For Seekers by Seekers

Based on Swami Paramarthananda's lectures, these summaries were prepared by his students. In this episode we will render the first 6 chapter summaries of the Bhagavad Gita

Repress, suppress or replace desires?  Pratipaksha bhavana as a tool.  Higher goal replaces lower goal. Takes time.  Desires can’t be willed away but time and pratipakshabhavana will help. This change behaviors - roast the seeds so the sprouting does not happen. This approach works sometime and does not work at times.  Conquest of senses - forcibly or naturally?  Two ends of spectrum: Jain muni’s and Osho! Worst part is not knowing what is the right path to follow !  Are there five enlightened masters you can point me out to? Need for Guru to guide us.  FIR is a good barometer of progress. Daily decision making is good (ROI) with the right knowledge backing us with certainty. Fear goes down. Kishore articulated his ‘basecamp’.  Everyday we are enlightened - we don’t know it. Deep sleep experience is a revelation of enlightenment state. Enlightenment is not effort based, understanding based.  Why did Arjuna not get enlightened?  The person is never enlightened, but we will be free of the person.

These three words have special meaning. In Gita Ch 17, Krishna explains.

Listen to three slokas and their meaning from Ch 17 of Gita

Give up only what we own - that part that we have appropriated for oneself. When will I be fully established - when all the desires are gone. krt krityata, jnatavyata, pratavyata - desireless. Krishna considers man as an actor; he is considering as an experiencer 55 to 58: read them in reverse as a four step process udveg - not achieving it from raag; attachment; act out of rajoguna; don't get it; sorrowful; give up How do you know who is a realized person? We talk of how Gurus are viewed from our 'biased' perspective and how in reality they are different. 24 teachers of Dattatreya - guru need not be one person. Wind teaches you not to be attached at all! Swami Tadatmananda's vedic way of questioning - pole in a hole. How do we interpret - characteristics of stitapragya are practices for seeker - Example of tortoise, what would jesus do now?, introduce the pause. Root cause analysis: ragah-bhaya-krodha Stithapragya loses the right to complain.

The scheme of verses from Sloka 31 till 55 in terms of how Krishna explains the set up: explain sankhya yoga, go through practical way of living - karma yoga and benefits of equanimity mind. Arjuna wants to hear more about KY than rituals.  An aha moment that Sanskrit is a flexible language. Look for Anvaya Gita to learn Sanskrit as well through Gita.  The meaning of the word - samadhao: is where it is absorbed and not the state the mind is as per Patanjali yoga.  Pragya: wisdom beyond intellect. Stitha Pragya : steady in self knowledge / Atma jnanam.  We all go through the phase - I get it; I don’t get it; we also forget it also - we are not yet established.  How is wisdom higher than intellect? Wisdom : one truth! Is wisdom ‘better decision making intellect’? Wisdom leads to discrimination & dispassion. Example of a parent of a tennis player.  Stithi pragya and stithadhi: steady wisdom, strong intellect.  Sankara-cobbler story; mirror example; The idea of ‘who sees?’ Comes when we ask whether how Stithapragya sees himself?  Will a Stithapragya take part in daily activities?  How to bring this attitude into everyday life? Characteristics for enlightened are practices for seekers. He does not have any desires!  Can we Will that desires should go away or they have to drop off, naturally? Suppression not equal to desires going away. Can desires for away completely or is it that we are converting our desires to non-binding?  Three types of desires- Desire to live,  desire to know. desire to enjoy, jijivisha, jignasa, bubukshutvam,: Need to convert these into mumukshutvam.  Kid playing and getting hungry - mumukshutvam example.  Attachment - what can I get? Love- what can I give?  Emotional dependence/ independence. Stithapragya has no desire to give also- just happens like the sun shining and not knowing it is shining for others!  Moksha: praptasya prapti, nivritasya nivritti.

All our activities/ work happen at three levels - body, speech, mind. Listen to the specific practices that Gita suggests us to do for each of these!

In this episode, we discuss 'cut, wash and clean' - the 'mantra' given by a Guru to an aspiring seeker and what it means. Why is it to be followed in a 'guru ashrama' and why can't we follow this in our daily life and still call it Karma Yoga? We discuss the words, kripana and hetu and explore the context of these words. We dive deeper into practical significance of Karma Yoga: donating, more beneficiaries for our work done, advise in workplace context,  We discuss grace - and how to get it. Vairagyam is the key to unlock grace, not necessarily KY. We discuss how wisdom at an intellectual level influences our actions. We also discuss if donating money vs. donating time - a conundrum of which is better? Action is at three levels - physical, verbal and mental. Even thinking about 'fruits' of action is distracting us from the work we do. Why is it wrong to think that 'if I had a different role /position, place I would have done better' and why is it our current situation the best do do KY and push forward. We also discuss Arjuna's terrible confusion in mind when he calls Krishna Madhusudhana /Arisudhana and compares how he is doing a hard job of killing his close relatives. We discuss how many of us do just karma or do karma yoga on a daily basis? Developing equanimity is the necessary step towards understanding Jnana Yoga - Brahman. [And Vairagyam] Samathvam buddhi, samarpanam, swadharma, swarupa...? Personal story of how one overcame the desire of drinking wine by attaching to a higher desire - to meditate. 'What if' and 'if only' concepts.??

Chapter 17 slokas 7-10 divides people into three categories (mindset) - Sattvic, Rajasic, Tamasic and vividly describes what type of food each mindset prefers.

2.48.249. 2.50 Samatvam yoga uchyate - equanimous So, what is work? What is obligatory work? Does karma refer to any desire driven action? Is it only obligatory work that is referred as ‘work’ /karma or desire driven action or both? Is the ‘I feel guilty if I did not do something’ a good test for what our obligatory duty is? How do you deal with supporting an old parent and also child? We feel conflicted? Do not avoid; do not seek. What comes naturally for us to do is our work. Ask oneself in conflicting situations, “Is this the best I could have done?” And do it if the answer is yes. Live with the consequences. Can human progress happen if we did not have those deep desires /goals and live life as karma yoga attitude? Is there a “perfect action”? Is guilt attachment? How does one choose between what ‘I like to do’ and what ‘I must do’? Move from finite being to an infinite being - that is what Krishna is saying - which takes us beyond the choices - restful awareness. Conflicting situations - how did Arjuna’s conflict get resolved - to fight or not to fight? Arjuna was also conflicted. Is intellect colored by desires?

Gita GD 47 Karmanyevadhikarasthe moved from faith to logic /science. Not having expectations -> so much more /profound; efforts are in our control, not results. Flow is part of KY Being in the present. Being in the present, not worrying about past or the future - is KY. Should we ignore our past experiences if we have to live in the present? What if someone brings up what we did in the past if they constantly remind us about that? Should we dwell on it? Practical techniques: Swami SP’s answer: Karma Yoga way is ‘my bad is getting burnt’ in the Bhakti way - it is an occasion to remember God; Gyan way - it has come as a warning mind plays Perceiver, [doer, receiver of actions], storehouse of samsara, instrument of meditation Equanimity is also in the mind! Motto: Serving all sentient beings, knowing them to be God, with one pointedness Serving - KY Serving all sentient beings - BY Knowing them to be God - JY Nischayatmika Buddhi - RY Is it OK to have goals while doing KY? - We need karma, we need the goal, while doing the action stay focussed on the goal, once completed, let go of the goal. - When we do action, do not do in ‘uninterested manner’ but in ‘disinterested manner’

With the launch of our book, Wellbeing through food & discipline | The Chaturmasa Diaries, we organized a Q&A session. Please listen in to the authors sharing their experience of what Chaturmasa is, and the benefits. If you want to buy the book:  https://www.amazon.com/Wellbeing-Through-Food-Discipline-Chaturmasa/dp/1639403515

Understanding the concept of gunas - tapestry of this universe. Understanding gunateeta concept - beyond the three gunas - is there something? What is it? How to progress from tamasic to rajasic to sattvic and then beyond? Importance of food to develop sattvic mind. Karma kanda, karma yoga, jnana kanda - what is the difference? Just by jnana kanda, can we achieve life's purpose? Do we need karma kanda? Is it to be frowned upon? Rituals, puja, charity, yagya, austerities - are they important? Why not go straight to jnana? What is the meaning of the famous sloka, karmanyevaadikarasthe? How did the meaning change since we first heard it as children?

What is sin of omission - pratyavaya dosha? What’s the benefit or shortcomings of the material pursuits? Is karma yoga the practice we should follow for avoiding any sin of omission? If so, what result does it give us? Did Gandhiji want independence or he did not? So, was he karma yogi? Is karma yoga not having any wants? No expectations? Is ‘no expectations’ is truly ‘expecting no expectations’😀. Having expectations is ok but accepting results without regrets is the key- which is what perhaps Gandhi did! On a day to day basis, listen to the intellect instead of the mind- so that helps to know ‘right action’ towards the goal of human life. Is moksha = heaven? What is heaven? Are career goals truly goals? Is karma kaanda relevant? Singlepointedness is to be desireless? Is that a goal? Is spiritual path a process of learning / unlearning? Half the life we have spent by ‘identifying’ ourselves - and now, we have to unlearn to follow the spiritual path! Identifying with roles - pitfall of it; is karma kanda same as karma yoga.

We continue our discussions on Swadharma, True Identity, Self Identity and practical tips on how to explore and expand our own sense of self. The real swadarma is the Aatman - and drop all other things that you are thinking as swadharma How do we connect Swadharma and Swaroop? If we don't do our Swadharma, we can ever be at peace. It is going to be restless/guilt. If you follow the path of Swadharma, it will take you to Swaroop. It removes the vikshepa (distractions) and hence it calms your mind and then it takes you to the right path Sometimes when we chase a goal, we put all efforts into it and when we reach the goal , we feel an emptiness. Then we take on to some other goal. These are the transition points from Swadharma towards Swaroop.  All identities are maya till you reach the Swaroop. When you reach he Swaroopa, the emptiness dissolves. Most of us live someone else's life. We then realize that we have anchored on something else and move the anchor to who we truly are. Sin is many times associated with guilt.. We do things in an avidhya state .. That's all.  We discuss if society is responsible for our problems or are we responsible for our problems. The gist is that do what your heart wants and if the so called society comes in way, you anyway have the freewill to move to another society that allows you to do what your heart wants.. There is always plus and minus to everything. If you think you will be at peace with what your heart wants, then that is your Swadharma.  Seeking any worlds objects is due to Vasanas..   Pleasure is related to Vasanas and Engagement is related to Mano nash..  How do we lesser mortals find our Guru?  Guru is more of a concept rather than an individual. We must make the soil of mind, fertile to find the Guru.. The germination will happen at the right time, right place - the seed is already there if one is asking this question!

If you want to listen to a healthy debate (part 1) on reincarnation theory - why we should accept, why we can't accept and what is the view of about 20 people who have background in engineering, sciences and trying to make sense of the world with a 'framework' they can apply to solve the mysteries of the universe - this is the group discussion you must listen to. Few things you will enjoy listening in: - Swami Vivekananda said, My own karma is sufficient explanation to the ways of the world. - Discussion In 2.27, theory of reincarnation is reinforced. - How easy it is to let go of attachments? Can we let go of the expectations from our attachments? Is there anything called 'attachment with detachment'? What does it mean? - We will detach immediately if the person we are attached to says, 'I dont give a damn.'- then we will immediately detatch ourself from that person. Why do we do this? Doesn't this indicate - without doubt that we ultimately 'love only ourself' and love others only if it is convenient for us? Hard hitting truth that one has to reflect on deeply. It may not be easy to accept. - We talk of species, neanderthals, homo sapiens and how life evolved and the concept of God - perhaps came only ~5K years ago? Or was it always there? [Short answer: Truth /Reality is always there - even if we have not discovered it; or have discovered it only 5000 years ago!] - We discuss certain challenges in science based logic and talk of subjective realities.  - Hear about the benefits one of the participants shared openly - how the knowledge helped her overcome the fear of death, bring in a sense of acceptance but still struggling to figure out how to let go of attachments, and still be attached. Hear about how the theory of Karma helps us to reconcile to the mysteries of universe.

Ch 2.23 24 25 ---------- - Who actually wrote the Gita? - Why is it fair to suffer if I don't know what I have done to suffer now? - Discussions on karma - sukha, dukha....consequences - We continue on discussions on death. - Is death gory? Painful? For whom? - Last thought /desire while dying and its impact. - The melange of prarabda, sanchita and agami karma - how do they work? - Should I continue to do good when I don't know if I will benefit in this lifetime? What is the logic I should adopt to do good?

This group discussion centers on the concepts covered in sloka 2.20, 2.21 - There is something else between physical body and 'Soul/Atma' that never dies. - Demystifies death - Six stages of existence -  - Why don't we go back to an older birth? Why can't we remember previous births? - Is our karmas and balancing karmas a most convoluted balance sheet like a family owned business? - Past does not add value. Memory is just a memory - emotions create a baggage - We cannot live in the past; nor future; only present. - Is time a mental construct? - Is time subjective? How do we reconcile that different species have different life spans? - Go to no=mind state, we become ageless. - How do you explain to kids /family members who may be dying - that it is all irrelevant? - Is it ok to plant 'seeds' in children's mind of our beliefs? - Do these teachings give emotional succor or are they mere intellectual construct? - Not born, not dies - organ donation - does it make sense? -Living in the present is not chronological time - it is living in the dimension of eternality -Do scriptures talk of euthanasia? Abortion?  -When we die, is it happy event or sad event?

Gita 4/25 Slokas 2.18, 19 --------------------- What travels after death? Soul (Atma) does not travel anywhere because no space, time, object constraints. Is body not important? There are actors, sportspersons who take extreme care of their bodies - how should we interpret it? What does unknowable mean? Why can't we understand Atma with the usual organs of perception? Atma is Aprameya:Unknowable through known sense organs of perception because, it is beyond the six ways knowledge happens - pratyaksh (direct), paroksha (inference), anupalabdi (absence), upaman (comparision), arthapatthi (data analysis), shabda (sruti/vedas). How does Vedas describe Atma Neti-Neti method, paradoxical statements, inference, silence. We also discuss what it means when people say 'Atma'. For some it could be body, mind, intellect, ego....

Gita GD 4/18/2021 2.16, 17 There are a few slokas which were tough for Ganesha when Vyasa was telling, so Ganesha had to think before writing. These are some of those tough slokas. Atma is 'sat' and rest is 'asat' - Om Tat Sat. Sat: Not limited by space, time, object limitations. Asat: Exact opposite of Sat (child of a barren women, flowers in sky...) Mithya: You can experience it but does not have independent experience, hence limited by space, time, objects. Reality ALWAYS exist; mithya NEVER existed Any Experience - REALITY + APPEARANCE. Need objects, shapes and forms to experience existence (IS'ness) If we understand 2.16 then fear of death goes away. Is space really dark? No. It is light everywhere but needs a reflecting medium. Likewise, EXISTENCE needs a medium - mind & body to reflect it. From a meta physical perspective: A subtler element is present in a grosser element. Consciousness is more subtler than space - Dhaturuttamah Consciousness: Space - air - fire - water - earth When we identify with body, space exists...when we don't space or anything else does not exist. What is permanent cannot get revealed; but it manifests through a medium. Undying means, unborn as well! If Consciousness is born, then somebody has to be conscious of Consciousness being born. God was bored and he created playmates - the world exists because of that! Understanding this revelation about who we are helps us live our lives in a very different way - improves self-esteem, conquer fear, ability to relate to others better, joyful. However sometimes it is difficult to apply the knowledge in transactional world. Hear the debate amongst the seekers as to how it can be applied - each one sharing their own unique perspective.  For more, check out the blog: https://happilyoga.com/2021/04/20/50664/