Summarized by Sree Sekhar Palaparthy:
Saturday, December 16, 2023
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Class Summary for Nov 19, 2023 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-8 ver 1-6
Summarized by Angila Singh:
We continued our discussion on Chapter 8, verse 1 to 6-
1. We talked about meditation and brain waves-
Meditation can increase the production of the following brain wave frequencies:
- Alpha waves: Associated with relaxation, wakeful relaxation, and creativity.
- Theta waves: Associated with enhanced learning abilities and overall mental well-being.
- Gamma waves: Used to study the process of learning, as well as cognitive processing.
Meditation can also reduce beta waves, which are associated with active thought and learning.
2. Arjuna’s question – How do I get to know you at the time of death?
Lord Krishna’s answer alludes to the following-
Practice to have a resultant(final) desire to think of the Lord ~ Higher Focus.
3. We cannot multi-task however we can switch between tasks.
4. Bhakti Yog is embedded in the path towards Moksha/liberation starting from Saguna upasana.
5. When Lord says think of me, it can be understood as think of Saguna aspect of Lord or it can also be understood as think of Brahman (Nirguna)
6. Liberation can be sequential which is remembering the Lord ( Saguna Brahman) leading to Brahm loka, where Lord Brahma gives ultimate gyan for Moksha.
7. What governs our thoughts~ vasanas+free will. To a major extent we can purify thoughts by changing/controlling vasanas.
Vedantic perspective
Watch your Vasanas,
they become your thoughts
Watch your thoughts,
they become your words;
watch your words,
they become your actions;
watch your actions,
they become your habits;
watch your habits,
they become your character;
watch your character,
it becomes your destiny
8. We talked about this story.
Arjuna after receiving this great knowledge from Lord Krishna goes on to fight the battle.
He is attacked by Narayan Astra immediately he is worried, does not know what to do, seeks Lord’s help. The Lord asks him to surrender, the point is we can still forget this great knowledge when the moment comes so it’s important to practice.
9. Differences between Takes Givers
Takers | Givers |
World created for our pleasure- deprivation hence grab | World meant for All- All thrive plenty for all |
Believe they are right | Open to correction |
Always dissatisfied | Content |
Lonely | Blend and harmonious |
Insecure | Secure |
Dissatisfaction increases | Dissatisfaction is reduced |
10. Homework questions-
1. Why is Warren Buffet still focused on making money? He is 93 years of age, what could be his drive?
2. The second question is about security and insecurity. Identify 1 to 3 people around you whom you think are secure in their demeanor and ask them why they don’t feel insecure.
11. We chanted shlokas 7 to 10.
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Summarized by Bala Dhandapani:
After pranayama and meditation, salient points from previous class was summarized. In addition, the following points were discussed as the Subjective Analysis of Sloka versus 1-6:
-Meditation is being in a meditative state, it is not a verb.
-Practice constantly to have a higher focus/desire, think of the Lord
-Bhakti yoga is explained in verse 1-6
-Saguna Upasana vs. Nirguna Upasana was discussed. Start with Saguna upasana and move to Nirguna Upasana.
-Krishna tells Arjuna, think of ME in your dying moment, and starts to explain as to how this is possible.
-Chapter 8 discusses about krama mukti (time based) and not immediate mukti
-Only one active thought is possible at any given moment in our mind, what governs our thoughts ?
- we should change our vasanas so that we can think of the Lord. As you think, so you become
-Thinking of Krishna (saguna form) at Prayana Kaale takes us to Brahma loga. Brahma will impart the knowledge /gyana to get the Moksha.
-All thoughts are driven by 2 factors – vasanas and free will. Folks who are young (strong) can exercise free will more than an aged person. Exercise of Free will goes down with time since faculties slow down.
-Free will is the active thought, where as vasanas are the passive thoughts.
-watch your thoughts they become your words, words becomes actions, actions becomes habits, habits become character and character becomes destiny.
-the starting point of your thoughts is your Vasana, watch your vasanas and beware of the same.
-differences in the traits of a person who takes vs gives was presented, some of the differences are profoundly lonely vs Blend and harmonize. Insecure vs Secure etc.
Verses 7-10 were chanted
Summary of the slokas
7- At all times/always think of me and do your duty, if you fix your mind and intellect on the lord, one would certainly reach the lord.
8- With constant practice, when one constantly engage their mind (meditate) in reaching the supreme being, will attain the lord.
9- 10 God who is omniscient, who is subtler than the subtle, creator of all who is shining (like a sun) and beyond darkness can be reached when mediated between the eyebrows
Points to discuss for next class
-Why is Warren Buffett’s focus is still to make money
-Identify 1-3 people who does not feel insecure at all.
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Class Summary for October 29, 2023 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-8 ver 1-6
Summarized by Prasanna Kumar:
The class started off with our Omkar routine followed by prayers and Pranayama & meditation.
We did a recap from our last class
We looked at the meaning of Aadhibhuta -Adhidaiva - Adhiyajna The best of the embodied beings, the physical nature, which is constantly changing, is called adhibhuta [the material manifestation]. The universal form of the Lord, which includes all the demigods, like those of the sun and moon, is called adhidaiva. And Lord Krishna, the Supreme Lord, represented as the Supersoul in the heart of every embodied being,is called adhiyajna [the Lord of sacrifice].
The final thought is important
Whatever one remembers while leaving the body, that is what he or she becomes in the next birth. King Bharatha a noble king was getting old , he therefore divided his ancestral kingdom proportionally between his sons. Then he abandoned his home, an abode of immense wealth and prosperity, and set out for the jungles to spend his last days in the worship of the Supreme Lord. In doing so, he was only following the glorious precedent set by his ancestors since time immemorial. King Bharatha who at this time was a hermit got attached to a baby deer he saved in the forest one day. His heart was bound so much in affection to the deer that whatever he be doing, sitting, sleeping, wandering, standing, eating or performing any task, king Bharata would always be thinking about the young one. As time passed, the aging king came close to death, and when the inevitable end came, Bharata left this world with his mind fixed on the baby deer.
Thus it was inevitable that in his next birth king Bharata was born as a deer. A sensible individual won’t wait for the last moment to decide on his last thought. Ideally we want to think about Lord and recite his name in the final moments if we can. But as we never know when the last moment is and don’t know if our faculties will function appropriately to think of Brahman at that time, it is important to keep God in our daily thoughts and thus have a better chance of having the right thought at the last moment.
Another way to approavh this subject is through the practice of detachment or Vairagya. Vairagya is the opposite of Raga (attachment). Vairagya is dispassion. This does not mean we have to walk away from everything and practice vana prastha. Each of us can practise Vairagya while continuing our Grihastha life.
A person practising Vairagya has no attraction for the material world. So Vairagya is a supreme, inexhaustible wealth for spiritual aspirants. Vairagya aids concentration of mind (Samadhana) and generates burning Mumukshutwa, or strong yearning for Liberation.
Spiritual Education or Brahma Vidya is essentially an education that transports us from the present state (whatever it is) to the ONLY state that we need to be in (The Reality). And this process of Education involves basically three steps viz., Shravanam (Listening that is to hear with attention), Mananam (Continuous Reflection) and Nidhidhyasanam (Deeper Contemplation or Meditation)that should ultimately lead to Brahman (Realising or Actualizing the Truth).
In the spiritual journey it is believed if we take one step towards God , God takes ten steps towards us. All we need to ensure is the direction we are marching and hope that is towards this goal. Just like a bullet that leaves the gun and move towards the target as long as our pursuit is right and intentions are pure we will attain moksha either in this Janma or in the Janma s to come.
We ended the session listening to Swamijis videos
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Class Summary for October 01, 2023 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-8 ver 1-6
Summarized by Sridhar V:
The class started off with our Omkar routine followed by prayers and Pranayama & meditation.
We did a recap from our last class where in summary of Chapters 1 to 7 and Chapter 12 were completed previously.
We chanted verses 1 through 6 of Chapter 8 and discussed the explanation & meaning.
Excerpts of verses 1 to 3
Analysis:
Arjuna asks Lord Krishna” What is Brahman? What is adhyatma and what is meant by action/karma? He further questions “What is declared to be adhibhuta and what is adhidaiva meant to be ?
Who and how is adhiyajna here in this body and how at the time of death are you be to known by the self-controlled?
In summary Lord Krishna hints at the connotation of the terms he had used previously towards the conclusion of Chapter 7 that “there is nothing whatsoever higher than me.
Lord Krishna reiterates that the supreme Brahman is imperishable, and the term Brahman indicates the one changeless and imperishable through various births and deaths of the body and its presence in each and every individual is called the adhyatma.
He further mentions that the creative force that causes human beings and things to spring into existence is called karma-which us merely not only the turnover, but the term karma connotes deeper, subtler more divine.
Excerpts of verses 4,5 and 6
Analysis:
Lord Krishna further says Adhibhuta (or the elements) constitutes the perishable nature and the essence is the Adhidaivata. He clarifies to Arjuna ”O Best of the embodied” I -alone is the Adhiyajna here in the body.
The adhibhuta is the perishable existence-contrast to the imperishable aksara)- The world of prakriti through which the dynamism, vigor and glory of the infinite SELF expresses themselves.
Adhidaiva is the indweller- which means the special faculty that presides over the apparatus of knowledge and activity in all living beings. The deities of the sense organs and of the mind and intellect are called the devatas which are nothing other than the faculty of vision in the eyes, the faculty of hearing in the ears, the power of smell in the nose etc.
Adhiyajna-Lord Kishna says that I alone am the adhiyajana in the body- It’s a blessing from the Lord through which we are able to use our faculties and from it we gain the fruits; like the knowledge of perception etc.
Subjective Analysis and other topics discussed:
By giving these definitions, the Lord is overall suggesting with a subtle undercurrent of the implications, that the eternal self is the real and that all others are delusory superimpositions upon it.
In order to know and realize the self-one needs to know everything and having known the eternal as one’s own real nature, one is free to act or not to act, and to play or not to play in any of the fields of the nor-Self.
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Theme:
Brahman:GOD(Parak)
Adhyatma- Atman(Pratyak)
Karma: Action
Adhibhuta: Matter
Adhidaiva: Individual
Adhiyagna: Spirit
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun-Sun Rays-Mirror-Reflection of Sun
Vasana:Thought-Desire-Action-Cycle of birth and death.
Action-Perform obligatory duties,avoid prohibitory duties and regulate/balance materialistic duties.
Matter is perishable and in made of 5 elements.
Individual+BMI+Jivatma
Spirit:-Jivatma=Reflection of Atman
Krishna addressed Arjuna as “Best of Embodied”
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The types of karma and the attitude with which we should be performing them to get maximum benefits.
· Nitya Karma – Daily Obligatory Duties
· Naimittika Karma --Occasional Obligatory duties
· Nishiddha Karma - Forbidden action like killing, drinking etc.
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Story No 1: Houdini the magician
This story is often told about Harry Houdini, the master magician whose proudest claim was that he could escape from anything. Houdini agreed to be locked up in the strongest jail cell available, boasting that he would escape from it and break off any locks.
Harry Houdini once failed to escape from a safe - even though the safe door was unlocked! In fact, the VERY reason he stayed trapped is because all he knew about were locked doors.
Gist: Don’t overlook the obvious
Story No 2: Abusive Man
There was once an abusive man who knew nothing but to curse and abuse everyone and everything. All were annoyed of him and when he fell sick and was admitted to the hospital during his last days, his wife insisted on getting a ward-boy named Vitthal (Lord’s name) to assist him so that he will keep calling him and repeatedly chanting his name and would attain Moksha and his wrong deeds would get wiped off.
But the man’s vasana’s were so strong and all he knew was cursing that instead of calling him Vittal he would abuse the ward-boy too.
Gist: By merely chanting the name of Lord and not remembering him and not being in a meditative state of ultimate surrender is of no use and won’t give us Moksha.
Story No 3: Man and his handicapped son
There was once a man who had a handicapped son. The young kid was interested in running but couldn’t do so because of his condition. The father pushed his son on a wheelchair and ran the marathon with him as partner. Together they ran many a marathon races until the kid passed away due to his chronic condition.
The father who was running for his son, who longed to be an athlete but had no way to pursue his passion couldn’t run any longer in a marathon as his zeal or passion completely died along with his son and he couldn’t run at all.
In the next class, we would move ahead with verses 7,8,9 and 10 and watch Swamiji’s video of previous verses.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Class Summary for Sep 24, 2023 - Bhagavad Gita Chapter-1- 7 summary and Intro to Chapter-8
Summarized by Prarthana :
Opening prayers, pranayama and meditation.
Brief introduction of all present in the class and class format
Introduction to the study of the Gita, class guidelines
We proceeded to summarize all the previous 7 chapters that we have completed over the past few years.
Chapter 1 - Vishaada yoga
Arjuna is placed right in the center of the battlefield by Krishna and has a complete mental breakdown of his intent to fight, he calls his actions wrong and states that he would prefer defeat and even death rather than fight his great-grandfather, his guru and his brothers and other family. Krishna listens without saying a word
Chapter 2 - Sankhya / Jnana yoga
Arjuna surrenders to Krishna and says that he does not know what to do. Krishna then begins to address him and tells him that he is giving in to cowardice. He begins with the highest teaching that the atman alone is real and never begins or ends and he should stop lamenting about the mere physical bodies of his family. He proceeds to tell him that his duty is of his actions alone and not the result of his actions. He also describes the qualities of the Sthitaprajna who has the ability to control his senses just like a tortoise can withdraw his limbs into his shell when needed.
Chapter 3 - Karma Yoga
Krishna tells Arjuna that the path of right action involves Nishkaama karma where he must act with detachment to his actions. To work in yagna spirit and renounce the thoughts and worries of the future and regrets of the past to the Lord and act in the present
Chapter 4 - JnanaKarmaSanyasa Yoga
Focus is on renouncing doership. The wise see action in inaction and inaction in action
Chapter 5 - Sanyasa Yoga
Focus on Karma for Chittashuddhi
Do what is needed externally without being internally attached
The ultimate goal is to gain knowledge and not walk away physically
Chapter 6 - Dhyana yoga
Krishna explains the techniques of controlling the mind to sharpen it as an instrument through meditation. The chapter describes the procedure for meditation and the tyes - Saguna, Nirguna and other forms of focus like japa.
Chapter 7- Jnana Vigyana Yoga
Here Krishna describes who to meditate upon. The concepts of Para and Apara Prakruthi are described along with the types of gunas. The types of devotees - Arthyarthi, Jigyarthi, Jnanarthi and Arthi are described. Everything begins and ends with him.
Chapter 12 - Bhakti Yoga
Here Krishna describes the 36 qualities of a true devotee and how one must reach/ pray to God according to one’s vasana package
We then began with a brief introduction into Chapter 8.
Verses 1 - 4 Brahman Atman & World (Arjuna’s questions)
Verses 5 - 7 As you Think so you Become
Verses 8- 14 How to attain Brahman
Verses 15 - 22 Rebirth and Beyond
Verses 23 - 28 Return, Non-return, Liberation
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