Summarized by: Sridhar.V
The class started off with our Omkar routine followed by prayers and Pranayama & meditation.
We started off reciting the verses 24,25,26 and 27 of Chapter 9.
Subjective Analysis:
- Verse 24:
I am the enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices. But those who fail to realize My divine nature must be reborn.
Lord Krishna emphasizes that worshipping the Supreme Lord directly leads to liberation, while worshipping other deities or engaging in rituals results in temporary rewards and eventual return to the cycle of birth and death.
Worshipping the Supreme Lord directly is the path to liberation, while worshipping other deities or engaging in rituals results in temporary rewards and eventual return to the cycle of birth and death.
In this verse, Lord Krishna explains the implications of worshipping different entities by revealing the varieties of destinations attained. He gives this knowledge to help us conclude that to reach the highest level of spiritual evolution we must worship the Supreme.
Those who worship the gods, ancestors, or other beings, ultimately worship the Supreme Lord, but in a misguided way. They are seeking temporary rewards and do not realize the true nature of the Supreme
Verse 25:
Worshippers of the celestial gods take birth amongst the celestial gods, worshippers of the ancestors go to the ancestors, worshippers of ghosts take birth amongst such beings, and My devotees come to Me alone.
- Those who are devoted to the gods go to the gods, those who are devoted to ancestors go to the ancestors, and those who are devoted to the spirits go to the spirits. But those who are devoted to the Supreme Lord come to Me.
- Verse 26:
If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water, I delightfully partake of that item offered with love by My devotee in pure consciousness.
Having established the benefits of worshipping the Supreme, Shree Krishna now explains how easy it is to do so. In the worship of the devatās and the ancestors, there are many rules to propitiate them, which must be strictly followed. But God accepts anything that is offered with a loving heart. If you have only a fruit, offer it to God, and He will be pleased. If there is no fruit available, offer Him a flower. If it is not the season for flowers, offer God a mere leaf; even that will suffice, provided it is a gift of love. If leaves are also scarce, make an offering of water, which is available everywhere, but ensure again that you do it with devotion
The word used in the verse is prayatātmanaḥ, implying, “I accept the offerings of those whose hearts are pure.”
It is the bhakti of the devotee that is pleasing to God, and not the worth of the offering.
- Verse 26:
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever you bestow as a gift, and whatever austerities you perform, O son of Kunti, do them as an offering to Me
In the previous verse, Lord Krishna stated that all objects should be offered to Him. In this verse, He says that all actions should also be offered to Him. Whatever social duties one may be engaged in, whatever Vedic rites one may perform, whatever vows and austerities one may observe, should all be offered mentally to the Supreme Lord.
Devotion shouldn't be confined to temples or rituals but should permeate every aspect of daily life.
The act of offering is not merely a formality, but a constant awareness that we are working for the Lord's pleasure, not for personal gain. By offering actions, one becomes free from the bonds of action and their results, ultimately leading to liberation and union with the Supreme.
THEME:
- Suffering is Real but the cause is imaginary.
- Life is Illusory.
- Consistency of Purpose:
- Act with heart and Soul:
Bhokta: Jivatma- which is the true enjoyer of all the experiences in life.
UBS- Uninteruppted Brahman Supply (similar to UPS)
We will obtain whatever we pursue with full devotion and so we need to chose the purpose wisely.
Lord provides us with a very simple method- A leaf, A flower, A fruit or just water. He never mentions or desires any thing expensive like gold,dollars or coins as such.
Symbolically- Leaf is for our attitude, Flowers are like our vasanas, Fruits are the results of all of our actions and water stands for life/body (as 70% of human body is water).
Attitude of GIVING is the key aspect.
All aspects of our life we should treat it as an offering to the LORD.
Stories and other related discussions:
Story No 1:
John D. Rockefeller was once the world's wealthiest individual and the first billionaire
By the age of 50, he was the richest man in the country. His entire life, from his decisions to his relationships, was focused on building his personal power and wealth.
However, at 53, Rockefeller's health deteriorated drastically. He suffered immense pain, lost all his hair, and could barely eat anything other than soup and crackers. Despite his wealth, he was miserable. His physicians predicted he wouldn't live another year.
Facing his mortality, Rockefeller had an epiphany. He realized that his vast wealth was meaningless if he couldn't take it with him. Recognizing this, he made a significant decision.
He called his attorneys, accountants, and managers, declaring his intention to devote his wealth to hospitals, research, and charitable causes. This led to the creation of the Rockefeller Foundation, which funded major medical discoveries.
Remarkably, once Rockefeller began to give back, his health improved dramatically. Although expected to die at 53, he lived until the age of 98.
Rockefeller discovered the power of gratitude and philanthropy, giving away the majority of his wealth.
Story No 2:
MD of a large organization who was earning a huge sum of money annually was shortsighted and often micromanaged the small expenses of his peon in his endeavor to save money. This shows how a person despite being so wealthy himself is so shortsighted and miserly in his attitude towards others in life which is not a good example.
Story No 3:.
In Germany in a large chemical factory, where in it spawned several hundred acres, the employees who came late for work were penalized for their tardiness.
However the employees who reported to work early and had the time to park their vehicle and reach their work area,used to park their car farthest and walk along thinking that the person who were to reach later closer to the work timing needed the space in front so that he doesn’t show up late and get penalized.
The situation and circumstances are similar pretty much everywhere but the thought process is what distinguishes the noble from the ordinary.
We also watched a few videos of Gurudev towards the end on verses 24,25 and 26 and discussed the explanation & meaning.
Message and Key Pointers from the videos:
I am the Lord of any action and also the enjoyer of the transaction.
The encounter between BMI and OET are called actions.
Every action-the end result has to be either joy or sorrow and there cannot be any other 3rd dimension to it.
All of us living in this world ultimately end up becoming what we think and we are all products of the past.
If we regularly and consistently think about the LORD then we spend our time in contemplation and meditation. Whatever efforts, intensity and consistency we exhaust our time in external efforts using OET, if we channelize the same and focus on it internally, then we can experience the LORD, the infinite, the immutable and the Permanent.
In the next class we will continue to watch the remaining 2 videos on verses 27 of Gurudev.
