Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

-4th chapter: verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 24, 2020.
-Lord Krishna says that he first taught Yoga to Surya, who taught it to Manu, who then taught it to Ikshavaku. It has been handed down through the “Guru-shishya parampara”, an unbroken succession of teachers-disciples.
-In course of time, this Yoga was lost - because those who were expected to preserve this spiritual tradition, failed to practice it properly. Whatever they practiced came to be mistakenly known as Yoga. They did not live as Rajarshis.
-Rajarshi is a person who has the dual qualities of a king (Rajatvam) and a saint (Rishitvam). As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers.
-People should always remember that tradition does not begin with them – rather they inherit it, and it is their duty to preserve it. They should not disown the past. Great cultures and civilizations have survived through parampara.
-Parampara can lead to fanaticism or tyranny of hierarchy. In such situations, to make adjustments, great teachers emerge. Such men are called Avatara.
-Avatara is Lord descending to human level to preserve values and readjust spiritual equilibrium in the world. Avatara is sublime aspects of human and divine rolled into one.
-Avatara can be understood with the concept of parampara. People should understand that civilizations did not begin with them – rather, parampara drives continuity of civilization, resting on the shoulders of great epoch makers.
-If anyone claims to manufacture new truth, disregarding what is already stated in the scriptures, we should not believe such a person. Truth is handed down through parampara.
-3rd verse: “Today, I have taught you this Yoga, the supreme secret, because you are my devotee and friend, and fit for this instruction”
-Among the five Pandava brothers, Arjuna was chosen for the instruction. Even though he was confused and had internal conflicts, he had the ethical courage to implement what he was being taught.
-4th verse: Arjuna asks Lord Krishna to reconcile how he could have taught to Surya, when Surya was born many years ago, and Lord Krishna’s birth was much later.
-Arjuna’s confusion arises because he looked upon Lord Krishna only as a highly refined human being, not as an Avatara - born as Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Shankaracharya and Sri Ramakrishna.
-Avatara signifies descent of the Atman to human form. The Atman takes human form from time to time to protect and sustain the spiritual equilibrium of cosmic existence.
-When we do spiritual practices, we ascend from human towards divine. Avatara represents descent from divine to human.
-5th verse: “Both of us have had many births in the past. I know that, but you don’t. I know that I have a spiritual dimension, but you don’t know that”
-Atman is present in all of us. Avatara understands that a normal human being doesn’t understand this truth. Normal being identifies with body, mind and intellect, and forgets his own spiritual identity.
-With ascent through spiritual practices, a normal being realizes the divine truth. Avataras are aware of this when they are born. They may still do spiritual practices as a way to teach others.
-Avatara is like a mighty ship that can carry thousands of people across the ocean of samsara, and can go back and forth. Ordinary seekers are like a boat by comparison.
-Avatara’s life seems as if everything is pre-meditated. This is seen in the lives of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Shankaracharya, Jesus Christ and Buddha.
-Avatara, by his very nature, knows that He is eternally pure, immortal, omniscient, free from bondages and free from delusion.
-6th verse: “Though I am unborn, and beyond all changes – yet, without being subject to the regulation of prakriti, keeping prakriti under control, I incarnate.”
-“I” does not refer to Lord Krishna as a limited human being. Rather it refers to the eternal dimension of His personality as Atman.
-Ordinary beings are subject to interplays of time, space and causation. Avatara is not limited by time, space and causation. Avatara is beyond the six changes: birth, existence, growth, evolution, degeneration and death.
-Avatara only appears to become a human being – He does not become a human being. As described in Vivarta-vada (विवर्तवाद), it is a momentary change that can go back to its original state. Parinama-vada (परिणामवाद) refers to changes that are irreversible, such as an oil seed becoming oil.
-In Avatara’s everyday life, activities, and teachings, there is always a visible transcendental connection.

2nd chapter: verses 62, 63. 3rd chapter: verses 41, 42, 43. 4th chapter: verses 1, 2
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 17, 2020.
-You should discipline your senses – do this in the beginning itself rather than waiting for a strong blow. That way, you can get rid of the problem of desire, and not be enslaved by senses.
-Desire means obsessive attachment to stimuli from senses, that we know will bring our downfall. We want to get out of it, but we are not able to take to a spiritual ideal, until it is too late. Gita helps us develop spiritual common sense to control our desires.
-Intellectual desires, such as in arts and philosophy, can help in the beginning by diverting the mind from sensual pleasures. However, just intellectual pursuit is not enough as it can lead to cynicism. Intellectual desires can also be given a sublime direction.
-There are two types of intellectual assertiveness: (1) Creative and constructive, which is grounded in intellectual honesty, as demonstrated by Swami Vivekananda, and (2) Cynicism, where people are stuck in a wheel asking the same questions, without making an effort to listen and get out of it.
-An enlightened person is one who transcends happiness and misery, and who looks upon both of them with the same attitude. He is fully immersed in his true identity as the Atman. This gives him immense joy.
-62nd and 63rd verse of second chapter explain how one falls in spiritual life. Those who keep thinking of sense objects develop a strong desire to enjoy them. They direct efforts in that direction. When these efforts do not succeed, they become angry, which leads to delusion, which then leads to total confusion of memory and degeneration of the mind.
-Unless one can divert the senses towards creative channels, it brings destruction. To divert the mind, one needs to feed the mind with good food.
-The Atman is superior to the intellect, which is superior to the mind, which is superior to the senses. Therefore, restrain your senses. By restraining the senses, and identifying with the Atman, one can destroy the obsession of desires.
-Kathopanishad compares human life to a journey on a chariot. Atman is the traveler on the chariot, body is the chariot, intellect is the driver, mind is the reins, senses are the horses and the sense objects represent the path. Just as horses should not dictate terms to the rider, so also, sense organs should not dictate the terms to the mind.
-Doctrine of karma should not be interpreted as fatalism. Rather, karma-yoga is an approach that enables us to do all our duties with full freedom, as the master of our senses, and with steady spiritual common sense.
-Story of “Appointment in Samarra” is discussed to illustrate how the doctrine of karma can be wrongly interpreted.
-Shankaracharya gives the example of an arrow which has left its bow, but that can change its direction because of a strong wind. Similarly, with our spiritual practices and by the grace of God, we can escape the consequences of unpleasant karma.
-4th chapter of Gita continues the discussion of karma and yajna. The theme of this chapter can be described as: “Dissolving action in knowledge”.
-Lord Krishna’s teachings come to us from two streams: (1) Narada Bhakti Sutras, which says that through spiritual surrender (Sharanagati), we can convert all actions into acts of worship. (2) Through Gita, which says that through Swadharma, we can convert every activity into spiritual practice.
-Lord Krishna says that he first taught Yoga to Surya, who taught it to Manu, who then taught it to Ikshavaku. It has been handed down through the “Guru-shishya parampara”, an unbroken succession of teachers-disciples.
-In course of time, this Yoga as lost - because those who were expected to practice it (for example, reigning monarchs) and lead by example, they were unable to control their senses and failed to practice it properly. Whatever they practiced came to be mistakenly known as Yoga.
-Rajarshi is a person who has the dual qualities of a king (Rajatvam) and a saint (Rishitvam). As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers. Janaka and Ashoka were examples of Rajarshis.

3rd chapter: verses 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 10, 2020.
-36th verse: Arjuna’s question – “Impelled by what force, do we do unpleasant things, even though we are unwilling?”
-37th verse: Lord Krishna says – Kāma (Desire) and Krodha (Anger) are the two great enemies. They are also linked to the two problems of Rāga (attachment) and Dvesha (Aversion), discussed in earlier verses.
-33rd verse: Even a wise man is seen as following his natural, psychological disposition. This is true of even great mystics, but they do their natural duties, from a higher perspective. Story of Vyadha is discussed – he was a realized person, but did not give up his profession as a butcher.
-34th verse: Our natural tendency is to have attraction or aversion to stimuli from the senses. Mind interprets experiences from these stimuli as Sukha (pleasant) - to which it develops attraction - or Duhkha (unpleasant) – to which it develops aversion.
-If we allow mind to be enslaved by these sense stimuli, we are doomed - mind will waver with sukha and duhkha. Mind should be the master of the senses, not enslaved by them.
-If we can free the mind from extreme attachment and aversion, we will conserve energy and mind will be in a state of equilibrium.
-Mallinātha defines Rāga as: We remember certain experiences of the past that are stored in Chittam. We feel a strange attachment towards them, even though we know it is spiritual slavery.
-Patanjali discusses Rāga as something that brings external enjoyment that is momentary. Once it disappears, what is left is unhappiness. Happiness is nothing but temporary absence of unhappiness.
-Rāga can be given a spiritual promotion with Bhakti. If you want to love something, have love for something sublime and transcendental. Love God. This sublimation of mental disposition is called Bhakti – it becomes a tool for our spiritual progress.
-Dvesha can also be given a spiritual promotion. Have aversion towards things that are not good for us or humanity.
-35th verse: It is better to practice one’s own Swadharma, even if practiced imperfectly, than doing someone else’s work in a perfect manner.
-Examples of danger when entrapped by sense objects are provided from the animal kingdom. Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.
-The intellect should control the mind, which should control the senses. Then senses then become obedient and useful instruments.
-37th verse: Kāma and Krodha are the two enemies that draw our mind to actions that we don’t want to do. There are four other enemies: lobha (greed), moha (ignorance), mada (pride), mātsarya (envy). Kāma is the chief enemy.
-When kāma emerges in mind, we direct efforts to fulfill it. If we are successful, we are happy. If not, we get angry. Anger leads to delusion, which leads to loss of memory – at that point, senses take control of our whole personality.
-This happens despite intellectual awareness, as mind and intellect do not co-operate. Religion and philosophy are tools to free the mind from senses.
-38th and 39th verse: As fire is covered by smoke, mirror by dust and embryo by amnion – so also, mind is enveloped by kāma and krodha. Knowledge is covered by kāma – it is like a fire that should be controlled.
-Kālidāsa’s Kumārasambhavam: “Youth, money, power – each individually can lead to one’s downfall, if one has no spiritual common sense. What to speak of all them combined together”.
-40th verse: Kāma resides in the antaḥkaraṇa (mainly mind), five senses of perception and five senses of action. Antaḥkaraṇa refers to four compartments: mana, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara.
-When kāma enters the mind, it activates the senses of perception and action, prompting them to fulfill the desire. Slightest failure can have a devastating effect on a mind that is not in control of senses.
-Ancient ayurvedic verse from Sushruta Samhita, emphasizes that physical health needs to be complemented with a pleasantly disposed and contented mind, senses and spirit.
-This is only possible by linking the mind to the transcendental because psychological problems can only be solved at the spiritual level. Mind can be given a higher orientation by feeding it with spiritual ideas – then it becomes stable. Then it can look beyond the world of senses. It remains steady in pain and pleasure, happiness and adversity.

3rd chapter: verses 22, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 3, 2020.
-In the 30th verse, Lord Krishna provides a unique approach to life as a whole. With complete absorption in Brahman and a mind centered in Atman (Adhyātma-chetasā), take a spiritual attitude to life. Do this by surrendering all actions to the Lord. By doing so, one can perform all duties, free of worries.
-When we perform our work with the sense of “doership”, it creates mental burden. This can be remedied by dedicating all actions to the Lord, as if one is performing them as a servant for the Lord. By doing so, one can go about doing his duty or even sit quietly not doing anything, free of any stress.
-Any duty – one involving technical work or the duty of sitting quietly at home during a lockdown – becomes pleasant with Adhyātma-chetasā. With this attitude, one should have the strong conviction that he is an instrument in the hands of the Lord and dedicate all actions and results to Him.
-Karma Yoga is not limited to physical actions alone. Every word, thought, idea and speculation can be linked to Yoga, by combining Tyāga and Yoga. Join every activity to a higher spiritual ideal through Tyāga – this can be done by developing Adhyātma-chetasā.
-22nd verse: Lord Krishna says: “There is nothing for Me to do by which I want to attain anything. Still, I don’t keep quiet. I do everything as Swadharma”. Swadharma, is work that naturally comes to us “unasked”, by virtue of our qualification and fitness. When we do our Swadharma, we find contentment.
-If we do not do our duty as “Swadharma”, without attachment, there is every chance we will do it as “Paradharma”. To avoid this, we should stick to Swadharma.
-Lord Krishna: A person who is inactive when he has work to do – such a person will go down in spiritual and material life. On the other hand, a person who performs duties with full dedication but without attachment – such a person will accrue the fruits of actions, and will not be bound. He will know the essence of everything and is called “Tattwa-vit”.
-Those who constantly practice this teaching – that all actions should be performed with a spiritual attitude, dedicating the actions/results to God – they will be on the path to spiritual freedom and will be free from all bondages.
-Lord Krishna: This universal teaching should be practiced with great śraddhā, without unnecessary criticism and fault finding. śraddhā helps us evolve and sublimate our ego, which allows us to pursue a higher spiritual ideal.
-Shankaracharya says: “If our ego is strong and we cannot practice giving up the sense of doership – then do your work for the sake of the Lord like a servant serving the master. Spiritual seeker with this Adhyātma-chetasā becomes free from all worries and sorrow. Any person who does not listen to these teachings, becomes a victim of his skepticism and remains imprisoned within the walls of his worries”.
-Prakriti has two meanings: (1) External nature of the phenomenal world (2) Human consciousness. If we think of ourselves as the evolute of Prakriti, we cannot develop Adhyātma-chetasā. One who can detach from Prakriti is a jñāni, and becomes liberated.
-33rd verse: Even a wise man may follow the characteristics of his external nature, because of his Prārabdha -karma. However, what is common across all wise men is this Adhyātma-chetasā.
-34th verse: Attachment and aversion to senses are natural – however, jñānis are not bound by these. They look upon them as natural characteristics without identifying with them.
-35th verse: It is better to practice one’s own Swadharma, even if practiced imperfectly, than doing someone else’s work in a perfect manner.
-Even the attempt of performing Swadharma has spiritual value, as it saves us from following “Paradharma. Swadharma also helps in purification of our ego, by investing it in actions that are for the good of others, and thereby opening the pathway to spiritual freedom.

3rd chapter: verses 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on March 27, 2020.
-We are living in difficult times with the health crisis from Coronavirus. Vedanta teaches that we have an inherent, inner power that helps us confront such a challenge, and transcend the fear of the unknown.
-26th verse: One should not try to disturb the natural understanding of the average person. For the average person, the sense of purpose helps him organize his actions. All of his actions are crystallizations of his vāsanās and saṃskāras. If we tell such a person to work without a sense of purpose, his mind will go blank.
-When we perform our actions as yajña, for the good of the world, we get spiritual contentment. However, this is the highest ideal and one should not start this process suddenly – rather, every person should evolve gradually.
-Our actions are not determined by our will. Rather, they are guided by Prakṛti – forces of nature and our mental constitution. Even if we want to do something, sometimes we are not able to, as Prakṛti drives us in another direction.
-One should start by feeding the mind with spiritual food and generate healthy saṃskāras. Gradually, this will make the mind ready for higher spiritual practices. Unless we are spiritually ready, we cannot understand the true meaning of scriptures.
-Seven disciplines for a spiritual seeker are prescribed. (1) Discrimination between unreal and the Real - viveka (2) Renunciation of what is unreal - (3) Self control: śama, dama, uparati, titikṣā, śraddhā, samādhāna (4) Desire for freedom - mumukṣutvam (5) Hearing - śravaṇa (6) Reflection - manana (7) Meditation - nididhyāsana.
-Pandemics can create mental problems in people, as they worry about being infected, and wrongfully think that the crisis is a permanent one. However, human civilization has always bounced back from calamities. “nitya-anitya-vastu-viveka” gives one a correct understanding of what is Real and what is unreal (is a passing phase).
-27th verse: Guṇas of Prakṛti perform all actions. However, people get deluded and forget this reality. Deluded they think “I am the doer”.
- Prakṛti has two meanings: (1) External nature of the phenomenal world (2) Human consciousness. If we think of ourselves as the evolute of Prakṛti, then we deny ourselves of our true spiritual dimension.
- Prakṛti as human nature expresses itself through three guṇas. Tamo-guṇa is the lowest and manifests in the form of inertia, inaction, ignorance and laziness. Rajo-guṇa is higher, and manifests in the form of action and enthusiasm. Sattva-guṇa is the highest level and manifests in the form of spiritual common sense and actions restrained by spiritual wisdom. Natural evolution of human consciousness is from Tamo-guṇa to Rajo-guṇa to Sattva-guṇa.
-All actions are prompted by one of these guṇas or a combination of these guṇas. The way we view life depends on the impressions stored in cittam or karmāśaya, based on the karma-vṛtti-saṃskāra-cakram. Individual jīvas carry them from life to life. People forget this and think “I am the doer”.
-When we interpret ourselves as the doer, we interpret momentary setbacks as if they are permanent.
-30th verse: This verse provides an opposite view to 27th verse by contrasting the view of the ignorant person with the view of the enlightened. “Renounce all actions and dedicate them to Me, with mind completely focused on Me. Be free from selfishness and go ahead doing your duties”.
-The enlightened person identifies with his higher dimension – that he is not the physical body, that he is the Ātman. Identifying himself beyond nature, he can watch as a witness. In a state of contentment, he acts. Tragedies don’t unsettle him.
-28th verse: One who knows the reality of life as a whole, and that there is something within him that is the witness of nature and transcends nature – such a person is called “Tattva-vit”. He has an insight into the nature of guṇas and is able to take life’s tragedies in stride.
-29th verse: Such a person of perfect knowledge (“Tattva-vit”), whose actions and words are mature and who has a settled view – he should not try to unsettle the views of the average person (related to 26th verse).
-31st verse: Those who practice this truth with great śraddhā, they can live in the world confronting problems, while staying fully contented and happy within. They live their whole life as an offering for the good of others. By doing so, they work for their own good.
-Ritm is the central principle of inherent harmony that exists in nature, at a cosmic level and at an inner level. When we direct our actions without disturbing Ritm, we can enjoy life. We can live life doing good to others – such a life is called yajña.
-Live in close proximity to nature. Contented within, make your presence a source of contentment for others.

3rd chapter: verses 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on February 14, 2020.
-Karma-Yoga is the science of combining spiritual values in our secular worldly duties. It can be practiced in every moment, with every thought, every word and every action.
-22nd verse: People follow the path of the enlightened ones. The enlightened person does not sit quiet – instead, he is always active. In a state of contentment, he acts. This is true of all great spiritual teachers.
-Contentment refers to the feeling: “I have done what I should done, and I have achieved what I should have achieved”. This is possible when action and contemplation are combined, and when we practice detachment from desires.
-Action is problematic for the un-enlightened – he feels enslaved, is driven by desires, and the sense of incompleteness prompts further action. Action is a blessing for the enlightened, who works as a master for the good of others, and has no need to work for selfish purposes.
-23rd and 24th verse: Lord Krishna says: “If I did not continue my work, the whole world will perish”. He means that since people follow the enlightened, if he preaches a philosophy of inaction, people will imitate and there will be disaster.
-Lord Krishna: Never go about teaching the highest spiritual ideal to people who do not have the spiritual maturity to understand its true implications. All great teachers come down to the level of the student. Ashoka’s example is cited from Indian history – because he tried to force a uniform social structure based on a high ideal, the country was ultimately invade by barbarians.
-Imitation is a problem and blocks path to future progress. It prevents one from achieving the qualities that can only be achieved through hard work – those qualities alone takes one to the highest level.
-25th verse: There are two types of people. (1) Those who work hard with motive and are ignorant of the higher philosophy of Karma-Yoga. For them, every small problem becomes a big headache (2) Those who work equally hard, but who are grounded in Karma-Yoga, and see their work as Swadharma. They are not worried and are called Vidwan.
-Detachment does not mean lack of sensitivity. Rather it means doing more for the good of the world, as a master of the senses, with mind as friend, and facing unpleasant duties with a smile.
-26th verse: One should not try to disturb the natural understanding of the average person. For the average person, the sense of purpose helps him organize his actions. All of his actions are crystallizations of his vasanas and samskaras. If we tell such a person to work without a sense of purpose, their mind will go blank.
-Shankaracharya’s life is discussed: At the age of seven, he became a monk. By the age of eight, he had read the scriptures. By the age of sixteen, he had mastered the scriptures and written philosophical discourses. He then walked the Indian subcontinent four times and left by the age of thirty-two. His life is an inspiration but an average person cannot imitate his example.
-Sri Ramakrishna and Girish Chandra Ghosh’s story is discussed to illustrate how a teacher determines what is the right spiritual dosage for the student. Girish had high integrity but was an alcoholic and not ready to do even a single prayer every day. Sri Ramakrishna asks him to give him his power of attorney. Thereafter, it became impossible for Girish to touch alcohol, and he transformed into a saint.
-Every person should evolve gradually. The difference between a Buddha and an average person is of degrees, not of kind.
-We can generate healthy samskaras by our own effort and starting this instant. We start by doing good actions because we have freedom at a physical level but not at mental level. Physical actions done with noble objective generate healthy samskaras.
-Witness-ship is a higher state of spiritual evolution under Vedanta, where we observe our own mind as Sakshi. Samskaras of mind become objectified, resulting in non-attachment.
-Sankhya philosophy is dualistic and does not accept witness-ship. This philosophy believes in (1) Purusha, who is effulgent but inactive and (2) Prakriti, which is non-effulgent but active.
-Advaita-Vedanta accepts the psychological analysis of Sankhya. For example, its theory of evolution and how the chakra of actions, vritti, samskaras and vasanas operate.

3rd chapter: verses 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 31, 2020.
-Chakra is discussed in various traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. It refers to the cycle of being born, doing actions, dying and being born again. Life is not one chance – rather, based on impressions and unfulfilled desires of past life, one is born again.
-Within the same family, different children have different characteristics. Only a tiny fraction of the characteristics can be traced to genealogy. Their unique characteristics come from past life. Despite each one having unique characteristics, there is a consistent Ritam of harmony that one should follow, both with other human beings and with nature.
-16th verse: He who follows this cosmic wheel of Ritam, principle of inter-relatedness and lives in harmony with nature – he lives in contentment. Others, who disturb cosmic life live in sin. Sin means something that we do to harm others and which, ultimately, harms us.
-17th verse: Such a person, who follows harmony with nature and living beings, is aware of his identity with nature, and sees the Atman manifesting as this harmony. He sees that the same Atman is inherent and immanent in all of us. As such, he cannot do anything that disturbs this harmony.
-Bhagavad Gita has ~700 verses and achieved prominence because of the commentaries written by Shankaracharya. It transcends religion and speaks about the quest for higher spiritual values that go beyond the physical.
-Ramanuja’s illustration of cause-effect Chakra is discussed. Food comes from clouds/rain, rain from water absorbed by sunlight, rivers empty their water into oceans, ocean water is absorbed by clouds, clouds come down as rain, rains give us food grains, food grains make human life possible and then there is prosperity/happiness.
-Shankaracharya says that the entire universe is a cycle of cause-effect link. This link may not be obvious like physics, but is intensely felt. When we do something wrong, we feel inner conflict. When we do dis-interested actions as Yajna, we feel contentment.
-Yajna has two meanings: (1) Vedic rituals for harmony and peace of the world, material prosperity, well-being of relatives, etc. Vedas discuss 14 types of such Yajnas. (2) Any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others. Gita discusses Yajna in its broader sense of noble activity, which becomes a royal highway for spiritual prosperity.
-18th verse: Such a person, who performs all actions as Yajna, he doesn’t have anything to gain or lose. He feels permanent contentment, yet he doesn’t sit quiet but is fully active.
-Vedantic interpretation of richness is discussed. If a person has a lot of money but is not satisfied, he is poor. On the other hand, if a person has no money but is contented, he is rich.
-19th verse: Therefore, perform your actions, which are your obligations, without any attachment. By performing actions as such, one can reach the highest.
-To lead a spiritual life, one need not get rid of what he has and there is no need to achieve what he doesn’t already have. Whatever we do, we can start doing with a new perspective.
-When we do our duties with attachment, it creates mental anguish, which does not improve the performance of that duty. The same duty done without attachment leads to higher efficiency. Gandhiji’s example is discussed.
-20th verse: This verse refers to men with great spiritual merit. By Karma-Yoga alone, King Janaka attained perfection. Therefore, perform your actions without selfish motive.
-Philosopher King: Only the highest philosopher can be the most effective administrator, as he is aware of the limitations of his power, money and authority. Only a person who can think beyond money/power, should be allowed to handle money/power. Janaka was a philosopher king.
-Kalidasa’s Kumarasambhava: “Youth, money, power – each individually can lead to one’s downfall, if one has no spiritual common sense. What to speak of all them combined together”.
-Story of Janaka: Once Janaka was sitting in his court, when he got news of fire around the city. He stayed calm and made arrangements to put out the fire. When asked how he could stay calm, he replied: “Nothing is mine that will be destroyed. I am the Atman”. He then proceeded to give a discourse on Atman.
-25th verse: 25th verse should be studied in combination with 20th verse. There are two types of people. (1) Those who work hard with motive and are ignorant of the higher philosophy of Karma-Yoga. For them, every small problem becomes a big headache (2) Those who work equally hard, but who are grounded in Karma-Yoga. They are not worried and are called Vidwan.
-We cannot change our duties and obligations. We can change the way we interpret our actions. Karma-Yogis are able to work with greater efficiency because they have a different perspective on their actions.
-Soul has a natural way of connecting with next life. The general background for this is prepared in past life. If we die with a strong desire left, we will be born in circumstances where that desire can be fulfilled. Metaphor of an insect is provided, who fixes its front leg on next step before moving forward. Lord Krishna says that our spiritual practices from this life is deposited in our spiritual bank balance for our next life.

3rd chapter: verses 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 24, 2020.
-Verses 12 & 13 have a contemporary significance. They discuss the importance of living in perfect harmony with nature, and how that helps us to live in perfect inner harmony.
-Yajna has two meanings: (1) Vedic rituals for harmony and peace of the world, material prosperity, well-being of relatives, etc. (2) Any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others. Gita discusses Yagna in its broader sense of noble activity.
-12th verse: Those who eat and cook for themselves, produce food and wealth only for comfort and luxury, without sharing with others – they don’t eat food, they eat sin. On the other hand, those who get things from nature, but give part of it back to nature, they will be liberated from their sins. Giving back means practicing contentment, practicing absence of greed and having a sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-If we only take from cosmos/nature without giving back, we exploit and disturb the existing balance of life. Nature then responds with problems such as climate change, famine and environment pollution. When the balance of nature is disturbed, our lifestyle also gets disturbed at an internal level.
-Satyam means truth. A person will not deviate from the path of harmony if he practices truthfulness and feels contented.
-Ritm is the central principle of inherent harmony that exists in nature.
-Dharma refers to the ethical and moral principles through which one practices Satyam. For example, it is immoral to pollute the earth and therefore against Dharma.
-12th verse refers to two types of people. First type “live to eat” – they are driven by extreme greed and exploit nature. Second type “eat to live” – they are driven by a higher philosophy and consume food only to keep physical life intact.
-Verses 14 & 15: From food, living beings come forth. Food comes from grains and grains come from rain. Rains are a result of Yajna. Yajna comes from Karma, which are prescribed in the Vedas. Vedas are imperishable and describe the highest philosophical truth. We are part of a cosmic cycle. When we take action as a sacrifice, as part of the cycle, we renounce our selfish desires. Therefore, all higher ideas are centered on principles of renunciation and unselfishness.
-Physical bodies, mind and speech are affected by the food we eat.
-Law of Karma and the doctrine of re-incarnation: whatever we do affects our own life and life outside of us. Everything is inter-related and nothing is without a cause. Law of karma is more powerful and more lasting than any scientific law, which can be modified as nature unfolds its secrets.
-All actions leave an invisible residual effect, as well as a tangible visible result. The invisible residual effects form tendencies in our character, which stay with us. We get from nature according to how we deal with nature.
-All rituals in Karma-kanda of Vedas, are based on giving back to nature a fraction of what nature gives you. One important principle in fire ceremony (homa) is to offer to fire something that we use in everyday life – such as milk, butter and cooked food. One should use mother earth and all that it provides with a sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-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.
-16th verse: He who follows this cosmic wheel of Ritm, principle of inter-relatedness and lives in harmony with nature – he lives in contentment. Others, who disturb cosmic life live in sin. Sin means something that we do to harm others and which, ultimately, harms us.
-Cosmic wheel has two meanings: (1) Wheel of harmony. Live life in a way that gives peace to others and that is in harmony with nature. (2) Continuous cycle of life and death prompted by karma. Allow nature to live in prosperity; nature then allows you to do so.
-Yajna can be practiced in every action and every moment. Gita presents Swadharma as a way to practice Yajna bring cosmic harmony in everyday life and action. Swadharma is our natural way of work and that we feel perfect harmony with. When we do our Swadharma, we derive inner contentment. When we do work as Swadharma, we won’t exploit nature and won’t disturb the inherent harmony that exists.
-Chakra is discussed in various traditions such as Buddhism, Vedanta and Tantric tradition. It refers to the cycle of being born, doing actions, dying and being born again. Death is a comma or a semi-colon, not a full stop. Vedanta states that you come out of this cycle when you recognize your own spiritual reality. Buddhism says that when you attain Nirvana, you transcend this state of endless cycles.

Chapter 3 Verses 10, 11, 12, 13.
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 8, 2019.
-Yajna means 14 Vedic rituals, in the narrow sense.
-In a broader context, it means the art of harmonizing contemplation and action – selfless, sanctified action.
-Ritam is the Vedic concept of the harmonizing thread of all creation.
-Perfect health is the result of being established in this interrelatedness.
-By performing Yajna, all desires are fulfilled through perfect harmony with Ritam.
-A solid philosophy is needed behind actions. Trying to do good without a spiritual ideal may lead to an inability to continue action when we get shocked by the opposite consequence of our attempts to do good.
-Working as a form of worship is called Yajna.
-Becoming successful does not necessarily lead to inner contentment. Actions lead to their empirical result, but also an individual residual effect or spiritual vibration.
-When we act and cook only for ourselves, we sin but when we act and cook for others our actions become Yajna.

Chapter 3 Verses 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 1, 2019.
-The mind will not keep quiet even for a split second (kṣaṇamapi). We do not have control over the mind, instead, we learn to redirect it toward creative channels. The mind then becomes our friend and guide.
-When the mind becomes the object of our awareness, then it becomes calm and quiet.
-If we try to remain physically inactive, but still have a lot of mental desire, then we will become hypocrites (mithyācāraḥ). We cannot even travel the journey of life (śarīra-yātrā), without performing actions.
-The Katha Upanishad uses the chariot imagery to illustrate the vehicle with which we travel the journey of life. The buddhi, deciding faculty, is the driver. The mind, the stream of conflicting thoughts and feelings come one after another, is the reins. The senses of perception – touch, smell, taste, sound, sight – and the senses of action – speech, hands, feet, generative, evacuative – are the horses.
-Using our deciding faculty, we must give up slavish attachments to sense objects.
-Our desire and ego must be given a promotion to accomplish noble things, this naturally leads to real unselfish action. At the beginning, we cannot give up all ego all of a sudden.
-We learn to do work with a sense of faith, without desire for any special immediate practical benefit (niyataṁ karma), so we have no sense of worry.
-The Sanskrit word yajña has a narrow meaning - a prescribed Vedic ritual - but it also has a wider meaning - the art of doing all of our obligations with a sense of sanctity and seriousness.
-Satyam, dharma, and ṛtam refer to the truth; the ethical, spiritual foundation; and the unifying harmonizing principle behind all phenomenon, respectively. When we act according to these three principles, it is called yajña.
-When we violate this yajña principle of action, our action binds us to the world. All actions leave an invisible residual effect, as well as a tangible visible result. The invisible residual effects form tendencies in our character, which stay with us.
-We inherit a spiritual bank balance in our next life. Negativity, doubt, etc. are a result of the inheritance of samskaras generated from bad actions, tendencies.
-Shiva-loka refers to a realm where everything is seen in its sublime dimension.