Summarized by: Neelima Turaga
We started the class with opening prayers, pranayama and meditation.
There was a brief discussion about the right way to do pranayama. It is important to avoid a heavy meal right before the session and to ensure there is sufficient gap so that the pranayama can be performed more effectively.
As part of the recap of the previous class, we discussed how Gyana yoga is the only way to attain moksha. Karma yoga will help you cleanse and accumulate positive balance to get to Brahma loka, where he gives you the knowledge of Brahman. Similarly Bhakti yoga path can get you to Vaikuntha. Karma and bhakti can be alternate paths to get to a certain point, but gyana yoga is the final and ultimate step to get out of the cycle of births and deaths.
A person following the path of Karma yoga or Bhakti yoga needs to have the right intent and be without any expectations, in order to progress in the right direction. Whatever path is chosen, they ultimately converge to the path of gyana. The ultimate, which is the Brahman, can only be accomplished with gnana yoga.
In Kaliyuga, Nama sankeertana is the minimum a person can do to cleanse oneself and progress on the spiritual journey.
We then discussed the article about Vanaprastha in the current times. It talks about the emptiness that a person faces at some point in his/her life. The article advises that before this happens, one should take the following steps.
-Quit the high stress, rat race kind of a job before the professional decline happens. Find something more fulfilling, less stressful and more at your terms and pace.
- Find a way to serve the society
- Worship or focus on the higher cause that you had never found time for, earlier.
- Identify your key relationships and take time out to connect with them.
In any profession, peak is reached at a certain stage in life, and then, professional decline begins. We do not know how to let go at that point as we are too engrossed in our pursuit of material things. Our Hindu philosophy tells us that we have to at some point withdraw from the grihastha ashrama and go into Vanaprastha ashram, and retire to the forest. This particular article we discussed, talks about Vanaprastha ashram and gives practical advice for the present times.
We then chanted Shlokas 11 and 12 and discussed the translation and meaning of the verses.
Translation :
The ego is the lower arani and Om is the upper arani. When self knowledge is repeatedly churned through constant practice, a wise man burns up all cords of his bondage.
The self or jiva, deluded by the maya alone identifies with the body and does all actions. Objects like food, wine, women etc by the enjoyment of which is possible only in the waking state the jiva strives to gain utter satisfaction.
The comparison given here is that two pieces of wood when subject to friction produce fire. Similarly, when our pseudo self is able to churn with the higher self, the fire of knowledge is created by which the ignorance is removed and we are free from all bondages.
Without this fire, the jiva or the pseudo self is deluded by maya. In the waking state we can only identify with our bmi and think everything connected to the bmi is real and hence enjoying all the material things. Whereas, in the deep sleep state, none of this is important and there is no identification with this bmi. That is the time we can identify with the Brahman.
Every upanishad uses some metaphors to describe the Brahman. These metaphors have to be interpreted carefully. In one of the upanishads, the Brahman is compared to a spider. A spider is able to create the web from itself, just as the Brahman creates this universe from within. Just because this comparison is made, one cannot also compare with the eight leggedness of the spider. This becomes totally irrelevant and out of context.
In this Shloka, the metaphor used is that of Fire. When there is darkness, that which is hidden from us cannot be seen. When a fire is lit, there is light and we get to see what was covered by darkness earlier.
For example if we walk into a room in pitch darkness, nothing can be seen. None of the objects in the room are visible. The moment light comes on, everything is visible. We can now see all the objects present there. Does it mean the objects did not exist when it was dark ? No. The objects were always there. We just could not see them. The same concept is applicable to Brahman as well. Brahman is always within us. But due to the darkness of ignorance, we are unable to see it. When the appropriate light shines and the darkness is dispelled, we will be able to see or realize the Brahman within us.
The second reason for giving fire as a metaphor is that fire burns anything that it touches. In this case, it is ignorance. Just like the friction between two aranis (pieces of wood) fire is produced. When the pseudo self is churned with the higher - shastras, scriptures, or OM, the fire of knowledge will be produced, which will burn the vasanas and bondages.
The atma, when it is impure or deluded, becomes jivatma. When the ignorance is removed it becomes the purest form of atma. In the waking state it enjoys all materialistic things. It is important to constantly remind oneself to balance it out and not get completely engrossed in such material enjoyments. It is important to keep it limited to what is required and nothing more.
Another analogy is that the bottom arani is the mind and the upper arani is the higher, could be shastras or scriptures. The bottom part has to be steady and the upper part is rotated. That implies that the mind has to be held steady while the shastras are put inside and churned. This can be accomplished with the guidance of a Guru.
The spark ignited with such churning has to be carefully nurtured to turn it into a steady flame, otherwise it can die out very soon. This can be done only with proper sadhana, including meditation and constant contemplation,
We ended the class with closing prayers.
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