For Seekers by Seekers

Slokas 2.59-61 Gita, 08082021

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How can an established person remain 24x7 as Stithapragya?

What differs between Swami Vivekananda (and likes) and our experience when we talk of Stithapragya experience?

Are we progressing at the right pace?

Can we do something else to accelerate the pace? 

- Meditation has been hinted at in these slokas.

Do we also distance ourselves from intellect as well from body, mind?

SP watches TV - can switch off the channel anytime.

Observer views themselves as oneness - their reactions are based on the viewer's perception.

Does Hanuman have a split personality? 

krt krityata, jnatavyata, pratavyata - Stithapragya

Grace - importance: Guru, shastra, atma grace.

It is all preparing the mind - when grace will become reality!

IF we can surrender - no need to prepare.

Patience (dhairya) surrender (samarpan) and nirantharatha (regularity - be at it)

What is important in Sadhana Chatushtaya - mumukshutvam, vairagyam, shama-dama-di, vivek in that order.

Surrender is not inaction. When we surrender, there is no stress.

I have given 100% efforts and also know there is little correlation between efforts and results - so leave it to him.

Flip it - surrender & then get the body /mind do it.

Give up only what we own - that part that we have appropriated for oneself.

When will I be fully established - when all the desires are gone.

krt krityata, jnatavyata, pratavyata - desireless.

Krishna considers man as an actor; he is considering as an experiencer

55 to 58: read them in reverse as a four step process

udveg - not achieving it from raag; attachment; act out of rajoguna; don't get it; sorrowful; give up

How do you know who is a realized person?

We talk of how Gurus are viewed from our 'biased' perspective and how in reality they are different.

24 teachers of Dattatreya - guru need not be one person.

Wind teaches you not to be attached at all!

Swami Tadatmananda's vedic way of questioning - pole in a hole.

How do we interpret - characteristics of stitapragya are practices for seeker

- Example of tortoise, what would jesus do now?, introduce the pause. Root cause analysis: ragah-bhaya-krodha

Stithapragya loses the right to complain.

The scheme of verses from Sloka 31 till 55 in terms of how Krishna explains the set up: explain sankhya yoga, go through practical way of living - karma yoga and benefits of equanimity mind. Arjuna wants to hear more about KY than rituals. 

An aha moment that Sanskrit is a flexible language. Look for Anvaya Gita to learn Sanskrit as well through Gita. 

The meaning of the word - samadhao: is where it is absorbed and not the state the mind is as per Patanjali yoga. 

Pragya: wisdom beyond intellect. Stitha Pragya : steady in self knowledge / Atma jnanam. 

We all go through the phase - I get it; I don’t get it; we also forget it also - we are not yet established. 

How is wisdom higher than intellect? Wisdom : one truth! Is wisdom ‘better decision making intellect’? Wisdom leads to discrimination & dispassion. Example of a parent of a tennis player. 

Stithi pragya and stithadhi: steady wisdom, strong intellect. 

Sankara-cobbler story; mirror example; The idea of ‘who sees?’ Comes when we ask whether how Stithapragya sees himself? 

Will a Stithapragya take part in daily activities? 

How to bring this attitude into everyday life? Characteristics for enlightened are practices for seekers. He does not have any desires! 

Can we Will that desires should go away or they have to drop off, naturally? Suppression not equal to desires going away. Can desires for away completely or is it that we are converting our desires to non-binding? 

Three types of desires- Desire to live,  desire to know. desire to enjoy, jijivisha, jignasa, bubukshutvam,: Need to convert these into mumukshutvam.

 Kid playing and getting hungry - mumukshutvam example. 

Attachment - what can I get? Love- what can I give? 

Emotional dependence/ independence. Stithapragya has no desire to give also- just happens like the sun shining and not knowing it is shining for others! 

Moksha: praptasya prapti, nivritasya nivritti.

In this episode, we discuss 'cut, wash and clean' - the 'mantra' given by a Guru to an aspiring seeker and what it means.

Why is it to be followed in a 'guru ashrama' and why can't we follow this in our daily life and still call it Karma Yoga?

We discuss the words, kripana and hetu and explore the context of these words.

We dive deeper into practical significance of Karma Yoga: donating, more beneficiaries for our work done, advise in workplace context, 

We discuss grace - and how to get it. Vairagyam is the key to unlock grace, not necessarily KY.

We discuss how wisdom at an intellectual level influences our actions.

We also discuss if donating money vs. donating time - a conundrum of which is better?

Action is at three levels - physical, verbal and mental. Even thinking about 'fruits' of action is distracting us from the work we do.

Why is it wrong to think that 'if I had a different role /position, place I would have done better' and why is it our current situation the best do do KY and push forward. We also discuss Arjuna's terrible confusion in mind when he calls Krishna Madhusudhana /Arisudhana and compares how he is doing a hard job of killing his close relatives.

We discuss how many of us do just karma or do karma yoga on a daily basis?

Developing equanimity is the necessary step towards understanding Jnana Yoga - Brahman. [And Vairagyam]

Samathvam buddhi, samarpanam, swadharma, swarupa...?

Personal story of how one overcame the desire of drinking wine by attaching to a higher desire - to meditate.

'What if' and 'if only' concepts.??