Class Summary forApril 25, 2021 - BG - Chapter-5 Slokas 16-18

 Summarized by: Shailesh Vyas

Started with meditation, anulom vilom.

Initial Q&A:

Q - How could we explain a pandemic from the lens of prarabdha, where many people are affected in different ways and some people are benefiting from it?

Recap of previous class

We reiterated the rent v/s own example on how it reflects a change in mindset. 

For e.g. If you switch from rent to own, nothing changes externally but now you are an owner and there is an attachment to the same house. In this example nothing changed in outside condition, but it's a shift in mindset. Reverse is also true when you decide to sell the very house you own.

Gyani thinks this way. They apply this to their BMI. They appreciate and understand that they are temporary in this body (of nine doors).

They believe the body is owned by God, perform the right action as though you are directed by the Lord, you do not own results and you are no longer anxious about the results.

Verse 16, 17, 18 translations: 

Verse 16 - 

But for those, in whom this ignorance of the self is destroyed by divine knowledge, that knowledge reveals the supreme entity, just as the sun illuminates everything in daytime.

Verse 17 -

Those whose intellect is fixed in God, who are wholly absorbed in God, with firm faith in Him as the supreme goal, such people quickly reach the state from which there is no return, their sins having been dispelled by the light of knowledge.

Verse 18 -

The truly learned, with the eyes of divine knowledge see with equal vision a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog eater.

Theme and Discussions:

By strengthening the conscious mind you can overcome your vasnas and also not accumulate new.

We need to take a step back and analyze our vasanas - Meditation helps in this direction. It helps you in viewing a maze from height.

Shravanam - Parayanam (that the consciousness is the same in everything).

Mananam - Thinking about this aspect

Nidhidhyasam - Recognition that you are not BMI.

Samadhi - Realization

Being in Grihastha is a good opportunity for Karm Yoga.You need to watch yourself as acting without attaching. If you can  get mental peace in grihastha its ideal and better than leaving everything.

Krishna reminds Arjuna when he ask that why not he just go to monastery and do sadhna instead of fighting. Krishna reminds him that you are a Karm Yogi and you need to do your duties and fulfill your dharma.

Oneness - One who is realized treats Bramin, cow, elephant, dog and dog eater as the same.

On oneness we took an example of Adi Shankaracharya and Chandala story -

Once upon a time when Shankaracharya were going somewhere and he came across a Chandala. His disciple asks Chandala to move away from Shankaracharya's path. Chandala asks Who is asking whom? Hearing this Shankaracharya just bows down to Chandala and thanks him for reminding the important lesson of oneness. Atman is the same in everyone.

Gurudev’s video (101, 102, 103, 104, 105) - Verse 16, 17, 18:

Video 101 - Non Apprehension - Cloud of Ignorance 

Brahman is always there, there is a veil of ignorance covering it. 

Gurudev explains it by an example - Someone says Swamiji, the last three days the Sun did not come. It was all clouds. Gurudev asked how did you see clouds, if Sun was not there, did you see in light of the torch. In the light of the Sun you see the very cloud that covers the Sun.

Due to misapprehension, clouds are covering the vision of reality, when these are quieted the disturbance of mind moves away, consciousness which was always there becomes visible.

Similarly in the light of consciousness you are consciously asking where consciousness is.

Video 102 - Self in me is self in all 

Tadbudhaya Tadatamanah Tannishtha ….

Constantly thinking about reality will not do, You have to again and again reflect in your buddhi until intellect accepts the subtle logic that there is a greater reality behind the intellect, that enliven the intellect.

Self in me is self everywhere. Once you understand this your entire lifestyle changes, your relationship to the world changes. 

e.g. If I enter into a mirrored wall, I will see thousands of me, they are all me. 

If a dog enters the same room, he barks and tries to fight with mirror dogs. We are like that dog, trying to think that the entire world is against us. In reality they are all reflection of us.

Video 102 - The body analogy 

Each body part is different in structure, shape, function but still its all me. When the leg feels itchy why does the hand go and scratch. Hand never thinks what Leg will give me in return. There is a sense of oneness.

Video 103 - Many parts one body 

If fingers go in eyes you don’t punish fingers to establish law and order. If the person sitting next to you does it by accident we look at him as someone else and fight.

Oneness is an evolutionary process, don’t force it.

Video 105 - Equal vision 

Vidyavinayasampane ...

Brahmin who got all knowledge he is not arrogant anymore. Humble and Simple. Once who is rich in knowledge of higher, such a man of realization treats a Brahmi, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even the lowest kind of tamasic human being (dog eater) … all the same.

He sees his own self in everyone. There is an equal vision, no hatredness to anybody now extra love or attachment, all are adored as his own self.

Subjective analysis:

Even thoughts flowing during meditation attributes to reflection.

We also talked about another example 

e.g. One person had a golden statue of Ram parivar. Due to some turn of events he goes through a hard time financially. He dreams that why not sell a golden statue, it will help you.

He decides to sell Hanuman statues (instead of others), he gets some money. It helps his situation for sometime, but then he again runs into hard times. This time he decides to sell Lakshmana statue. He gets some money that’s little less than Hanuman. Again the situation improves for sometime but he again runs into hard times. He had to make a tough decision and he decided to sell Ram/Sita statue. He expects a higher amount. However he gets least of all. Person fights back with the shopkeeper, but for the pawn shop, they care about weight and not whose idol it is. 

Ended class with Meditation and Summary of class.

Class Summary forApril 18, 2021 - BG - Chapter-5 Slokas 13-15

 Summarized by: Bala Dhandapani

After pranayama, meditation and prayer the class points from April 11, 2021 class was summarized. 

Highlights:

-Sakshi Bhava

-Oneness in everything

-Continue Sadhana

-Do not attach to the action and do not attach to the results (Golden Chain)

 

Slokas from Chapter 5, Slokas 13, 14 and 15 were recited

Summary, theme, examples and explanation of the 3 slokas are given below

-When we are in a rental place we live with minimum requirements to survive and typically we are not attached to the apartment since we know it is a temporary residence.  Similarly, always think that we are residing in a body temporarily.  Don’t get attached to the temporary body similar to not getting attached to a temporary residence.  Always remember that we are a temporary resident of a nava dwara body (body that has nine gates).

-No new desires should be entertained.  If you get a desired based action – postpone it.  If an action is created, ensure it doesn’t cause an attachment.

-Attitude by which how your action should be performed is provided by the Lord, how you perform your action is completely yours.  Vasanas, actions and their results are not created by the Lord, it is created by each one.

-If the vasana package or prarabdha is strong, exhaust the package and pray for free will for next life.   BLNL (Better Luck Next Life).

-What situation you face is Prarabdha, how you face it is Free Will (Purushartha).

Example – Electricity that goes through all the bulbs is the same, if some bulbs blow up and others survive, it is not the fault of the electricity, it is the defect in the bulb. 

The following instance/example from Gurudev was shared in the class.  Gurudev was offered a ride by a devotee in his new expensive car.  The owner and Gurudev enjoyed the ride while the car was driven in a good road.  When the car had to go through a road with pot holes etc., the owner was not happy and was upset since he was worried about the damage that may be caused to his car etc.  Although the owner was upset, Gurudev who was travelling with him was not affected since the ride was temporary for him whereas any impact to the car was long term for the owner. 

Class also viewed Gurudev’s videos on Verse 14 and 15 of Chapter 5.

Non -apprehension was discussed, by non-apprehension your true nature is covered.  It is important to quieten the mind.

 

Question for Swamiji – Freewill OR Planned Script by God.

Class concluded after we reflected on the points that we covered/discussed.

Class Summary forApril 11, 2021 - BG - Chapter-5 Slokas 7-12

  Summarized by: Vidya Shivkumar

We started the class with our usual prayers, meditation and pranayama. We then reviewed what we did in the prior class.

From the summary we then touched upon what is Sakshi bhava (Witness Attitude) ?

That state of being where we just observe things and events without getting affected by them or

their outcomes.

The 2 areas we generally stress about :

1. Why Me and Not Him – I am expected to do something which I think I should not be doing . The

thought we should have to counter it is “Why Not Me”. I am just an instrument to do HIS Task.

2. Why Him and Not Me – Both of us are instruments of God and; the Lord chose him to for that

work. You are identying yourself with your Ego (I)– pseudo self . Don’t identify yourself with

your BMI , you need to go beyond that . Eg : The imperfections of my reflections in a mirror

cannot be my imperfections , but can only be because of the distortions in the mirror.

We then discussed various examples as case studies and; discussed how to apply what we learnt

1. Travel during this Covid times is being stressful .

Solution Discussed :When we apply the sakshibhava and then treat yourself and others as an

instrument of God. This leads to realization that everything is planned by God (sarvam Stanam-

everything is exactly where God planned it to be) . The mind will then drop its anxiety and start

thinking rationally.

2. We examined scenarios where the responsibility of a person was transferred in volunteering. A

person is good at doing his allocated task, but when asked to do some other work the following

thoughts appear “Why Me and Not Him ” .I was so good at doing this work then why are they

asking me to move on to another task. We also get selfconscious “was I not doing a good job”

Solution Discussed :

a. Once we realize both of us are instruments of the Lord , then its OK if the Lord wants to

express via the other instrument . And there is something HE has planned /instore with this

move. E.g. Lord Rama cheerfully accepted vanvas when asked to abdicate the throne.

b. If you treat all work with the same efficiency then all tasks are equal. Do the best of your

ability. Eg : Lord Krishna was also asked to arrange the shoes where HE did a wonderful job.

c. Once we recognize that this is HIS desire we move from the Fear of missing out (FOMO) to

Joy of missing out (JOMO) .

3. The same scenario may happen at work too. When someone takes over the job from you , you

start thinking “Am I doing the job badly”? Is the other person better than me?

Solution Discussed : This entire issue is that of disidentification. You start identifying yourselves

with the BMI. It’s a trap the mind falls into.

a. Initially when we excel in our work we feel that only we can do the work. This causes us to

feel separate from our colleagues.

b. We need to examine what about the move we are not fine with. We need to then try taking

the analysis at a higher level. Discuss with the boss and colleague if it is for greater good of

the company and all involved

c. The boss still has final say and if we do not agree we always have the freedom of choice to

remain with the company or to leave.

d. And if we fear leaving then we need to figure what exactly are we attached to ?

4. We visited an example of a visiting Chinmaya Swamiji who observed that the bathrooms were

not well maintained. He decided to clean it by himself with the same passion that he gave the

spiritual discourses. We tend to qualify things and tend to give attention as per that

qualification. The great ones treat every task as Equal.

e. If we examine deeply the issue is our attachment. We should not go with expectation

f. Merits and Demerits belong to the Ego and never to the Atman

5. Sage Vyasa and Shukha – Sage vyasa sent his son Shukha to Janak maharaj . On the way to Mithila

he watched the wonders of the market, the town and finally he reached to the palace . When

Janak Maharaj asked him what did you see on your way to the palace ? Shukha replied he saw

lots of sugar candy , different colors . He saw sweetness in everything . Janak replied there was

nothing he had to learn from him as Shukha already saw Oneness in All.

6. Sugreeva ask Lord Rama towards to the end , when You are so powerful and could have killed

Ravana without effort then why did He need an army. Rama replied it was an opportunity he

provided the army to fight for a higher cause.

7. How big is Bramhan and make the problem insignificant? Eg How do you drink salt water . When

more fresh water is added to the salt water , the saltiness keeps reducing. And eventually you

can drink the water. Similarly when we seek the larger (infinite ) Bramhan then all our current

problems become insignificant.

8. Examples on Alertness :

9. When you are good cricket player , you just jump and catch the ball , you don’t think about the

rules and play. Rules automatically come to you. It is the practice that make you look perfect.

10. A person who is not alert only reacts . When one is only reactive he is not proactive . His

reaction is driven by emotions which never makes for a very effective response.

11. Spiritual progress made in this life is never lost and is continued in the next life as per Lord

Krishna. To give an analogy this is similar to engineering exams, where you are allowed to keep

terms that you have failed but move to the next level ( ATKT )

12. We then discussed a frequently asked question How was he before and after he became

Mahatma. The answer is there was not much of a difference as change is internal and not

external.

13. We discussed the Golden chain. Sometimes we get too attached to our daily sadhana activities.

And this is counter productive. What is the point in getting attached to Bhagvad Gita but not

practicing it .

14. “Sadhana” is the only way to cleanse you of the ignorance and take you out of the bondage. It is

not a one time thing, but a continuous effort. 

Class Summary for March 21, 2021 - BG - Chapter-5 Slokas 7-12

 Summarized by: Shailesh Vyas

Started with meditation, anulom vilom.

Initial Q&A -

Q - Why do we follow mourning rituals for a relative who we don’t know well and we think we have no connection at BMI level? 

Q - Or in general why do we follow mourning rituals after death?

Group discussed different rituals and their significance. We talked about how relations could be tied from previous births. 

We extended the conversation to Sukshma shareer. Also it may be hard to believe in things that our BMI cannot comprehend and an unaware person may challenge them as superstitions.

We also discussed possible reasons behind rituals like why we mourn for 13 days and significance of food that is cooked? Or Why is it advised to not enter a temple? Could it be to avoid distraction? Could it be ashuchak?

Q- Another topic we discussed around level of engagement. For e.g. There are a lot of optional group activities (like hobbies) where if we cannot get equal engagement (inaction) from others. Especially when one may know that she can make a difference however other members of the group may not be equally passionate or show equal engagement. How do we deal with such situations?

We talked about how this question could be tied to Karma You v/s Karma Sanyasa. Attitude with it is done matters more, you need to detach with action. 

One can only be responsible for his/her own actions, everyone is going through different paths and their level of engagement may differ for various reasons.

We also talked about Sanyasa  - which literally means giving up something. For e.g. someone may have passion about playing and watching cricket. 

However at some point you may just drop it like a fruit drops the branch at the right time when it is ripe.

One should try to do such activities with energy and passion without worrying about things that are not in control. e.g. Controlling horses to go where you want to go, this is similar to controlling senses and mind. Meditation helps you achieve full control of senses (horses).

In the context of Sanyasa, one cannot renounce what he/she doesn't have.

Recap of previous class

Gurudev’s video (95 and 96) - Verse 8 & 9 - 

A man who has awakened to a higher state of consciousness understands he/she is not doing anything, actions are springing out of her. In her presence the body, the mind, the intellect are all functioning. BMI are equipment of experiences. 

e.g. If we are in a car and drive 10 mins, we do not get out of breath.

Similarly when we are watching dance or a game, we are a watcher and not a performer.

When you are living in the midst of activity, if mentally you have made some adjustment, you are not affected by the actions, How can that be?

In the same way if a person is engaging in activity, she should not be affected by results.

Multiple examples in this context -

A lotus leaf that never gets wet even though it’s entire lifecycle is in water.

By not attaching to our actions and its results, we are not affected by its results.

For e.g. When a person is drunk, we forgive him because the person is not in his consciousness.

Subjective analysis - 

True freedom = when you are not the doer/experiencer in every activity (Free from attachment of activity and its result).

Absolute self abidance is the ultimate state from which you continue to engage with the world.

Appreciate the oneness.

Observer or witness hood needs to be developed while performing all actions.

Give up results of action while giving up the actions.

Externally engage in actions diligently but internally practice to see yourself as a non-doer. God as the prime mover of all activities. 

All actions performed with the intent of purification of self.

Ended class with Meditation and Summary of class.

Class Summary for March 14, 2021 - BG - Chapter-5 Slokas 1-6 & 7-12

 Summarized by: Shilpa Sail

Starting the class with meditation helps us calm our minds and prepares us for the class.

We discussed the following-

1)Clarification of verses 1 to 6. Further discussed karma sannyasa and karma yoga from the grihastha aspect, which applies to most of us attending the class. 

2) Watched Gurudev's video on verses 1 to 6

3) Started with verses 7 to 12.

In the grihastha life, we have to understand how to imbibe karma sannyasa and karma yoga virtues. Both paths complement each other; they are like starting from different points but going to the same destination.

When we are in grihastha life, we have to renounce the fruits of our actions mentally. You perform all the duties of a grihastha but are not attached to the results.

Renunciation includes physical and mental. Start by renouncing smaller items like tea, coffee, and new clothes, and that will prepare us for the journey, which is renouncing ego.

Fruit on a tree after it gets ripe falls down. Like the fruit that drops at the right time, we have to perform all our actions as the tree and then let go of the results of the action.

We have to focus on the sadhana and trust the process. Complete trust and faith in the sadhana and the process are required. 

A prerequisite to acquire jnana yoga is to purify/clean the mind by going through karma sannyasa and karma yoga.

Most of the class's questions revolve around family, kids, and job; this shows the entanglement we have in this grihastha life.

True "freedom" is free from the attachment of actions, their activities, and the corresponding result.

Treat every action as a means of purifying your mind. Then there is no gain or loss, and it helps us cleanse our minds. This will help in letting the attachment to action go away, and thus, the attachment to result will not be there.

Absolute self-abidance is the ultimate state. We have to be happy with ourselves. Knowing it is an inward journey, which is the ultimate state, for example, a lotus leaf. Lotus grows from the mud, yet it rises above the water. Also, the leaf floats on top of the water surface. It does not soak the water through but runs off. 

When we are tired, we go to sleep, and we don't care about things going around us. In life, we have to give up the craving and the tendency to accumulate material pleasures. 

We have to develop vairagya and be free from the attachments and treat every action of our BMI for self-purification. Start with a detachment to the results of the actions and finally being detached from the action itself.