Why we exhale twice during nadi shodhana
• As per Pranayama we need to expel all our breath. Each person is born with limited number of breath. So optimizing breath lengthen's one life
• When in meditative state we inhale or exhale longer as opposed to shallow quick breaths when mind is excited
• If we imitate/emulate state you reach it. In Ch 2 on SthithaPragnya: Shankaracharya has written that the characteristics of a learned person are practices for rest of the spiritual seekers
• So an example of nadi shodhana to follow 6 inhale 18 hold 18 exhale 6 hold
We discussed summary of last class
• One fact that was discussed on fasting discussed in previous class was that research shows semi starved mice live twice compared to well fed mice
• We then discussed at depth about ones Prarabdha Vs free will
• Where you are is your Prarabhdha, How you use it is your free will. Intellect/energy/strength is the Lord's but the Purushartha/ ability to choose is yours
• We discussed how in Mahabhartha Krishna speaks to Duryodhana and says you are a prince of great lineage, good family and brought up well; why do you do such horrendous things?; Duryodhana's reply was "Janami dharmam na cha me pravrttih, janamyadharmam na cha me nivrttih; kenapi devena hrdi sthitena yatha niyuktosmi tatha karomi". Duryodhana said, that I do know 'dharma', the right from wrong, but am unable to practice it and I know whats 'adharma' too, I know very well, but unable to stop doing it; I do, helplessly, what that something sitting inside me prompts me to do
• So elsewhere Krishna primarily faults Bhishma and Dronacharya. They knew what was right but did not do enough to awaken Duryodhan's free will. They could have deserted him. Its only with the confidence in their support that Duryodhana was waging this terrible unjust war
• The closer the mind is to a problem the more it gets clouded by it. Maya clouds the mind. Bhagwan Ramana Maharishi has said Free will is a product of Maya. When you are realized then free will is not applicable. Concept of free will is tied to "I"ness. Our quest is to eliminate the 'I'. Once realized you can claim no free will. In relative reality we live in, free will exists
We then proceeded with discussion of verse 14,15 and 16
• We discussed an example of different perspective where one person sees the beauty of beach and the other person sees salt water
• We tend to relate to things from where one is.
• Hinduism has range based on ones belief one can follow
• Texture of Gunas playing games
• A golden chain is still binding . Once you recognize the same then you wont let it bind you
Main theme
• We are all chasing desires due to our vasanas
• Krishna indicates that it is difficult to traverse through 3 states of Maya
• The maya is nothing but the illusion (projection) created by us
• We went through a story in Ramayana. When Bharata came with an army to visit Rama to bring him back to Ayodhya. Seeing the dust raised by the army coming nearer to them Lakshmana immediately projected that his elder brother had come to destroy Rama; whereas Rama deduces that Bharata has come to visit them.
• There is another story where Narada and Krishna (in some story Vishnu) are speaking when Narada insists on understanding what is Maya. Krishna asks for a glass of water and Narada says he will go get it. Narada then reaches a village where he sees a pretty maiden. He then asks for a drink. He then falls in love with her. Follows her to her father the village chief's home and asks for her hand in marriage. Narada then settles into a householder's life. He soon has few kids and even becomes a village chief. One fine day there is a storm and the river floods. Narada build a raft and his family is huddled with him. One by one his kid's lose their grip and fall in the river. In quest to save them his wife and other kids fall in the water too. Narada is grieving for his family when he sees up and Krishna asks him did you get the glass of water. The entire thing had just been an illusion. It was all just Krishna's Maya.
• Shifting the focus from the world to the creator will help
• Here Krishna addresses the bad elements as evil doers and not evil
• We do evil when our desires are not fulfilled. The society is promoting desires
• E.g: Gurudev and Rado watch example. Everytime you see the time you will remember the watch and be thankful about it. But to whom we have to thankful for the hand on which the watch is.
• Desires are due to and imaginary emptiness which will go away when we realize our own fullness
• We need to be ever in Bramhan's knowledge like Bhakta Pralhadha
• E.g: If one is hungry one eats food. If the same person's stomach is full then the same food is not alluring
In same way we need to realize that we are all full (Poorna Madam) and we are not lacking; then we will have no desire.
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