Summarized by Soumya Nair:
Started with anulom vilom and meditation.
Recap & Initial Q&A
We talked about the movie and its message.
We then went on to discuss the type of Bhakti Arthi, Artharthi, Jigyosu & Gyani
In Kaliyuga, the distinction between Good and Not so good is not clear.
Example 1 :
In the civil war General George Washington’s continental army was suffering without proper equipment , housing and clothes. There were about 2000 deaths of his forces due to rampant spread of a disease under a very harsh winter . At this moment when all the possibilities of a victory was looking grim General Washington took to praying. This moment where he was on his knees under a tree and offering a prayer is noted as “ prayer at valley forge”. To quote from the article “the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was His crisis, and the cause of the country, of humanity, and of the world.”
After this moment George Washington came up with a new strategy of going for a surprise attack of the enemy position. The attack was only possible crossing the Delaware river under dangerous conditions with his troops and artillery. This is considered a turning point in the war. So what type of Bhakta is the first president of US. The prayer was just not for George Washington but for his army and country. This is between Rajas & Satvic or between Atharthi and Jignasu.
Example2:
When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel.
Legend has it that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel prayed to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. He asked for 3 months to complete the work and with no interruptions. So the chapel was closed for construction and few Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers. Also there were no nails used and the wood that was used is a mystery and not yet traced . This is also an example of Bhakti.
We also discussed the significance of pranayama. There is a yogi who practices Pranayama and has reached the age of 125, researchers were able to conclude that his body is efficient and only uses 45% of energy. Breath control gained by practicing Pranyama was able to improve the efficiency. Some who mastered this can even stop their breath . Even there are instances were people who were declared dead and buried also do came back to life. For animals that hibernate over the winter the process is about the same as the normal functions are shutdown and they are able to sustain with very minimal breathing and metabolism,
Karma Yoga
It’s very important to be a practitioner of karma yoga as this is the best way to move forward in our spiritual journey from Aarti bakti all the way to become a Gyani one day.
Chap 7. Verse 17
Of them the wise, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels; for I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and he is dear to Me.
Shree Krishna says in this verse that those who are seeking God in distress, for worldly gains or out of curiosity, etc. are yet to possess selfless devotion. Gradually in the process of devotion, their hearts become pure, and they realize their eternal relationship with God. Then they develop selfless, exclusive, and incessant devotion toward Him. Now that they have the knowledge that the happiness of the world is temporary and God is the source of eternal bliss, they neither crave for favorable circumstances nor lament over reversals in the world. They become situated in selfless devotion with complete self-surrender. Shree Krishna declares that such devotees are dearest Him.
Chap 7. Verse 18
Noble indeed are all these, but the wise man, I deem, as My very self; for steadfast in mind he is established in Me alone as the supreme Goal.
Chap 7. Verse 19
At the end of many births the wise man comes to Me, realizing that all this is Vasudeva (the innermost self); such a great soul (Mahatma) is very hard to find.
It’s not easy to be one with God nor easy to continue on this path to be a Gyani. But we should keep at it and each passing day/ birth we get closer to that goal.
Story:
Sage Narada was not feeling peaceful and to calm his state of mind visits Sanadkumara.
In a reply to Sanathkumara, Sage Narada lists all the mantras , all the scriptures he has learned. Santathkumara only replies with “and” . After this goes on for some time finally Sage Narada realizes he has not looked within. He realizes the inward focus was the missing link and then he goes into an intense meditation and thus finds peace.
Dhruva story:
Dhruva was doing intense meditation with his eyes closed and finally God appears and ask him to open his eyes and look at him. Dhruva reponds you are supposed to be inside me and not outside. This shows that Dhruva was a Gyani who understood that he is one with the God/Brahman.
Rajas and Tamas are the attributes associated with evil doers.
Increasing sattva is possible by reducing rajas and tamas or those vasanas in our mind and in our body. Thus being Satvic or Virtuous will take us closer to God.
Gyani is the best among the Satvic and he is the rarest of the rare and the one who has merged with Brahman or God. And so they attain Mukthi or Moksha
There are 4 kinds of Mukthi.
1.sAlokya – going to the ‘loka’ of the deity worshipped
Or Being back to this world
2. sAmeepya – being in the proximity of the deity worshipped
Or When we focus our inner self to the higher. Increase our Satvic content.
3. sArUpya – taking on the form that looks alike the deity worshipped
Or When we start seeing the higher in everything around us. Eka Bakhtaran
4. sAyujya – getting into the ‘body’ of the deity worshipped or complete merger with Brahman.
We discussed an example of a Mukthi like a Parent anticipating and finally experiencing the return of their Daughter from US on vacation after few years being away from home. The final bliss or Mukthi comes when Daughter is finally before them at the airport.
Narada and the two Rishi’s
Narada meets a Rishi in intense meditation. He opens his eyes and Narada gives him a boon. And as the boon the first Rishi wants to find the answer to the question “when am I going to attain Moksha”. Narada does not give an answer then but let the Rishi know that he will get back with an answer . Then Sage Narada continues his journey to come across a second Rishi. This time too he gives the boon and Rishi ask the same question. Narada knows that the first Rishi is going to attain the Moksha in this Janma but the second one has many more births to go through. But to test the Rishis he switches the answers. To the second Sage Narada gives the answer that he will attain Moksha in this Janma hearing which Rishi gets up and start packing. Rishi says he has few things to windup and heads out.
Then he approaches the first Rishi and points to a tree and says , you will need as many births as the leaves in the tree. Hearing this the Rishi responds , I am happy atleast I can count the number of births that are left and goes back to meditating. This story shows the state of the mind of the two Rishi’s. The key being the ability to keep the mind under control.
Om Shanthi!
