the famous example in Vedanta for understanding Sat-Mitya?Can the snake be called Asat?Can the snake be called Sat?How do Ajnanis differentiate between Sat and Asat?And how do Ajnanis stretch that defintion to the world and Ishvara?Can being object of experience be the criteria for deciding whether it is real or not?What are the 2 conditions for an object to be called Sat?What are the 2 conditions for an object to be called Mitya?What are the other examples of Sat/Mitya?When we talk of Shadow, when someone stamps on our shadow, is it equivalent of them stamping us?Suppose the shadow passes through an open drainage, will we feel that we are going through the drainage?In the rope-snake example, is rope Satyam or Mitya?In the rope-snake example, is snake Satyam or Mitya?What is the difference between rope-snake and mirage example?What is Kaarana-Kaarya Tattva?Which is Satyam and which is Mitya in Kaarana-Kaarya Tattva?How is Samsara defined with regards to Kaarana-Karya?

Bhagavad Gita Structure