Class Summary for Oct 9 25, 2022 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-6: Slokas 33-36

 Summarized by Sree Sekhar Palaparthy

We started the class with pranayama and meditation. 

We did a quick recap on what we learnt so far within Chapter 6

Journey from Bhogi to Gyani

 Bhogi – always in desires and cultivating more, and moving in the opposite direction of the

spiritual path. 

 Yogi – reducing desires, and thereby moving in the right direction

 Sanyasi – able to eliminate his desires

 Gyani – one who is free from all desires (desires will still be there but there is no attachment to

the outcomes of the actions)

What is Meditation?

 Meditation isn’t an action , but a state in which an evolved person conducts himself with

equanimity

 One needs to prepare at different levels to be able to reach the ultimate state of “being” in

meditative state

o Body – Physical cleanliness and of surroundings; place; posture; seat etc

o Mind - Being able to quieten the mind with no disturbances

o Intellect – Having FAITH in the process of meditation

 PORT reduction - Meditation reduces Possessions, Obsessions, Reactions and Transactions

2 aspects of meditation

    1. Saguna meditation:

        a. Meditating upon a physical form

        b. Leads to Bhakti , which then eventually leads to Nirguna meditation

    2. Nirguna meditation:

        a. Meditating upon space/OM symbol/ Maha vakyas (Aham Brahmasmi etc)

        b. One reaches to a very closer state of “Living” in meditative state ,while performing actions

We looked at verses 33-36 and recited them

Verse 33:

Arjuna’s Question to Lord Krishna - After Lord Krishna talked about how one needs to prepare for

meditation by controlling the mind, Arjuna is confused (like most of us are)

 How he can control the mind?

 Would he end up in a hanging state (Trishankhu state) – where he would neither be able to

control the mind to meditate nor enjoy the world

Verse 34:

Arjuna is further elaborating on the difficulty of being able to control the mind. He compares it to be as

difficult as being able to control the wind. Mind is fickle, violent, powerful and stubborn , hence very

difficult to control

Verse 35:

Lord Krishna’s response:

 Krishna, first accepts/agrees with Arjuna’s concern, that it’s really tough to control the mind

 The style in which Krishna responds here to Arjuna is a great learning for our transactional

situations as well. It is very critical to first agree /empathize with the one who is seeking advice,

and then provide further clarity (by using BUT , for instance)

 Krishna prescribed 2 solutions to answer Arjuna’s question

    o Abhyasa: One needs to consistently practice Karma Yoga to purify thoughts and quieten the mind.

    o Vairagya: One needs to detach from desires by the process of practicing Karma Yoga and through meditation ; Not to get attached to the outcome of the action

 Vairagya and Practice are key to control the mind

We then discussed about the 3 Yogas which help in the process of Meditation

    a) Karma Yoga – Performing Nishkaama Karma

    b) Bhakti Yoga - Developing FAITH in the scriptures

    c) Gyana Yoga - Acquiring Knowledge through -

            a. Shravanam – Listening to scriptures, engaging in Satsangs; Consistent inputs related to

                spiritual journey

            b. Mananam - Internalizing the knowledge by introspection and clarifying questions from

                qualified teachers

            c. Nidhidhyaasanam – Living the meditative state by practicing Saguna/Nirguna meditation

We discussed couple of questions as a group

“Does Sanyasi have all questions answered?”.

 Sanyasi too have questions, but he/she are in a meditative state where the answers to those questions don’t matter

 Other example discussed:: Did Ram do justice by killing Vaali from behind the tree? Did

Rama treat Sita in a right way after the war? Etc . The answers to these questions aren’t

relevant for one to make progress in the spiritual path;

“Are there any discomforts in Meditation?”.

 There could be discomforts at 3 levels

    o Body level – Seat ; surroundings, body pains etc

    o Mind level – distractions

3 other considerations one need to avoid as part of the meditation

    a) Laziness – One may fall asleep during meditation

    b) Mind gets shocked – one may be overwhelmed with the new experiences they go through during the         meditation

    c) Attached to the process – One may get attached with the mind’s quite state as they enjoy the                 peacefulness

Subjective analysis: Use intellect to start control of mind – start small

During “Nirguna” meditation, one transcends the body , mind and intellect and experiences a “blank

state”, which helps to live in meditative state even while performing actions

We also discussed briefly about how deep sleep state is different than this blank state OR being in the

meditative state.

Deep sleep state - No awareness is present; State of ignorance where Vasanas are unmanifested;

Might reduce pain or emotions

Blank state/Meditative state - Awareness is there; Consciousness goes beyond BMI; Helps reducing

Vasanas

We will continue with Verse 37 onwards in our next class.