Teacher's Day

This Teacher's Day, my thoughts hover around the various ideas about the guru-shishya relationship in our Sanatana Dharma.

We all know that during the stage of Brahmacharya, the student used to stay with the guru in the Gurukula, away from the student's parents, without the comforts of home,  completely dedicated to the duty of learning from the guru. 

Indeed, the guru is supposed to open our eyes to the light of knowledge. The guru shows us the way.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan says,

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया ।

उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः ॥ ४-३४॥

 This famous shloka, which comes in the fourth chapter after Krishna has described what is ज्ञान, what is कर्म, what is धर्म, etc., indicates that we can progress on our path only through the grace and guidance of the guru, to which we must dedicate ourselves with humility.

We have to:

- bow down to the guru

- serve the guru

- ask questions of the guru

- clarify our doubts

- take in the knowledge that the guru gives.

The key duty for a student is to take in the knowledge, so it is, actually, a process of learning. Teaching is nothing but enabling learning. There is really no teaching without learning.

Let's look at the concept of antahkarana. Antahkarana consists of manas, buddhi, ahankara, and chitta. Buddhi is the learning faculty. If the student suppresses the other elements of antahkarana and predominantly employs buddhi, he will be a good learner, and therefore the teaching will be successful.

The other three dimensions:

- Chitta represents accumulated memories and samskaras, which dilute our perception of reality. For one to have vishuddhi buddhi = the pure intellect, which Bhagavan says in the Bhagavad Gita is the key to understanding, it is important that we do not have any premeditated notions or colouring of information based on our own propensities = Chitta.

- Manas, the second element of antahkarana, is the one that takes our mind outward towards the sensory objects, sensory experiences and distractions. It's equivalent to social media surfing, doomscrolling. That should not be there.

- The last one is Ahankara, the ego. Ahankara is an insider terrorist. Ahankara brings in the ego every time I bow down to the teacher. Sometimes I may feel I'm better than the teacher. Sometimes I may feel, " This teacher is not saying the right thing. The correct thing is something else." All such thoughts usually stem from the ego. In the process of learning, this can only cause sabotage. 

In order to learn perfectly from the guru, I must use my clean, clear intellect, uncontaminated by ego or propensities or distractions. Then, learning happens well. Then, a teacher is successful. Then, we can say we are really offering our tribute to the teacher. The best tribute to the teacher is to learn well and put that learning into practice. 

Happy Teacher's Day!

Attaining Brahman leads to devotion!

Bhagavān reveals in the following verses of the Srīmad Bhagavadgītā. the path taken by one who seeks liberation.

बुद्ध्या विशुद्धया युक्तो धृत्यात्मानं नियम्य च ।

शब्दादीन्विषयांस्त्यक्त्वा रागद्वेषौ व्युदस्य च ॥ १८-५१॥

The one endowed with purified intellect, holding himself in steadfast discipline, disconnecting himself from sound and other sense inputs, and having forsaken the feelings of attraction and repulsion... 

विविक्तसेवी लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानसः ।

ध्यानयोगपरो नित्यं वैराग्यं समुपाश्रितः ॥ १८-५२॥

Being in solitude, eating meagerly just to keep the body and soul together, disciplining his thought, word, and deed, and engaged in meditation constantly, and establishing himself in dispassion...

अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं परिग्रहम् ।

विमुच्य निर्ममः शान्तो ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥ १८-५३॥

Eschewing ego, power, arrogance, desires, anger, and attachments to his own possessions, he gives up the sense of "I and mine" and becomes peaceful. And then, he attains the experience of Brahman. 

What is there anymore for such a man? 

Indeed, this is where the next stage begins!

ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।

समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ॥ १८-५४॥

The sign of such a man established in Brahman is his cheerfulness. He never grieves and never desires. He is equal towards all creation, all beings, and develops devotion to Bhagavān. "Madbhaktim labhate parām", "He attains supreme devotion to me", says Bhagavān.

भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः ।

ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् ॥ १८-५५॥

सर्वकर्माण्यपि सदा कुर्वाणो मद्व्यपाश्रयः ।

मत्प्रसादादवाप्नोति शाश्वतं पदमव्ययम् ॥ १८-५६॥

Through devotion he gets a complete and perfect understanding of me ( that is, Bhagavān). Having known me thus, he enters into me. He then does all his actions in this world - his actions do not stop but continue - but he performs all his actions being established in me. Through my grace (i.e. through Bhagavān's prasāda), he attains a state of permanent immersion in divinity. 

Thus, the summum bonum of the spiritual path is perfect devotion in action, according to the Srīmad Bhagavadgītā.

Īśvara vs. Māyā in the Gītā

Vēdānta, as spread in so many books and videos, is considered the same as Advaita.

Advaita, as understood by most, means 4 things:

1. ब्रह्मसत्यं जगन्मिथ्या -  Only Brahman is the truth/reality; this world is false/illusory.
2. जीवो ब्रह्मैव नापरः   -  The living entity is Brahman himself, and none else.
3. मायया परिच्छिन्न इव भाति तद् ब्रह  - That Brahman appears to be the many owing to Māyā.
4. अज्ञानात् जीवभावः - The state of being a Jīva arises from ignorance.

In other words, in Advaita, this world is an illusion that has fooled Brahman into thinking that he is the Jīva. 

By the way, these are all statements of Advaita Ācāryas and not found in the Prasthānatraya (Upaniṣads, Brahma Sūtras and Bhagavadgītā). In other words, it is wrong to equate Advaita to Vēdānta.

***

I was pondering over these statements while reading the Śrīmad Bhagavadgītā. Indeed, according to all my readings, Bhagavān, i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa, while speaking the world's most revered "The Song of God", has never stated anything like these statements. 

Indeed, according to the Gītā. Māyā is the energy and creative phenomenon of Bhagavān, or Īśvara, as the correct term is for God in Hinduism. Through his Māyā, the universe comes into existence, consisting of the three Guṇas - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. 

So the quintessential message of the Gītā is about Īśvara as the controller of Māyā, and to attain him, the Jīva has to overcome Māyā by devotion to Īśvara and thereby secure his grace!

Here are the key Ślōkas of the Gītā in this context with their simple meanings.

अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन् ।
प्रकृतिं स्वामधिष्ठाय सम्भवाम्यात्ममायया ॥ ४-६॥

Bhagavān is explaining how he takes Avatāras (stated in the following Ślōkas) to uplift the good and vanquish the evil (both are his play!). "I am the Unborn and Inexhaustible Consciousness of all creation, and the Supreme Master of all creation. I rule over my own Nature=Prakṛti (made up of the 3 Guṇas), and manifest as Avatāras  through my own Māyā."

 

दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया ।

मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते ॥ ७-१४॥

"This Māyā of my own creation consists of the 3 Guṇas, and is very difficult to overcome for man. Only those who worship me can cross over this Māyā!"

न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः ।

माययापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः ॥ ७-१५॥

"Those of evil deeds are stupid, lowly men who do not worship me. Their wisdom has been stolen by Māyā, and they develop demonic tendencies." 

नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः ।

मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम् ॥ ७-२५॥

" I do not reveal myself to everyone. That is because my Yoga Māyā covers me. That is why the fool does not perceive me, the Unborn and Inexhaustible Consciousness in all creation."

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।

भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ १८-६१॥

तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत ।

तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम् ॥ १८-६२॥

"Īśvara dwells in everyone's heart, oh Arjuna! He is the one running this world like an automated wheel, with all beings spinning on its rim helplessly through his Māyā!"

"So what is the solution? Simply surrender to that Īśvara, in all respects. By his grace alone will you attain eternal peace and the changeless state."

Finally, as if to remove all confusion between Jīva and Īśvara, Bhagavān clarifies indubitably:

द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च ।

क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ॥ १५-१६॥

उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः ।

यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ॥ १५-१७॥

"In every living being, there are two "Puruṣas". One is the apparent man, i.e., the mortal body covering made up of the perishable matter and chemistry. The other is the eternal Jīva, who dwells inside this body, and moves from body to body through rebirth. There is then the Supreme One, different from both these! He is the one called Paramātmā! He is the one who creates and suffuses and upholds all as the immutable Īśvara!"

I can go on quoting many more verses from the Gītā on the path to liberation, but that is for another day!

॥ हरिः ॐ तत् सत् ॥

Jiva, Ishwara and Moksha

 Jīva, Īśvara and Mokṣa

While chatting with a good friend who is well-versed in Indian philosophy and has heard several talks on Vedanta (often equated with Advaita), the question came up: What is my take on  Jīva, Īśvara and Mokṣa?

I am an ardent believer in the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta. It clears away a lot of cobwebs in our overfilled brains through direct and straightforward dialogue. I also believe that the words of Bhagavān Śrīkṛṣṇa in the Gīta go far beyond the Vedantic talks that constantly try to split hairs and make a big show of "punditry" (1).  I have therefore summed up my ideas, pinning them on important quotations from the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta, with Śloka references.

Jīva

1. This is the embodied Ātma, encased in the Body-Mind complex. The Jīva's soul component is reborn repeatedly until merging into/attaining Bhagavān. (2)
2. The Jīva consists of two parts - the perishable and the imperishable. (3)
3. The imperishable part i.e. the soul or consciousness, is located in the perishable body. At the moment of death, it begins its journey in the afterlife. This part migrates from one body to the next, carrying the accumulated Karma impressions, just as the wind carries fragrances as it passes through a floral orchard. (4)
4. Jīva is always engaged in action (=Karma) (5). There is no escape, therefore, from Karma reactions, except...
5. ...when the doer makes Karma his Yajña, or worship (6) (7). True Yajña adds nothing to the existing Karma.
6. This path requires the doer to realise that he is merely a part of the play of creation, playing out his role. Then, he becomes a witness to his own actions, just as an actor can be a witness to his own acting. This is possible when we perform our actions without desiring, i.e. being invested in the resultant outcome for personal gain. This attitude confers equanimity, and, in addition, infuses efficiency into all our actions! (8) (9).
7. Where there is striving done as one's worship, Bhagavān comes to one's assistance through grace. Then life runs on Autopilot, guided by Bhagavān Himself (10).

Īśvara

1. This is the area where the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta has total clarity, without confusing creation with the creator, and without weaving verbal webs about what is real and unreal. 
2. Īśvara = Bhagavān. He is incomparable, unique, and all creation is like so many beads strung into a necklace whose thread is Īśvara (11).
3. This can be understood only by those who have attained the necessary insight and developed devotion.  This is therefore the best course for the Yogis too. (12) (13)
4. Īśvara is always our companion in all actions. But He transitions in His relationship to the Jīva, from being a mere onlooker to an approver, aide, facilitator and provider in inverse proportion to our sense of ego (=doership), which hopefully diminishes as we make spiritual progress. He is the Ultimate Witness, and is NOT the Jīva! Indeed, this difference makes it absolutely clear that He is Paramātmā! (14). The language of the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta is crystal clear on this point. Therefore, any interpretation that dilutes this is unfortunate and should be discarded forthwith.
5. Īśvara = Bhagavān is present in every creature. He runs the world like a spinning wheel, carrying all of us, making us go through our actions programmed through our Karmas! (15)
6. Īśvara is always and totally separate from Jīva. This is crystal clear  (16). Īśvara is continually engaged in the activities of creation, sustenance and destruction. On the other hand, a Jīva can only hope for merger into Īśvara and not a substitute for Īśvara!

Mokṣa

1. The goal of human life is liberation = Merger into Bhagavān. Equanimity paves the way for this. Practically, this means that one offers every one of one's actions as one's worship to Bhagavān. In this process, all reactions to Karma, as well as Karma itself, will drop off and the Jīva attains Bhagavān (17). This process is laid out in the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta.
2. The man who experiences his pure state of consciousness (and thus goes beyond the Body-Mind complex), called Brahman, proceeds further on the path of devotion.  The implication is that no one escapes actions as long as he is in the body, even after attaining Brahman consciousness. Hence, what we call Mokṣa is not a state of nothingness, but an active, devotional connection with  Bhagavān! This is explained in several verses in the ultimate chapter that deals with Mokṣa. (18) and (19). 
3. The Carama śloka in the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta is 18.66 (20). In this, Bhagavān is asking us to surrender to Him as our sole refuge, abandoning all "Dharma." He says He will save us from all sins = The negative effects of Karma, and we should hence not grieve. Here, Dharma means our sense that our own effort based on our "free will" or life choices will lead to Mokṣa, as if we can act independently and forget Bhagavān. All the fancy rituals, practices, "Yogas", meditations, called by various names like Raja Yoga, Kriya Yoga, and so on, may give us the impression that we can attain liberation or Mokṣa without recourse to Īśvara = Bhagavān. Some pundits have even stated that Īśvara is a figment of our own creation = a creature subject to Māyā, and when we are in Brahman, He will promptly disappear! This is sheer nonsense according to the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta, which emphatically states that Māyā is the device of Bhagavān, under His total control and an instrument of His play or Līla. We can escape Māyā or our wrong perceptions and identifications (=Body-Mind complex) only by surrendering to Īśvara!!!!  (21) (22)

In other words, according to the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta,

• I am the Jīva, caught in the Karma-Body-Mind-Rebirth cycle.
• Īśvara is running this creation as a sport, and IS MY FRIEND AND PROTECTOR.
• Worshipping Him and surrendering all actions to Īśvara confers freedom, which is the ultimate devotion and bliss.  This breaks the Karma cycle, and there is then no rebirth.
• The 12th Chapter makes it clear that worship or Bhakti is NOT RITUAL. It is living our life moment to moment connected to the universal presence of Īśvara = many-ness in oneness. I am not quoting verses as the 12th chapter's every verse (there are twenty) is important and clear on this point.

*****

(1) गीता सुगीता कर्तव्या किमन्यैः शास्त्रविस्तरैः । या स्वयं पद्मनाभस्य मुखपद्मात् विनिःसृता ॥ (गीतामाहात्म्यम्)

(2) जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च । (२.२७) मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥ ८-१६॥

(3) द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च । क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ॥ १५-१६॥

(4) शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः । गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् ॥ १५-८॥

(5) न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् । कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः ॥ ३-५॥

(6) यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः । तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर ॥ ३-९॥

(7) यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् । स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः ॥ १८-४६॥

(8) योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय । सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥ २-४८॥ 

 (9)    बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते । तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥ २-५०॥

(10) अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते । तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥ ९-२२॥

(11) मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय । मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ॥ ७-७॥

(12) अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो मत्तः सर्वं प्रवर्तते । इति मत्वा भजन्ते मां बुधा भावसमन्विताः ॥ १०-८॥

(13) योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना । श्रद्धावान्भजते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः ॥ ६-४७॥

(14) उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः । परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः ॥ १३-२३॥

(15) ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति । भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ १८-६१॥

(16) उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः । यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ॥ १५-१७॥

(16) यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् । यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ॥ ९-२७॥

(17)  शुभाशुभफलैरेवं मोक्ष्यसे कर्मबन्धनैः । संन्यासयोगयुक्तात्मा विमुक्तो मामुपैष्यसि ॥ ९-२८॥

(18) ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति । समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ॥ १८-५४॥

(19) भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः । ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् ॥ १८-५५॥

(20) सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज । अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥ १८-६६॥

(21) दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया । मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते ॥ ७-१४॥

(22) तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत । तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम् ॥ १८-६२॥

*****

|| हरिः ॐ तत् सत् ॥

What Bhagavadgita says about a lazy no-gooder

 

In my daily reading today, I recited this shloka from the Bhagavadgita:

अयुक्तः प्राकृतः स्तब्धः शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलसः ।

विषादी दीर्घसूत्री च कर्ता तामस उच्यते ॥ १८-२८॥

 I have scanned the Bhashya from Adi Shankara (published by Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya).

The words used here to describe someone who is a no-gooder- lazy, unproductive, and a burden on society- are a big list for me to self-introspect. Here I list the qualities enumerated for such a "bum":

1. अयुक्तः -  One who does not strive to attain balance and resonance with life, viz. Yoga.
2. प्राकृतः - One who is crude, unrefined, vulgar, in all his dealings.
3. स्तब्धः - One who does not lie down in prostration towards anyone, owing to his haughtiness.
4. शठः - One who tries to attain magical powers to hurt others.
5. नैष्कृतिकः - One who is busy trying to scuttle others' activities and their constructive efforts.
6. अलसः -  One who is dormant and goofing off precious time.
7. विषादी - One who always blames life and bad luck, complaining how he doesn't get a break.
8. दीर्घसूत्री - One is always postponing what's to be done, shirking his responsibilities.
9. कर्ता तामसः उच्यते - Such a person should be called a slothful, dormant, lazy, no-gooder bum.

Something to introspect about, is it not?

॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥

***

Karma Yoga in a Flash!

After many years of reading and loving the Gita, just this morning, it hit me in a flash. The entire Karma Yoga can be summarised in nine sutras!

1. Arjuna is despondent because he thinks he is the doer (anxiety) the enjoyer (expectation) when he is merely an actor in Krishna's play called Kurukshetra (life).
2. Krishna stresses that everyone MUST act according to his role, but no one is entitled to this or that fruit, BECAUSE how this connected world runs and what fruits you receive is beyond calculation.
3.  Do your best always, and work with poise, i.e. focus on your work, not your fruits. 
4. Working for gain causes bondage. When you make your work your worship, it is a Yajna. 
5. Discover your calling = Swadharma = what comes naturally to you and fits your circumstances. Don't imitate others. 
6. What is your true calling, and how to make it a Yajna, is taught by a Guru if you seek it sincerely.
7. Sannyasa ≠ abstaining from work, excellence ≠ obsessing about work or results.
8. Only when you make your Swadharma your Yajna, do you see Krishna's master plan = your role connected with all existence in a grand play. That is Bhakti.
9. Bhakti is the summum bonum. Then Krishna gives you work, fruits, and bliss, whatever your role!

Understanding Sanatana Dharma through Srimad Bhagavadgita

 

There is a heated debate these days between those who want to eradicate Sanatana Dharma as a scourge and a menace and those who live and breathe the faith in Sanatana Dharma. I am myself a Sanatani Bharatiya as you can see from my signature at the end. 

I thought I would use the Srimad Bhagavad Gita (The Holy Song of God) to quote some verses to explain Sanatana Dharma.

Here goes:

चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः  ॥ ४-१३॥

स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः ॥ १८-४५॥

Meaning: Varna, the Sanatana word for social division, is God-made and is based on Guna= nature or aptitude and Karma=deeds/works done by man. A painter, a scholar and a warrior are all differently gifted in Guna and Karma. 

So there is no question of any birthright of entitlement (even in political families) if there is no ability. 

Irrespective of his Varna, each human being can perform his Karma and attain success and perfection. 

This is as close as it can ever get to the most liberal and democratic mindset possible, and it was stated long before other civilisations thought of social equality.

So Sanatana Dharma is the most egalitarian social order based on merit.

यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः ।

हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥ १२-१५॥

Meaning: If anyone wants to be a true Sanatani and please God, he should neither provoke hate in society towards himself by his words and deeds, nor feel or express hate towards anyone. He should be beyond wild elation, anger, fear, or agitation in all circumstances. This will enable him to think and act clearly and purely.

युक्ताहारविहारस्य  युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।

युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा ॥ ६-१७॥

Meaning: A Sanatani pursues a lifestyle without excess in eating or fasting, play or work, sleep or wakefulness, because moderation is the way to overcome sorrow. This lifestyle is considered the best even in modern medicine!

काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः ।

महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम् ॥ ३-३७॥

Meaning: Man has deadlier enemies within himself than outside. They are lust and greed, anger and hatred. They instigate avarice and violence. They consume the man like a big fire and cause him to fall into evil.

बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम् ।

बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ॥ ७-१०॥

Meaning: God is the Sanatana=eternal and indestructible seed of life in every being without exception. God manifests in everyone as the faculties of intelligence and the radiant life potential. In Sanatana Dharma, all are equal and equally contain godliness.

What is Dharma? Dharma is one's duty performed to one's best ability as a Yoga based on one's Guna and Karma. See what God says:

क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा शश्वच्छान्तिं निगच्छति ।

कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति ॥ ९-३१॥

Meaning: Irrespective of anyone's history, if he becomes dedicated in thought and word and deed to Dharma, he should be considered holy. He shall quickly attain the ultimate beatitude. In fact, Bhagavan Sri Krishna says in this verse, "Arjuna, know this as my vow that my devotee (a true Sanatana Dharma follower) will never perish!"

In summary, what our holiest book, the Srimad Bhagavad Gita says, is this:

Sanatana = The eternal seed of godliness in everyone.

Dharma = The way of life to realise life's greatest potential irrespective of birth. 

🙏🙏🙏

Vishwaroopa

 Article title: Viśvarūpa

by

Sachi R. Sachidananda

May 29, 2022

This article was written originally at the request of Shree Guruvayurappan Temple, Brampton, Canada.

***

The words often used to describe Srimadbhagavadgītā are, “the scripture for all mankind.” This supreme honour has been accorded to the Gītā because it is a manual for right living in every circumstance. It cuts across race, religion and language, and is equally applicable for every status in life and the type of problem faced.

The two pivots on which the Gītā stands are, “Karmayoga” and “Viśvarūpa”. You ask anybody who has any acquaintance with the Gītā and he or she will mention how Bhagavān Śrīkṛṣṇa taught Arjuna on the battlefield the truth of “Karmayoga”, which loosely translates as “do your duty the best and leave unto Īśvara the rest.” 

The second pivot, the subject of this article, is “Viśvarūpa”. This teaches us in several ways the truth of right living, every moment experiencing Īśvara (whose English equivalent used normally is God) in everything, person, and circumstance.

These two pivots are encapuslated in my favourite Śloka BG18.46

Yataḥ pravṛttirbhūtānām ena sarvamidaṃ tatam |

Svakarmaṇā tamabharcya siddhiṃ vindati mānavaḥ || BG18.46 ||

Translated, it means 

“From whom proceeds the activity of all beings, and by whom all this is pervaded - worshipping him through his own duty, a man attains perfection.” The two ideas of Karmayoga and Viśvarūpa are beautifully brought together in this dictum for right living.

The eleventh chapter of the Srimadbhagavadgītā is called Viśvarūpa darśanayoga. In this chapter, Sañjaya describes how Arjuna requests Bhagavān to show him his cosmic form. Bhagavān is pleased to accede to Arjuna and gives him a special pair of eyes and shows him his Viśvarūpa.

In this article, I want to explain my understanding that indeed, the paradigm of Viśvarūpa is covered in three chapters - Chapter 10 Vibhūtiyoga, Chapter 11 Viśvarūpadarśanayoga, and Chapter 12 Bhaktiyoga. I feel that taken together, the three chapters reveal the entire manual of how to live rightly, being connected with Īśvara always.

The Chapter 10 Vibhūtiyoga begins with this most endearing statement from Bhagavān:

Maccittā madgataprāṇā bodhayantaḥ parasparam |

Kathayantaśca māṃ nityaṃ tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca || BG 10.09 ||

Translated, it means

“People who are, with their mind and senses directed to me, explaining me to each other, and talking of me - they are always pleased and happy.”

This is the spirit in which an endeavour like that of Guruvayurappan Temple of Brampton has been undertaken by well-intentioned people. For anyone of us, it is the rarest of good fortunes to be in the company of the devout and to constantly immerse oneself in the thoughts of Bhagavān. 

The rest of Chapter 10 is filled with wonderful insights of how Īśvara reveals himself all the time, all around us, in our day-to-day living. Anybody who breathes excellence and radiates glory of any kind, be it a manager, a housewife, a sportsperson, a sadhu, a teacher- you name it - is displaying the glory of Īśvara. Nothing can be described as godly if it is cheap, corrupt, evil, untruthful, violent, harmful to the society or the environment. In that sense, all violent movements are ungodly. There is, on the other hand, Bhagavān’s call to right action rooted in Dharma, to face and destroy evil. For that, there is ample guidance in the Gītā. 

As Bhaṭṭatiri describes in the Nārāyaṇīyam,

“jiṣṇostvaṃ kṛṣṇa sūtaḥ khalu samaramukhe bandhughāte dayāluṃ

khinnaṃ taṃ vīkṣya vīraṃ kimidamayi sakhe nitya eko'yamātmā ।

ko vadhyaḥ ko'tra hantā tadiha vadhabhiyaṃ projjhya mayyarpitatmā

dharmyaṃ yuddhaṃ careti prakṛtimanayathā darśayan viśvarūpam ॥” (Nārāyaṇīyam 86.6), meaning

“In your role as Arjuna's charioteer, you saw the warrior sad and dejected in the face of the war, with the pitiful thought of having to kill his relatives and his own people. You said to him, 'O Friend! What is this? Ātman is eternal and only one. Who is the slain and who is the slayer here? Therefore, giving up all fear of killing, surrender yourself to me and carry out this righteous war.' By saying so and showing him your cosmic form, you brought Arjuna back to a balanced state of mind.”

In the beginning of Chapter 11, Arjuna makes a humble plea to Bhagavān,

“Draṣṭumicchāmi te rūpam aiśvaraṃ puruṣottama” BG 11.03 - meaning “Oh Supreme Lord, I wish to see your infinite form of cosmic glory!”

Bhagavān is most merciful when he says, “of course, Arjuna, you can see whatever you wish to see in my form, my infinite glory. However, it cannot be with these eyes of yours which look outward, but with the celestial eye I am giving you to behold my divine miracle.”

“Divyaṃ dadāmi te cakṣuḥ paśya me yogamaiṣvaram” BG 11.08

What we should understand from these words is that in the Chapter 10, Bhagavān has listed how, in everyday life, we can observe divinity in things and people based on their behaviour, appearance, excellence, and glory. But if you want to go beyond the senses and the mind, you need the grace of the divine to open up your inner vision. That will raise our consciousness to the level needed to see the glory of Īśvara beyond common outwordly sense perceptions.

Now, the Viśvarūpa revealed to Arjuna is in many layers. It is mostly so terrifying that even such an unparalleled warrior and a chosen disciple of Bhagavān as Arjuna is badly shaken. Apart from beholding all the cosmic deities, all the great warriors he was surrounded by, Arjuna sees in the Viśvarūpa the macabre sport of Death, about to crush and eat up everyone around. To understand this, we need to remember that this was the moment of the defining battle of civilizational conflict between good and bad. All mankind was going to pay a price for precipitating such a war despite the best efforts of the Pānḍavās and even the mediation of Bhagavān Śrīkṛṣṇa himself. It shows what will happen when good people like Bhīṣma are conflicted and confused on whose side they are.

Indeed, coming back to Chapter 11 Viśvarūpadarśanayoga of the Gītā, Arjuna’s stuttering, almost incoherent, reaction to the experience of Viśvarūpa is described beautifully in these two verses:

“sthāne hṛṣīkeśa tava prakīrtyā

        jagatprahṛṣyatyanurajyate ca ।

rakṣāṃsi bhītāni diśo dravanti

        sarve namasyanti ca siddhasaṅghāḥ ॥ BG11-36 ॥

tvamādidevaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇas-

        tvamasya viśvasya paraṃ nidhānam ।

vettāsi vedyaṃ ca paraṃ ca dhāma

        tvayā tataṃ viśvamanantarūpa ॥ BG11-38॥”

Translated, it means

“It is just, oh Bhagavān, that by your glory the world is delighted and attracted towards you, whereas the demons get frightened and run in all directions. All the enlightened souls bow down to you. You are the primeaval Īśvara, the beginningless one, the supreme repository of the universe, you are the knower (our soul) and the knowable (all experience), and the highest abode! Oh one of infinite form, by you is the universe pervaded.”

Finally, Bhagavān tells Arjuna that this special vision of Viśvarūpa has been granted to Arjuna only because of Arjuna’s devotion and Bhagavān’s love for him. This vision would be impossible for even the great yogis and munis and jñānis adept in the scriptures. This shows that Bhagavān’s grace is the supreme factor for liberation and divine insight.

Now, for someone like Arjuna who has seen Bhagavān’s glory manifest in the outside world and also the many-layered reality of Īśvara shown to him through grace in his inner vision, the question arises, how should that person live? The answer is that he should live a life full of Bhakti. But what is Bhakti? Is it worship, japa, tapa, ritual, scriptural study or what? The answer comes in Chapter 12 Bhaktiyoga. 

Pointedly, Arjuna asks Bhagavān whether one should try and meditate on the abstract, formless Brahman, at the same time following all rules of right conduct, or one should worship Īśvara with form. 

Even a basic knowledge of Sanskrit is sufficient to understand Bhagavān’s reply which unambiguously states that for those who are embodied, (all of us, since none of us is bodyless!), the path of devotion to Īśvara with form is supreme. 

I reproduce below the verse and the interpretation from Adi Sankara Bhashya, translated by Dr. A. G. Krishna Warrier (Pub. Ramakrishna Math, Madras 600004)  

 There are two more verses I wish to quote from Chapter 12 Bhakti Yoga. 

For someone like me, it is not enough to simply devote all thought, word and deed in the worship of Īśvara. I also need to live in this world and continue to function through doing my karma, interacting with the rest of humanity and the environment. How do I do that in the spirit of Gītā?

“Adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca ।

nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī ॥ 12-13॥

Santuṣṭaḥ satataṃ yogī yatātmā dṛḍhaniścayaḥ ।

mayyarpitamanobuddhiryo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ ॥ 12-14॥”

Translated, it means

“Non-hateful, friendly, and compassionate toward all beings, free from ideas of I and mine, balanced in pain and pleasure, forgiving, always cheerful, contemplative, self-controlled, of firm conviction, living with his mind and intellect dedicated to Īśvara, such a devotee is dear to me (Bhagavān)!”

In other words, there is a need for me to integrate Karmayoga with my realization of Viśvarūpa. This is given as a manual for understanding and action in the triad of the chapters 10, 11, and 12 of Srimadbhagavadgītā. What better clarity, what better authenticity, and what better practicality can we get from any scripture? That is why Srimadbhagavadgītā is “the scripture for all mankind.”

All that remains is for me to be surrendered to Bhagavān and live in his grace.

Hariḥ Om Tat Sat

***

Sachi R. Sachidananda, May 29, 2022

Gita in 18 Verbs

The Concept Of Surrender in Srimad Bhagavadgita

I was privileged to deliver this talk on Vasantapanchami 2022 at the Guruvayoorappan Temple Vichara dashakam 2022 in Canada.

'The concept of surrender in Bhagavad Gita' by Mr. Sachi R. Sachidananda. from GTOB on Vimeo.

Their website is here: https://www.guruvayoor.ca/vichara-dashakam-2022

भगवद्गीता जयन्ती २०२१

Hari Om! On Gita Jayanti, Samskrita Bharati Ulsoor held a competition on a short speech on Bhagavadgita 15th Chapter - any two shlokas of your choice. I won the first prize. Here is the script of my speech. 🙏

The essence of Bhagavadgita in one shloka

Ekashloki composed on Gita Jayanti

Thr essence of Srimad Bhagavdgita in one shloka.

Each part is taken from one of the famous shlokas of Gita.

The essence covers Sri Krishna's exhortation on

1. Self-management, 

2. Moderation, 

3. Universal affection, 

4. Detached (selfless) efficient action, 

5. The easy access to Ishwara within everyone, 

6. Ishwara's promise that devotion brings liberation.

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं युक्ताहारोऽथ विहारः

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर ।

उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्त भोक्ता महेश्वरः

अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥

मम गीताभिरुचिः

एष लघुप्रबन्दः संस्कृतसमारम्भे हलसूरुविभागे प्रथमबहुमानपुरस्कारेण मानितः 🙏

Bhagavadgita - short and sweet

Life experiences come as heat and cold, joy and sorrow, honour and insult - as a fruit of my actions, through my body and mind. 

In my core I am the deathless Atman, not mind or body. I am full of bliss and a wave in the ocean of Ishwara.

I can reach my core by withdrawing from the outer world. Then I see that all creation is connected as so many waves - dynamic, evolving, creative - parts of the same ocean. 

Then I continue to live through my mind and body without forgetting my core and my wrongly identifying myself with outer experiences. I don't do different things then, but do the same things differently - more lovingly and blissfully. 

Karma - good and bad

There is an uncanny resemblance to what Ishwar-ji teaches us and what Bhagavan Krishna says in the Bhagavadgita!

What follows is from Bhagavadgita As It Is by Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada (ISKCON). 

na — never; ādatte — accepts; kasyacit — anyone’s; pāpam — sin; na — nor; ca — also; eva — certainly; su-kṛtam — pious activities; vibhuḥ — the Supreme Lord; ajñānena — by ignorance; āvṛtam — covered; jñānam — knowledge; tena — by that; muhyanti — are bewildered; jantavaḥ — the living entities.

The Sanskrit word vibhu means the Supreme Lord who is full of unlimited knowledge, riches, strength, fame, beauty and renunciation. He is always satisfied in Himself, undisturbed by sinful or pious activities. He does not create a particular situation for any living entity, but the living entity, bewildered by ignorance, desires to be put into certain conditions of life, and thereby his chain of action and reaction begins. A living entity is, by superior nature, full of knowledge. Nevertheless, he is prone to be influenced by ignorance due to his limited power. The Lord is omnipotent, but the living entity is not. The Lord is vibhu, or omniscient, but the living entity is aṇu, or atomic. Because he is a living soul, he has the capacity to desire by his free will. Such desire is fulfilled only by the omnipotent Lord. And so, when the living entity is bewildered in his desires, the Lord allows him to fulfill those desires, but the Lord is never responsible for the actions and reactions of the particular situation which may be desired. Being in a bewildered condition, therefore, the embodied soul identifies himself with the circumstantial material body and becomes subjected to the temporary misery and happiness of life. The Lord is the constant companion of the living entity as Paramātmā, or the Supersoul, and therefore He can understand the desires of the individual soul, as one can smell the flavor of a flower by being near it. Desire is a subtle form of conditioning for the living entity. The Lord fulfills his desire as he deserves: Man proposes and God disposes. The individual is not, therefore, omnipotent in fulfilling his desires. The Lord, however, can fulfill all desires, and the Lord, being neutral to everyone, does not interfere with the desires of the minute independent living entities. However, when one desires Kṛṣṇa, the Lord takes special care and encourages one to desire in such a way that one can attain to Him and be eternally happy. 

Ishwara and Advaita

I have found interpretations of Bhagavadgita shlokas by Advaitin scholars Who display a distinct aversion to the assertion of Bhagavan Krishna as Himself being the Purushottama and His extolling Arjuna to surrender to Him. 

I have posted here a scan of the Mandukya Upanishad translation by Swami Prabhavananda of RK Mission.

The sense I get is that Mandukya Upanishad, the go-to book for Advaitins, clearly states what the three states are - of  Waking (Vaishvanara), Dream (Taijasa) and Dreamless sleep (Prajna) wherein they equate the dreamless sleep as a state of ignorance with what they call Ishwara. This Ishwara is neither here nor there as the Mandukya scholars hold OM as Brahman beyond Maya whereas their Ishwara is admixed with Maya.

The Mandukya neither explains nor reconciles the experience of many in creation except as an erroneous experience . 

It appears that Mandukya neither needs a God nor explains creation. Just move on to OM and be done with it.

Bhagavadgita on the other hand clearly deals with Purushottama=Ishwara, Jiva or Akshara who transmigrates with experiences of doership and enjoyership, and the path to liberation from this relative experiential existence through Sadhana. 

I quote below from Dr. S. Radhakrishnan's The Principal Upanishads. While writing about Mandukya he interestingly invokes Adi Shankara's commentary on the Bhagavadgita. He states as below:

I have always had the same understanding as stated here. There is Narayana (Adi Shankara's own expression) or the Supreme Godhead. He has an absolute aspect we call Brahman which is neither active nor emotive, but is pure consciousness. Then there is Ishwara we can loosely call God to mean the universal dynamic creative intelligence that we can relate to. When I merge into Godhead, I become one with Narayana. I cannot become Ishwara. I can say I have become Brahman but I do not have any active component anymore. 

Sri Ishwar Puri-ji calls the ultimate Home or Totality of Consciousness as Sachkhand. It is both one and many, and EVERYTHING is present in it. 

The Key to Inner Peace

श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते ।

ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् ॥ १२-१२॥

In the Bhagavadgita, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhakti Yoga chapter how one can attain to peace. All pursuit of peace begins with doing something about it. Those who look for a higher purpose in life take to ritual and spiritual practices. 

But ritual and practice is a double-edged sword. When I say I have done Vishnusahasranamaparayanam for 60 years, or have gone to Sabarimala 18 times, or done so many mandalas of Puja, or gone to Tirupati or Kailas 25 times, this is a boast. It is an expression of ego. How can this give peace? 

Sometimes we take up ritual because we hear that someone has done it and gained a lot. Mostly we hear they have resolved some domestic issues or family problems, got over financial problems or got relief from legal troubles or disease. The fact that ritual yields external benefits does not directly imply inner peace. It may lead to peace if there is an inner transformation. 

अभ्यास  or practice has to culminate in wisdom. The first step towards wisdom is the realisation that whatever we are trying to do through practice is a way of connecting to something beyond. If ritual and practice binds me to the other world and boosts my ego, no wisdom can come. 

The word ज्ञानम् means knowledge. Knowledge when processed into deep understanding is wisdom. One can be blessed with wisdom even without much knowledge of the external world. In fact knowledge normally boosts ego and causes debate, dispute, and damage. So ritual may lead to ego. But a humble seeking may lead to wisdom.

However, wisdom is also not peace. Wisdom shows where I am. I have yet to attain peace. 

When wisdom matures into a process of going inward through ध्यानम्, into my infinite inner resources, I begin to see what I have missed all my life. ध्यानम् or going inward is the exact opposite of ritual or अभ्यासः. The peace or bliss I seek by arranging my external circumstances is actually already embedded in my infinite inner reality. Every transient echo of peace or bliss outside, at a beautiful beach watching the gorgeous sea and sky, or gazing at the miracle of sunrise, or sitting by a brook in a verdant forest listening to nature's symphony, is all working in the same way. I am connecting with creation by dissolving myself in the moment. I have given up for the moment the engrossment in I-me-myself and my agenda.

The senses are feeding my mind with something beautiful. The mind feels peace and bliss. This momentary bliss is only a ripple in the infinite lake of bliss within me.

When that insight through going inward dawns, what's left?  According to Sri Krishna of Bhagavadgita, when insight dawns, I discover that I am a part of His dynamic drama of creation.  I decide to go about contentedly discharging my role. My activities acquire a new joy and a new beauty unlike anything before when I was striving and seeking for myself. Now I am only joyously serving Existence. This is called कर्मफलत्यागः. 

Once I make my work my worship of creation and its maker, peace dawns. In fact peace has been within always. It is the same as bliss. 

This peace is unlike the uneasy and temporary quality of truce that is brokered by armies between wars, or peace enforced by mutual scare as it happens in this outer world. 

To summarise, inner peace is a placid lake of bliss. Sometimes its ripples are sensed by us in the outer world when we let go. But it is a welcome world for a sensitive and sensible being who is turned inward and open to this inner world. Outer activities will go on peacefully! 

Happy Teacher's Day!

What makes a great teacher? A question that is relevant on 5 Sept.

1. The teacher loves to teach.

2. The teacher constantly invents new ways to teach.

3. The teacher knows the student's capacity.

4. The teacher wants the student to progress.

5. The teacher shows the way, but lets the student walk the way. .

6. The teacher reminds the student of the goal.

7. The teacher inspires by example.

8. The teacher is the face of a tradition where he was also once a student.

9. The teacher instills reverence for learning.

10. The teacher likes the student to excel him and take the knowledge tradition forward.

Bhagavan Krishna is the best teacher known to me.

Happy Teacher's Day!

Ishwar-ji And Bhagavadgita

I am indeed blessed to have been touched by Shri Ishwar Puri-ji, the perfect living master of the Sant Mat Surat Shabd Yoga. He is a living God, 94 years old, and travels internationally all year round. His talks are like lightning strikes on our ignorance, and  he is so full of love that it is beyond description. Ever since I met him in October 2019, my life has been transformed. 

Bhagavan Shri Krishna has come to me in the form of Ishwar-ji. I am writing this article after much hesitation, but I wanted to list shlokas of the Bhagavadgita, the song of God, that closely reflect the message of Ishwar-ji as I have understood him. His You Tube videos are available at Isha News Media. 

I request dear Ishwar-ji to excuse me for any mistakes. 

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः ।

तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता       ॥ १४-४॥

Oh Arjuna, all creatures, born in whatever wombs, are born out of the womb of Brahman and I (Ishwara=God) am the one who plants the seed of everything. 

प्रकृत्यैव च कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि सर्वशः ।

यः पश्यति तथात्मानमकर्तारं स पश्यति     ॥ १३-३०॥

Nature, consisting of the mind, is the cause of all experiences and actions. The one who experiences himself as the non-doer Soul within, he sees truly. 

शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः ।

गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात्   ॥ १५-८॥

Every soul that takes up a body and departs at death carries with him the mind, full of memories, tendencies, and his karmas, just like the wind that blows always carries the fragrances of all it touches. 

स्पर्शान्कृत्वा बहिर्बाह्यांश्चक्षुश्चैवान्तरे भ्रुवोः ।

प्राणापानौ समौ कृत्वा नासाभ्यन्तरचारिणौ ॥ ५-२७॥

The way to meditate is to withdraw attention completely from all external objects and to focus on the inner eye behind the eyebrow centre. And balancing one's breath to calm the mind, to contemplate the Ultimate. 

योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना ।

श्रद्धावान्भजते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः   ॥ ६-४७॥

Even among yogis who meditate on the Soul, the one who is totally immersed in Me (Ishwara, the Supreme Soul) with love and devotion, is the greatest meditator. 

यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।

स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः ॥ १८-४६॥

The way to live in this world is to serve, with all one's actions, that Iswara, who is the cause of all creation and who permeates everything as the Super consciousness. 

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते ।

तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥ ९-२२॥

Those who abandon every other thought and meditate on Me with love and devotion - I shall Myself take care of all their here and hereafter in all aspects (life and salvation). 

Love and devotion are the way to reach Ishwara! 

Bhagavadgita for Today's Youth