For Seekers by Seekers

In this episode we are discussing Ch 17 of Swami Dayananda's book, 'The teaching of the Bhagavad Gita'.

The chapter covers the following topics:

Kshetra, Kshetrajna, Jnanam, Jneyam, Purusha, Prakriti.

Kshetra - the playfield for the Kshetrajna: Body, Mind, Universe

Kshetrajna - the person who is the 'player' of the playfield

Jnanam - The qualities of mind that we must cultivate to reach the goal - jneyam

Jneyam - The end goal - to realize that we are Kshetrajna, and not mistaking ourselves for mind/body

Purusha - Kshetrajna (another name)

Prakriti - Kshetra (another name)

Importantly, the discussions hinge on understanding the several positive qualities of mind (jnanam) we need to cultivate - and the reasons why they are important to cultivate, as well as what is the final outcome of cultivating such qualities.

We also discuss how to 'map' these qualities to yama, niyama of Yogashastra as well as shama-damaadi of Sadhana Chatushtaya.

In this episode,  we discuss several questions from Kishore's presentation on happiness: path to be happy, yoga shastras, sadhana chatushtaya and pratipakshabhavana.

This is a free-flowing discussion.

We also talk about Action in Actionlessness and Actionlessness in Action - two important concepts.

Ancient Indian wisdom from 3000+ years ago, captured in the Upanishads, The Bhagavad Gita, and the Yoga Sutras offer a detailed look into the inner workings of our minds. They provide a trail map to us, seekers, on not just the theory but also the roadmap and practices. 

How do we apply this ancient wisdom in our lives? What practices do we follow? Are there some guiding principles that we can fall back on in situations we face daily? What is the relevance of these teachings in today's times? 

This video is from a presentation made by Kishore Subramanian during our weekly Gita study group.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGlV_1kxUgY

In this ten minute episode, Kishore talks of what it means to accept the results.

He talks of knowledge, pratipaksha bhavana and depending on scriptures as three steps suited for different types of people.

Karma Yoga teaches us to pick the right actions, perform these actions with the right attitude without the attachment to a specific result. In other words, it urges us to develop an attitude of acceptance towards the results of the action, an attitude of equanimity towards the results. But we also realize that in practice, it is very hard to accept an unfavorable result and not be upset about it. How do we do develop this attitude of acceptance and equanimity?

Enjoy listening.

In this week's GD, we refresh the key concepts of Karma Yoga (and much more):

1. What is the acceptance of results mean? Does it mean not having expectations?

2. Is resigning to a situation the same as accepting it?

3. Who is the doer? Why do we have to let go of doership?

4. What should be our attitude when we do any work, get any results?

5. Is Karma yoga a way of reducing our sense of ego? What exactly is ego?

6. How important it is to have the right intentions before we do any work?

7. What is the interlink between thoughts, words, actions and knowledge, skills, attitude?

8. What is the concept of roles we play and what does it mean from a karma yoga perspective?

9. Is Karma Yoga the same as devotion? What is 'work is worship mean'?

10. If I dislike /like something that is happening in the external world, say in politics, what should I do?

11.  What determines what we do? What are samskaras? Vasanas? Deep driven desires? 

12. What is free will? Is free will really 'free' to us? Or are we bound by something? If so, what is it?

13. Why it is a MUST to have a karma yoga attitude to reduce our suffering?

14.  When four people have identical choices, understanding, and intent, will they make the same choice? If not why? If yes, why?

15. If all our actions are driven by our deep driven desires, then should we act on the desires? Or should we not?

16. What is the difference in doing work based on our duties or based on our likes & dislikes?

17. Is Karma Yoga and Meditation & Devotion related?

In this episode, we revise the first few chapters of Swami Dayananda's book, The Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.

We discuss:

1. What is the human problem? Can we live with conflicts?

2. What is the sorrow of Arjuna?

3. Why did Arjuna search for solution? Are we also searching for a solution?

4. Is happiness found outside us? Inside our body? If not, then what is happiness?

We also discuss why some (like Duryodhana) are compelled to follow their own way (and not the right way) despite knowing what is the right way.

Some of the specific topics covered:

1. Why are we conflicted unlike animals?

2. Can humans live with conflicts? Why not?

3. How does being aware of oneself (self-consciousness/ self judgement) play in our conflicts, misery, unhappiness?

4. Why do we keep wishing to be different than who we are?

5. What is pravritti marga and nivritti marga? Can the fundamental problem of 'lacking' be solved by either? If so, which one? If not, why?

6. What is the purpose of life?

7. What are topical problems and fundamental problem?

8. What exactly was Arjuna's conflict? What was his sorrow in the midst of the battlefield?

9. How does Arjuna articulate his true problem, arising from the conflict in his mind? What exactly was it?

10. Who is a guru? What is the definition of guru?

In this week's episode, we discuss Bhakti or devotion.

We cover the following broad topics (not in any particular order):

1. When does one externalize 'God'? In what form does one externalize it? Is there any specific form?

2. Is there anything wrong to not even 'externalize' God? If one does not externalize, then why they don't do it?

3. Does Gita recommend externalizing God? And for whom is it applicable?

4. Are rituals (like doing puja, going to temples) an act of stupidity?

5. Is Krishna confusing us by introducing Karma Yoga (selfless action) when talking about Bhakti Yoga (devotion)? How should we resolve this confusion, if at all there is any?

6. Why does Arjuna get confused again? In the initial chapters of Gita, he is confused if Sanyasa is better than karma yoga, and now he is asking if it is better than bhakti-yoga?

7. Is having a karma-yoga attitude good enough and can one let go of rituals?

8. What IS the purpose of rituals?

9. What is the difference between roles & real person? How much of our life is dependent on where our 'identity' is

10.  What exactly is 'surrender'? Is it being apathetic?

11. What is 'love'? [seems trivial a question...as several of us may have seen /experienced what is love. Can we express it in words adequately?]

12. What is the ladder of spiritual progress: karma yoga-bhakti yoga-dhyana yoga? Or something else?

13. Does one need to let go of all relationships, worldly work, and become a Sannyasi to realize moksha?

14. And, what exactly is our definition of moksha? [this Q is to make sure we tie this chapter to the first chapter - Arjuna's problem]

This episode is my chanting of Chapter 2.

I encourage you to listen to this with a copy of Gita Ch 2 verses ALONG with translation of meaning. You will surely enjoy it.

Krishna summarizes the entire Gita in Chapter 2 to Arjuna's problem statement expressed in Chapter 1 (how can I kill folks I rever & respect?) .

The rest of the chapters 3-17 elaborate the summary of Chapter 2 and then in chapter 18, Krishna again summarizes.

In this chapter 2, the key messages from Krishna:

1. Each person in flesh & blood is a manifestation of that Universal Being.

2. Universal Being is never born, never dies. It just assumes new bodies just as a person wears fresh clothes to replace soiled ones.

3. If something dies then it will be reborn. Whatever is born, will have to die.

4. Accept the fact that the body & mind will have to find an end someday or the other.

5. Sense organs & mind need to be trained to bear heat/cold, pleasure/pain, praise/criticism. These dualities come because our senses & mind are not trained.

6. The Universal Being is the Self in the body and this is said to be unmanifest, unthinkable, unchangeable. Therefore, one ought not to grieve any death or disease, which happen to the body/mind.

7. Doing one's duty is very important, knowing this eternal truth about Self, birth & death. Duty basically means, drawing up our roles we play today and do it to perfection (parent, child, friend, employee etc...)

8. If we do our duty well, we get pleasures in this world and after death, we get nether-world pleasures.

9. Doing our duty with a karma-yoga attitude (giving the best efforts as an offering to the Universal Being, accepting all results as a benevolence from that Being - this is not to be mistaken with expectations. We can expect (must) results, but Krishna is asking us to accept what finally comes out.

10. Anyone who follows karma-yoga path is not wasting even a small effort. If one is carried away with power, glory, selfish interests, attachment, ego then they don't get one pointed determination towards subliming death....and keep on taking birth & death in cycles.

11. For a person thinking of sense-objects there grows an attachment for the sense objects. From this attachment arises desire, from desire results anger, from anger results delusion, and from delusion results confusion of memory, and from confusion of memory results in destruction of intelligence and from destruction of intelligence, one perishes.

The entire visible, invisible universe is described in many ways in Vedas. Purushasukta is one of the ways where the entire world is described as a 'self-sacrifice' of that Unmanifested Conscious Being to create a variety of spaces - physical, mental, emotional for us to experience. The physical space includes 'objects' that move /stationary, the mental space includes all the emotions, intelligence, creativity. The sun and moon are personified as eyes and mind of that Being. Enjoy my chanting.

In this episode we discuss 'Vibhuthi Yogah' - God's divine glories and also discuss the concept of 'Vishwaroopa darshana' - the show and tell of the universal form of Lord to Arjuna.

Both these have relevant spiritual takeaways as well as psychological takeaways for those who are not inclined spiritually.

As discussions progress you will notice we end up talking of not glories but of dharma and karma.

In short, could it be a pictorial visualization for dharma & karma?

Enjoy the talk!