Summarized by Shailesh Vyas:
Started with meditation, anulom vilom.
Recap & Initial Q&A
- We talked about the effect of meditation and deep breathing over lowering the resting heart rate and blood pressure (Although every body is different).
- We also briefly talked about Vipassana.
- We talked about the significance of Ekadashi Vrat. It comes ~24 times in a year which coincides with a study related to cancer cure.
- We discussed a particular video of Swami Sarvapriyananda where he answers the question - How to use Vedanta in practical life?
- Briefly discussed - Why does the universe exist?
- Could it be God got bored ..
- Or Karma of "potential world" were ready to fructify (like potential energy to Kinetic energy).
- We did a recap from the previous class.
Theme/Discussion
- Eternal seed has an effect without a cause/effect relationship.
- e.g. Rope v/s Snake
- When you doze off, you have a dream. Everything in a dream is from the waker's mind - eternal seed.
- This seed is the cause of all three bodies - Causal, subtle, gross.
- Story of Gajendra
- Gajendra was the dutiful elephant who used to offer flowers to Narayana's temple everyday. One day a crocodile catches his feet. Despite trying hard, he couldn't get out. At some point he surrenders and requests the Lord, if I die here, who will offer flowers to you. At this point Lord appears and saves him. This story suggests - How to surrender to the larger cause and go beyond.
- Here the Lord addresses Arjuna as best among the best.
- We discussed a story of a village where no one had a mirror and a man secretly used to see the mirror everyday after showering. One day his wife goes behind him in a room and looks at the reflection of herself in the mirror suspecting her husband's character without realizing its her own reflection.
- Similarly we are in such a state with Brahman where we need to realize that we are the reflected consciousness.
- Table for Gunas.
- Tamas. Rajas. Sattva
- Avarana (veil). Vikshapa (Disturbance). Awakening
- D'un Manifest. D'manifest. D'transc
- Vegetables. Animals. Human
- All three Gunas are manifestations of the Brahman.
- Example of thoughts - All our thoughts are powered by Brahman and based on your Gunas one chooses his/her actions.
- Brahman is beyond the three states of the world.
- Story of Devas and Yaksha (Kena Upanishad). Maya.
- One time Devas were high in pride after defeating Asuras. God realizes this and takes the form of Yaksha and sits outside Indra's palace. Agni Devta goes out to Yaksha and starts bragging about his powers. However Yaksha suggests if you are so powerful, can you just burn this hay stick? Despite trying hard, Agni Devta couldn't burn that piece of grass. Later Vayu Devta and few others tried and couldn't affect a mere piece of haystack. At this point Indra Devta realizes there is something more to Yaksha. Upon request, Yaksha reveals that the Lord is the true power behind all the Devas. He is the heat in Agni and the true power behind all the Devtas.
- Four lessons -
- The Supreme Lord is the reason behind everything.
- Anything you win or earn, surrender to God. This teaches humility.
- It's all because of him. We are just "Nimit Matra". God tells Arjuna, All this will happen regardless. If not you, then someone else will. Karma has to fructify.
- The Effect of Puja helps you to lower the impact of Karma.
- Subjective Analysis - Start traversing from Tamas -> Rajas -> Saatvik.
Swamiji’s Video and discussions
- Chapter 7 - Verse 10 - Intelligence of Intellect (video - 158)
- Link to Video
- Tree is the effect of the seed. Tree is always there, but its in the subtle form.
- Similarly I am the seed of this wonderful world.
- I am the intelligence in all the intellect. I am the splendor in all the splendid. I am the beauty in the beautiful.
- Where I am not, consciousness is not there.
- Chapter 7 - Verse 11 - The strength of strong (video - 159)
- Link to Video
- I am the strength in the strong.
- Strength between Hitler v/s Gandhi.
- In a bosom with no self desire, I am in that pure form. Strength is the same, it's my selfiness and attachment that taint my actions because my mind is not pure.
- e.g. Long weekend at home could be lethargic v/s involvement in activities around Chinmaya mission camp.
- Chapter 7 - Verse 11 - The Lord's expression (video - 160)
- Link to Video -
- Story - Two brothers living together in harmony with each other's family. Younger brother feels sick and throws up food. This continues for a few days. His wife suspects it may be that your sister in law is poisoning the food. Next day, based on his wife's request he swapped out the food plate with his brothers. Still end up throwing the food. Next day he goes to the doctor and realizes that it was his mouth that was in bad condition. All along he was poisoning the food himself, but suspecting others.
- Chapter 7 - Verse 13 - Am I looking at the screen or the projection (video - 161)
- Link to Video
- Since we are identifying ourselves with three different moods (Gunas), we are not able to identify our true self.
- e.g. When you see a movie, it's just a white screen with a projection. You don't see the white screen. Once you recognize the screen ... with this detail you cannot enjoy or weep on a play. You will wonder if you were paying to watch dots on white screen.
- Unless you are enquiring the essence of it, you are identifying with the play of it.
- Chapter 7 - Verse 13 - Enquire the essence of all things (video - 162)
- Link to Video
- Just before Sanyasa, Swamiji went to Badrinath. He will go a couple of times for a few days. One day, suddenly a foreigner asked Swamiji, can you tell me what that idol is made up of? Person with faith in the Lord never thinks about what the idol is made up of. they see their Lord in it. But now someone has asked, Swamiji cannot miss thinking, what this idol is made of?
- Similarly, unless you are enquiring with the essence of it, you are identifying with this mere play and come to suffer.
Ended class
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