Class Summary for April 16, 2023 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-7: Slokas 23- 26

 Summarized by Sridhar.V :  

Hari Om.

The class started off with our Omkar routine followed by prayers and Pranayama & meditation.

We did a recap from our last class where in verses 23 to 26 from Chapter 7 were discussed.

Summary of discussion from previous class and stories/ examples were

• Hope for the infinite and don’t settle for finite things.
• Lord will provide you with the seed but its up to the individual to seed it, raise it and have the faith in his effort 

            that it will fructify.

• Free will or Purushartha is available to all of us, and hence its up to us to decide and choose our actions in this

           lifetime so that the results of those actions will carry forward in a positive way ahead of us.

• We cannot continue to do wrong things in life citing helplessness as the reason (our Prarabdha or vasana’s). 

            Everyone is provided with a conducive environment and hence cannot chose to act as puppets in the hands 

            of the puppeteer.

We watched 5 videos of Gurudev for verses 23,24,25 and 26.

Excerpts from the videos and shloka’s:

Verse No 23- Running after balloons in life:

·       Fleeting desires for finite objects, even when fulfilled through the impermanent activities ,would surely prove to 

        be ephemeral.

·       Finite actions undertaken in finite fields, employing finite instruments cannot but produce,as a result- whether joy or 

        sorrow- only a finite result.

·       The above statement is in contrast to a pure philosophical truth, where in the Lord says” those who devote 

        themselves to ME, come to ME. Seekers of happiness in the world of sense objects can gain insignificant success 

        in the fields of sense enjoyments however if the same effort is applied by them in the right way of constructive 

        living, they too can come to discover their real identity with the eternal SELF.

·       Due to deluded ego, it comes to identify itself with its finite envelopments and reveals in a world of its endless 

        number of objects in this jagat.

 

 Verse No 24: - Nothing is permanent

·       Unintelligent people run after finite things in life, only to weep in despair after the same is lost or gone, but they 

        are not permanent.

·       People who lack discriminatory abilities to perceive the subtle truth that shines in through the vast disturbances 

        of the endless plurality, fail to realize the immutable and the peerless SELF. In their extreme preoccupation with 

        the everchanging glory of the prakriti.

Verse No 25 : Understanding Real Nature

·       We behave as though we are but the egocentric entities and that are not we are unable to come to terms with the 

        absolute reality.

·       For eg: a boy who was raised in an orphanage by a rich man on purpose, suddenly decides to take him away from 

        the orphanage and raise him with proper education and life. However, it takes time for the boy to forget his initial 

        beginnings at the orphanage and his past. Similarly, human beings after having lived in the prison of Body, Mind 

        and Intellect for a long time, fail to comprehend the idea that in essence we are the Infinite, the Immortal.

·       The above questions are unavoidable in the bosom of an intelligent seeker, when he in his aspirations come face 

        to face with the staggering revelations contained in Vedanta.

 

 Verse No 26: Nature of all knowledge:Omniscient

·  The Self, as the pure Consciousness, is the illuminating principle that brings the entire field of the mind and the 

        intellect under the beam of our clear awareness.

·  Just like how the Sun illumines every part of the world, the feeling is that the Sun is considered the only Seer or the 

        eye of the world, in as much as without the sun all organs of vision will be blind.

·  Similarly, the SELF can be considered as the SEER or KNOWER of everything in everyone at all times and in all 

        places. This omniscience of the Supreme is vividly hinted by the above example of Sun.

·  Unfortunately an egocentric limited mortal viewing the universe through the pinhole of his congested and constricted 

        mind,intellect and body fails to see the harmonious rhythm in the macrocosm. He who can open up his own self 

        from the bondages of ignorance and rise to attune himself with the macrocosm can certainly come to experience 

        the eternal SELF.

Subjective Analysis was also briefly discussed from previous class for verses 23-26.

In the next class, all of us would be summarizing the last 3 verses to wrap up Chapter 7.   

Links to videos viewed -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl_H2ZrKZkI&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=174&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel      23-1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suAxpwAQM_4&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=175&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel  23-2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Yns2nyX10&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=176&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel       24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEMY-PPaVkE&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=177&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel      26-1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZzpfo1qbTg&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=178&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel    26-2

Class Summary for April 2, 2023 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-7: Slokas 23- 26

Summarized by Shailesh Vyas:  

Started with meditation, anulom vilom.

Recap & Initial Q&A 

• Hope for infinite and not settle for finite.
• The Initial seed is from Bhagwan but you have to have faith in your effort.
• Nothing is free in this world.
• Discussed about symbolism Ram (Brahman) / Lakshman (Jiva) / Sita (Maya)
  
• Brahman walks in the front followed by Maya and then Jiva. This could also explain why Jiva has difficulty in experiencing Brahman as it’s clouded by Maya. 
• As long as Maya is aligned to Brahman it is ok to follow Maya
• Let Maya dissolve eventually
• Free will is given to us.
• We are given a conducive environment.
• Animals are instinctive.
• Never say we are puppets in the hand of a puppeteer.
• Example - Pope admitted to hospital and chose to do baptism. That's free will.
• Christians have hierarchy and the Pope doesn't need to do it.
• Faith and Fact
• Seven things - we should have faith in are mantra , tirtha, dwijaya (Twice born), deva (God), daivajna (astrology), bhesaja (medicine) and guru
• Dwijaya - Born twice. Some of the examples -
• During Upnayan sanskar, the priest tells Gayatri Mantra and it is believed that it's our second life as an adult.
• Sanyasi buried alive - They do their own procession and live as if he/she is living in the rental body.
• Our teeth are also dwijaya. We lose our baby teeth.
• Story
• Kannappa Nayanar believed in Shiva. He found in forest Pancham Linga in the forest that nobody was taking care of it. He was a hunter and didn't have a vessel. He carried it in mouth. Story went out, since he was a hunter he could only offer killed animals. He protected the temple during the earthquake. One eye started bleeding from the idol. He takes his eye out and puts on an idol and the idol stops bleeding. Later the second eye started bleeding. He put his feet on the second eye and started pulling the second eye. Shiva appeared and was happy with his faith.
• If someone else will see a person with foot on God will definitely question. To that Kannappa responds, put my feet anywhere where there is no God.
• Second story on faith -
• Shabri was told by Rishi Matunga that Ram will come one day and you have to guide him to a path. Thereafter she can continue her journey towards Moksha. Shabri prepared every single day as if Ram could appear anytime.
• She even tasted a few (v/s all) berries and stocked a lot for Ram and Lakshman.

• Subjective Analysis
• Learn to recognize the ultimate objective of this life and do not waste it on underlying pleasure.

Chapter 7 -

Verse 23 -

Verily the 'fruit' that accrues to those men of little intelligence is finite. The worshippers of the Devas go to the Devas but my devotees come to me.

Verse 24 -

The foolish this of me, the unmanifest as having come to manifestation, not knowing my higher, immutable and peerless nature.

Verse 25 -

I am not manifest to all (in my real nature) veiled by divine Maya. This deluded world knows not me, the unborn, the imperishable.

Verse 26 -

I know, O Arjuna, the beings of the past, and present and the future, but no one knows me.

Theme/Discussion

• At Caesar's funeral, where Mark Anthony smashes what Brutas said and builds. Don't settle for small, trivial things was his message.
• Identify the Brahman beyond manifestation.
• e.g. Jesus was referred to as the carpenter's son.
• A container of clay will be appreciated and valued by a Potter not by a vegetable vendor or cloth merchant.
• e.g. Gold Jewellery v/s Shira
• As long as you view everything with colored glass everything will look the same color.
• e.g. Focus on the ocean instead of waves.
• e.g. View of different things by grandparent v/s parent v/s kids.
• Krishna is referencing the omnipresent consciousness. Also that which knows all of the three states (waking, dream and deep sleep).

Ended class

Class Summary for Mar 26, 2023 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-7: Slokas 19-21

 Summarized by Prasanna Kumar: 

We started with pranayam and meditation

Recap & Initial Q&A 

• We talked about wokeism  and  it’s impact on our kids .

         Though the end game of this wokeism is not clear this seems to present a very disturbing situation for our  kids when they get exposed to this ideology in their college years. This could lead some of them to question and then finally give up on our religious beliefs and customs. The best we parents can  do is to give our kids a good foundation of Indian culture and scriptures. Programs like Balavihar hopefully helps them in navigating these situations. We cant force our kids once they reach their college years to worship or follow rituals like us. We should give them the space to explore and come to their own conclusion of what’s right and what’s wrong. And hope with the balavihar upbringing they don’t fall into the trap of wokeism.

   Books on this subject : “ snakes in the Ganga”

Summary from Last class:

• We as spiritual seekers should move away from Manoranjan to Aatma Ranjan.  Don’t settle for smaller things but aim for higher goals.
• We talked about having faith or believing something we do not know yet. And over time if we keep the faith and pursue the goal it will become a fact.

        

Discussion

We discussed about the symbolism of Rama , Sita and Lakshman walking to that of Brahman, Maya and Jiva. Brahman walks in the front followed by Maya and then Jiva. This could also explain why we/ Jiva have difficulty seeing or experiencing Brahman as it’s clouded by Maya. It is said that Sita did not step on the foot steps of Rama. So she stepped in the middle. And Lakshmana kept to the left of Rama and Sita so that he could have a view of Rama/ Brahman at all times.

As Sri Ramakrishna stated “ Such is the arrangement of Brahman, Maya and Jiva in this world. So long as the illusion of Maya does not move aside , the creature cannot see the creator  - man cannot see the God.”

We are made up of higher and lower nature. God is in our own higher nature but it is difficult to realize it.

Chap 7. Verse 19, 20 , 21

• Verse 19 : We all go through a journey of many lives  to realize Brahman. But don’t be discouraged though it’s extremely rare for realization.
• Verse 20 : why is it so difficult to achieve the higher nature. Because of desires and in our fascination to fulfill our selfish desires we don’t have the determination to seek the higher nature. Gurudev gives the example of people giving into the excuse of drinking to fit in to a company dinner. 
• Verse 21:  Gurudev narrates the story of “ all you want store and where everything is free”.  The moral is that self effort is the reason for everyone’s success , intense faith in god will help you do what your are doing even better. God gives us the seed and each one of us have to put in the effort and let the seed grow. Thus if we prayed for an apple , he gives you the apple seed that you then plant and nurture for couple of years to be the apple tree that gives you lot of apples for years.

Analysis

Just like the process of stopping an activity if it restricts our breathing , drop activities that takes us away from the path to Brahman . Do not  waste time in worldly pleasures . Develop intense faith or shradda.  

The 7 things we should have faith in are mantra , tirtha, dvija (flag), deva (God), daivajna (astrology), bhesaja (medicine) and guru . For instance if we have faith in the doctor or medicine just a sugary substance could also treat the disease. This explains the placebo effect. And having intense faith in the Lord is what protected Mirabhai from poison or Prahlad from all the attacks against him orchestrated by his father Hiranyakashipu.

The videos we viewed in class are -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbdZPyAEMpA&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=169&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel      20-1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwGfO4nFKvM&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=170&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel   20-2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBdk8YkvTn4&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=171&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel     21-1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-q-YX_HM5Q&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=172&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel     21-2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-q-YX_HM5Q&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=172&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel      21-3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOaeKDNEFsQ&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=173&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel    22

Om Shanthi! 

Class Summary for Mar 19, 2023 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-7: Slokas 20-22

 Summarized by Krishna Prakash: 

Recap of Chapter 7 Slokas 17-19

Discussion about Wokeism:

Wokeism was discussed and participants were made aware about the concept and how it is gaining popularity among young adults in schools and colleges. It is about convincing youths that Purana Purushas(like Rama, Krishna) are not perfect and they should not be praised or followed.

This can cause confusion among younger generation and may deviate them from path of Vedanta. Especially when kids growing in foreign countries can be a prey to this false propaganda.

 

As followers of Gurudev, we need to be careful not to hide the truth, but educate kids that Avatars also made mistakes during some situations. It is because, they were behaving as normal human beings and acted as per rules and regulations which were applicable during that time and it is ok. This should not be projected as a reason not to follow or pray them, because their positive outcomes outweigh those minor mistakes.

Every guru had their own package from previous births and also had experiences from this birth, based on these their teachings were different.

 

1. Adishankara was doing debates with Buddhist monks during his period.

2. Ramanuja had Muslims and Saivites as challengers and he preached in private to avoid problems from other groups.

3. Madvacharya preached Dvaita in the form of Bakthi

4. In Kaliyuga, when it is difficult to choose between good and slightly good, gurus following different methods. For ex. Gurudev mentioned his motive is to convert hindus to Hinduism as most of us are unaware of Upanishads and people believed that vedas are only for elite people and not for all. So he wanted hindus to be aware of Vedic scripts and spread knowledge.

Slokas - 20-22

 

Krishna says, wisdom of people with materialistic desires has been looted away and those will be involved in rituals and seeking other gods. If they worship any form with surrender and faith, he will make the faith firm and unflinching.

 

Example of Kumbakarna was discussed as Devas requested Saraswathi to twist his tongue,so he asked for boon of sleep and god has given him without any questions.

 

A 3 year old kid will prefer to have a bag of chocolates rather than having dollars  as it doesn't know value of money and its happiness is with chocolates. Similarly, human beings are stuck with materialistic desires without understanding the supreme Brahman. Our goal should be is to reach Brahman which is infinite and not to worldly finite matters.

 

We should move from Manoranjan(Entertainment) to Atmaranjan (Eternal peace).

 

Faith - Believing something that we do not know, but keep believing and it will come true one day.

 

The key is to understand that each god when they refer to themselves as "I", "Me" is nothing but they refer to Surpreme Brahman. For ex. Krishna in Bhagvad Gita, Shiva in Shivapuranam, Vishnu in Vishnupuranam and so on. This is even true in Christianity, Islam and other religions.

These are all different paths to reach ultimate destination "Supreme Brahman" and we should not comment or offend anyone's beliefs.

 

Ended with closing prayers and meditation.

Class Summary for Mar 12, 2023 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-7: Slokas 17-19

 Summarized by Anand Santhanam: 

Recap of Chapter 7 Slokas 14-16

Aarthi -> The one who prays only when in need

Arthaarthi -> The one who prays in advance for his needs

Jigyasa -> The one who is looking for god

Gyani -> The one who knows that self is the god.

Naradha’s interaction with two saints. Once Naradha was travelling in mountains. He comes across two saints. Both asked the same question as to how many more lives they have to take before attaining moksha. For the first saint, he had many more lives. But Naradha tells him that this life is his last life. The saint jubilantly goes away to take care of his worldly pleasures. The second saint was in his last life. But Naradha said that he had as many lives as that of the leaves of the Banyan tree. Then the saint feels good that atleast it is a countable number. The moral of the story is all about perception and mental maturity of the seeker.

The logic of firewood and fire. When the fire starts the firewood initially looks only like a wood and the fire is seen separately. At the process goes on, the first engulfs the wood and the difference is not seen anymore. Likewise, when the jigyasa starts, God is seen as separately and the seeker continues to look separate. But as the Gyani stage is attained, the god and the gyani is seen as the same.

From Jigyasa to Gyani, it may take several janmas. 

Bhakthi by itself, is not a sufficient condition to attain self realization. Intellectually, knowing something is different from realizing the god. So how do these stages come together. Sadhana is the most important thing. 

The logic of Singer and Tanpura. When the music concert starts, the singer relies totally on the tanpura. During the concert, the singer can sing different ragas and talas but the tanpura is not only essential but also to ensure that there is a smooth transition from one raga to another.

Krishna says that gyani is his favourite.

Brhadaranyaka Upanishad says: Nobody can love anything more than themselves. When the gyani realizes that the self is the god, then the love becomes more realized.

Chapter 18’s last verse says that we should shed all other dharmas and rely only on Krishna. If this message was conveyed to Arjuna in the first chapter, there is no mahabharatha. It takes 18  chapter to understand the meaning of letting go everything.

We watched the following Gurudev Videos -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJbFF5DsVOs&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=166&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel   17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ04D1dYfSM&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=167&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel   18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQRvqSfmuw&list=PLm6DKuwwu5zqslPPdj-sepdn-nTcFLImC&index=168&ab_channel=ChinmayaChannel   19