How to have peace in this inconstant, chaotic and unpredictable world-II
30.03.09
Chapter4 verse 7 and 8
Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavati Bharat I
Abbhyuthanam adharmasay tadatmanam srijamyahum II 7
Paritranaaya sadhunam vinashayay ch dushkrutam I
Dharamasansthapnarathaya sambhavami yuge yuge II 8
Arjuna, whenever righteousness is on the decline, the unrighteousness is in the ascendant, then I appear.
For the protection of the virtuous, for the extirpation of evil doers, and for establishing Dharma(righteousness) on a firm footing from time to time.
How to have lasting peace within our hearts?-II
01.09.09
Chapter 7 Verses 27&28
Icchadweshsabuthen dwandmohen bharat 1
Sarvabhutani sammoham sarge yanti parantap 11
Oh valiant Arjuna, through delusion in the shape of pairs of opposites (such as pleasure and pain etc), born of desire and hatred, all living creatures in this world are falling a prey to infatuation.
Yesham twantgatam papam jananam punyakarmanam 1
Te dwandmohanirmukta bhajante maam dradhvrta I1
But those men of virtuous deeds, whose sins have come to an end, being freed from delusion in the shape of pairs of opposites (born of attraction and repulsion) worship Me with a firm resolve in every way.
The importance and power of deep study
15.09.09
In Bhagwat Geeta, in chapter 4, Bhagwan Sri Krishna explains to Arjun that
Shreyandravya mayadhygya gyan yagya paramtap I
Sarvam karmakhilam Partha gyane parismapyate II 33
Arjuna, sacrifice through Knowledge is superior to sacrifice performed with material things. For all actions without exception culminate in Knowledge, O son of Kunti.
Tadwidhi pranipaaten pariprashnen sevaya I
Updekshyanti te gyanam gyaninstatwadarshinaha II 34
Understand the true nature of that Knowledge by approaching illumined souls. If you prostrate at their feet, render them service, and question them with an open and guileless heart, those wise seers of truth will instruct you in that Knowledge.
Yagyagyatva na punarmohammevam yasayasi pandava I
Yena bhutanyasheshena drakshyasyatmanyatho mayi II 35
Arjuna, when you have reached enlightenment, ignorance will delude you no more. In the light of that Knowledge you will see the entire creation first within your own self, and then in Me.
How to cope up with waves of mental distractions-I?
01.10.09
Chapter 6 verses 33, 34, 35
Arjunauvach
Yoyam yogastvaya proktah samyen madhusudan I
Atsyaaham n a pashyami chanchaltwastithim sthirim II33
Arjuna said, Krishna, owing to restlessness of mind, I do not perceive the stability of this Yoga in the form of equanimity which you have just spoken of.
Chanchalam hi manah Krishna pramathi balvaddridham I
Tasyaham nigraham manye vayoriv sudushkaram II 34
For Krishna, the mind is very unsteady, turbulent, tenacious and powerful; I consider it as difficult to control as the wind.
SriBhagwanuvach
Asanshaya mahabhaho mano durnigraham chalam I
Abhyasen tu Kaunteya vairagyen ch grihute II 35
Sri Bhagwan said: The mind is restless no doubt, and difficult to curb, Arjuna; but it can be brought under control by repeated practice of meditation for mind control and by the exercise of act of dispassion, O son of Kunti.
01.12.09
Chapter 17 verses 8,9,10
Ayuhsatvabalaarogya sukhpritivivardhanah I
Rasyah snigdhah sthirahridhya aaharah saatvikpriyah II
Foods which promote longevity, intelligence, vigour, health, happiness and cheerfulness and which are sweet, bland, substantial and naturally agreeable are dear to the Saatvik type of men.
Kattamalalavanatyushnateekshnarukshavidahina I
Aahara rajasyeshta dukhshokaamyaprada II
Foods which are bitter, acidic, salty, over hot or spicy, pungent, dry and burning and which cause suffering, grief and sickness are dear to the Rajasik type of men.
Yatayamam gataras puti paryushitam cha yat I
Uchchishtmapi chamedhyam bhojanam tamaspriyam II
Food which is half cooked or half ripe, insipid, putrid, stale and polluted, and which is impure too, is dear to men of Tamasik disposition.
Breath control
Chapter 4 verses 29,30
Apane juhivti pranam praneapanam tathapare I
Pranaapangati ruddhwa pranayamparayanaah II
Apare niyatahaarah prananpraneshu juhavati I
Sarvepyete yagyavido yagyakshapitkalmashi II
Translation-Other yogis offer the act of exhalation into that of inhalation, even so other, the act of inhalation into that of exhalation. There are still others given to practice of Pranayam (breath control), who having regulated their diet and controlled the process of exhalation and inhalation both pour their vital airs themselves. All these have their sins consumed away by sacrifice and understand the meanings of sacrificial worship.
This shloka is about performing sacrifices or yagyas with many things, one of them sacrificing the prana and indicates observing the incoming and outgoing breath through the scientific techniques developed by sages for regulating breathing.
What is Karma?-I
04.03.10
Chapter 4 verses 16, 17
Kim karma kimkarmaeti kavyoapyatra mohita I
Tatte karma pravkshyami yagygyatva mokshyaseshubhat II 16
What is action and what is inaction? Even men of intelligence are puzzled over this question. Therefore I shall expound to you the truth about action, knowing which you will be freed from its evil effects, its binding nature.
Karmano huapi bodhvyam ch vikarmana: I
Akarmanashch bodhvyam gahana karmano gati: II 17
The truth about action must be known and the truth about inaction also must be known; even so the truth about prohibited action must be known. For mysterious are its ways.
Karma literally means ‘to do’. Karma means an action or an activity that we perform.
Vikarma are the prohibited actions called sins or paap in Hindi. Paapare of three types- paap, mahapaap and jaghanya paap. These are sins in increasing order and in intensity and therefore severe punishment is ordained by the lord through nature.( Refer post-How to live today-?)
Akarma means non attachment to an action, doing what is right for us at that moment by submitting our desire, will or ego and being unaffected by its following outcome, knowing completely well that it is in our best interest although at that moment our mind may not be at rest and we might have doubts on the abilities of God’s power. This is the main underlying principle, the essence of the sacred book Gita where Bhagwan Krishna preaches Arjuna not to worry about the consequences of his actions and do whatever Krishna tells him because Krishna is antaryami, the knower of all the buried thoughts, the knower of all our past and future lives. Being akarmi or non doer is a state of mind, it is the door to heaven, a means to gain stability of mind, the secret of enjoying uninterrupted joy and a release from appalling effects in the form of sorrow, gloom, mental tension, pain, misfortune, poverty etc in future.
What is Karma?-II
15.03.10
Chapter 2 verse 47
Karmanyevadhikaraste ma faleshu kadachana I
Ma karmafalheturbhurma te sangoastvakarmani II
Translation
You certainly have the right for prescribed activities but never at any time in the yielding results. There should be no attachment in either performing your actions or the results of them.
Interpretation
The mind of the worldly person is turbulent by nature, it is full of cravings for worldly stuff, and is made up of dualities of likes and dislikes. The senses carry away forcibly the mind of the man. The inner core or chitta has impure tendencies called sanskaras and when actions are performed with hidden tendencies of ego, greed, evil or selfish motives the result of the actions will have a direct negative impact on the doer. Therefore Bhagwan Krishna suggests that you should not worry about the results, just do your actions properly with sincerity and devotion.
The results or fruits of our actions are delivered according to the intention of our karmas.
If the intention of our thoughts of action is good, nature bestows beneficial and harmonious results. If we perform actions with impurities like jealousy, anger, hate, greediness, ego, the results will have harmful consequences and impact us adversely. As the man has very little knowledge about his own well being, he does actions which are contrary to his spiritual as well as personal growth. Therefore Bhagwan Krishna advocates that do not eye for the results, only perform your duties, the call of the hour. He says that you should not desire for the result primarily because the impurities of the mind will contaminate or adulterate your results.
It is only by being detached, that the dross of worldly impurities are wiped out from the chitta gradually. Our inner self gets purified till a stage of unselfishness is achieved. The mind and senses are thus at rest and composure is accomplished.
If we become detached, the mind becomes stable. A calm and stable mind experiences peace. Yoga of equanimity for wise men possessing an equipoised mind renouncing the fruit of actions are freed from the shackles of birth and attain blissful supreme state.
Offering the fruit of actions to God, the karmayogi attains everlasting peace in the form of God realization, whereas he who works with selfish motives, being attached to the fruit of actions through ego, desires gets tied down.
What is Karma?-III
01.04.10
The last verse of Bhagwat Gita says in chapter 18 says-
Yatra Yogeshwarah Krishno yatra Partho dhanurdhanah I
Tatra shrivijayo bhutirdhruva nitirmatirmam II
Wherever there is Bhagwan SriKrishna, and wherever there is Lord of Yoga and wherever there is Arjuna, the weilder of Gandiva bow, goodness victory, glory and unfailing righteousness are there, such is my conviction.
What is renunciation?-I
15.04.10
Chapter 5 verse 10, 11, 12
Brahmanadhaya karmani sanga tyaktva karoti ya I
Lipyate na sa papen padmapatramivambhasa II
He who acts offering all actions to God and shaking off all attachment remains untouched by sins as the lotus leaf by water.
Kayen mansa budhaya kewalayirindriyairapi I
Yogin karam kurvanti sanga tyaktavatmashudhaye II
The karamyogi performs actions only with his senses, mind, intellect and body as well, withdrawing his feeling of mine and shaking off sense of attachment for the sake of self- purification of inner self.
Yukta karmafalam tyaktva shantimaproti naishtikim I
Ayukta kamkaren fale sakto nibadhyate II
Offering the fruit of action to God, the karamyogi attains everlasting peace in the form of God realization, whereas he who works with a selfish motive, being attached to the fruit of actions through desires gets tied down.
The state of Super Consciousness-I
30.12.10
Chapter 15 verse 1
Urdhva mulam adhah shakhamashwatham prahuravyayam I
Chandasi yasya parnani yastam veda sa vedavit II
The state of Super Consciousness-III
20.01.11
Chapter 4, verse 8
Paritranya sadhunam, vinashaya ch dushkritam I
Dharmasansthapnarthayam sambhami yuge yuge II I
Lord Krishna tells Arjuna: To deliver the pious and holy, to destroy evil, and to establish Dharma, truth I shall manifest and appear in every era.
Expand your Consciousness-I
30.01.11
Chapter 15 verse 1
Urdhva mulam adhah shakhamashwatham prahuravyayam I
Chandasi yasya parnani yastam veda sa vedavit II
Ashwattha is the other name of Banyan Tree. Ashwattha meansshashwat, that never ends, eternal.
There are two types of men in this world those who know and those who do not know- The gyani and agyani respectively. Majority of people come in this world without knowing who has created them and this world and get completely entangled in the maya jal the webmire ofmaya or delusion. They repeatedly come in this world because of theirvasanas or desires for physical world and are therefore called ignorant and compared to an inverted Banyan Tree in this shloka. The falling roots upside down are the roots of ignorance in the inverted tree. They are contrary to what they should be ideally and therefore the tree is shown upside down.
While the wise men, come in this world, do not get too entangled, go to a guru, take Vedic or esoteric knowledge from him, cut down the branches of their ignorance with an axe of wisdom and are compared with a Banyan Tree which stands firmly on its roots and is absolutely grounded. Those men who have knowledge of God are firmly grounded and do not get swayed with the storms of enticing maya.
So much for the explanation of the verse 1 of Geeta chapter 15.
Expand your Consciousness-III
20.02.11
Chapter 18 verse 66
Sarvadharmanparityajaya mamekam sharanam vraja I
Aham tva sarvapapebhoya mokshayishyami ma shuchaha II Bhagwad Geeta
Translation-Resigning all your duties to Me, the all powerful and all supporting Lord, take refuge in Me alone, I shall absolve you of all sins, worry not.
Kriya Shakti, the power to act-II
10.06.11
Chapter 2 verse 58 & 61
Yada sanharte chayam kurmoanganiva sarvasha: I
Indrayaniindriyayartheabhyastaya pragya prathishtha II
Translation:
When like a tortoise, which draws in its limbs from all directions, the yogi withdraws his senses from the sense objects, his mind is stable.
Tani sarvani samyamya yukta aaseet matpara:I
Vashe hi yasyeindrayani tasya pragya prathishtha II
Therefore, having controlled them all and collected his mind one should sit for meditation, devoting one’s heart and soul to Me. For he, whose senses are mastered is known to have a stable mind.
Kriya Shakti, the power to act-III
20.06.11
Chapter 6
Arjunauvach:
Yoyam yogastvaya proktah samyen madhusudan I
Atsyaaham na pashyami chanchaltwastithim sthirim II 33
Arjuna said- Krishna, owing to restlessness of mind, I do not perceive the stability of this Yoga in the form of equanimity which you have just spoken of.
Chanchalam hi manah Krishna pramathi balvaddridham I
Tasyaham nigraham manye vayoriv sudushkaram II 34
For Krishna, the mind is very unsteady, turbulent, tenacious and powerful; I consider it as difficult to control as the wind.
SriBhagwanuvach:
Asanshaya mahabhaho mano durnigraham chalam I
Abhyasen tu Kaunteya vairagyen ch grihute II 35
Sri Bhagwan said- The mind is restless no doubt, and difficult to curb, Arjuna; but it can be brought under control by repeated practice of meditation for mind control and by the exercise of act of dispassion, O son of Kunti.
Why is peace is so essential for a seeker?-I
20.07.11
There is a shloka in the Bhagwad Gita about yogi: Chapter 2 Verse 69
Yaa Nisha Sarva bhootanaam Tasyam Jagarati Samyamee I
Yasyaam Jagrati Bhootani Saa Nishaa Pashyato Munehe II
That which is night to all beings, in that state, the God realized yogi is awake. Where all beings are awake in the ever changing, transient worldly happiness, that is the night for the seer, one who knows the Self.
How should one read the holy book Bhagwad Gita?
First and foremost we must invoke the spirit of Lord Krishna and his chief disciple Arjuna, both.
Lord Krishna will impart the eternal knowledge of Self while the all pervading Spirit of Arjuna will teach us how to be an ideal disciple of the Spiritual Master and mentor. And how to balance one’s inner spiritual life with the outer physical and material world consisting of our family, relatives, society, profession and others areas; that is to say that the inner world and the outer world must meet and converge on a positive note. We need to learn to balance both for our happiness, emotional security and sustained peace of mind.
Now we turn to the meaning of the verse-
This verse indeed is very tricky yet interesting because of the analogy of a learned man, the seer with day and the ignorant with night and how contrast they are; yet there is no contradiction in the mind of the seer. The beginners do get baffled by this intriguing example which is also the case of the instance of an inverted Banyan Tree in chapter 15 verse 1. The Banyan Tree is a simile and a comparison of spiritual ignorance of the masses of the world with that of the ancient tree. There is a post on this shloka- Expand your consciousness-I where the verse is explained in the last portion.
Please know that there are two types of men in this world- Those who are aware and awakened in Atman and those who are not, categorized as gyani and agyani- knower and ignorant respectively. Nearly everyone in this world is ignorant in spiritual awareness barring a few handfuls.
The gyani or knower as the word suggests means one who knows, one who has spiritual knowledge, lives in divine illumination and light irrespective of day or night. Inside him there is brightness of wisdom, wakefulness and the light of God kindling and in this way he always lives in day and light. His senses and mind are in control and all his actions are performed with divine inspiration and wisdom. He views the Cosmic Universe as a manifestation of God’s creation and knows that he is not a doer and hence does not claim any credit for any good actions that he performs.
Whereas all the other people called the agyani or ignorant live in darkness or night without any wisdom and light doing all sorts of sinful, immoral and senseless activities throughout their lives. These two types of people are contrary in nature like day and night. So while the agyani lives in darkness, the gyani resides in light of God. The gyaninever ‘sleeps’ and the agyani is in night because of darkness of ignorance inside him. The ever changing, transitory worldly happiness is night for the yogi while the agyani runs after worldly fleeting happiness. The gyani finds happiness in discovering the revelations of God’s blissful nature and finds it priceless. The agyani on the other hand has no idea that all the other luring, short-term sensual happiness will turn into misery and lingering sorrows. Knowing so, thegyani discards the fleeting, illusory happiness and attains lasting happiness, joy and peace which is permeated in Divine Communion!!
These two types of wise and ignorant are men that are poles apart.
Nevertheless, the gyani does not get perturbed by all this because he knows that wondrous God is arduous to perceive and attain while achieving senseless and incongruous goals are a lot easier to accomplish. The gyani practices yoga, stability of mind, spends his time and breath in unselfish actions called nishkaam karma while the ignorant spends his whole life indulging in and running after insubstantial and earthly things because of greed and desire and also seeks corporeal pleasures. Besides this, he does not have complete faith in God. Such people are in an unconscious state; they are in ‘sleep’ or darkness. So while the whole world sleeps in darkness of ignorance, the gyani is persistently awake with the flame of divine illumination which illuminates his life, mind, thoughts and deeds.
The ignorant lives only for himself sustaining on his little self and complex desires thus creating a long chain of future reincarnations while the knower performs all his deeds to delight God and his spiritual teachers and in turn remains in ecstasy. Strangely, outwardly both the knower and the ignorant look the same but it is their consciousness, type of thinking and actions which sets them apart.
Though the gyani sees that most of the people are far from being wise, unselfish and caring; he is calm and maintains his composure because he has already realized that this is maya and people will remain indelusion as long as they do not intend breaking that veil of ignorance with their own wish and intent.
Hence the last verses 70 & 71
Aapuryamananchalpratishtham samudramapam: pravishanti yadvat I
Tadvatkama yam pravishanti sarve sa shantimaproti na kamkami II
As the waters of different rivers enter the ocean; which though full on all sides remains undisturbed, likewise he in whom all enjoyments merge themselves attains peace; not he who hankers after such enjoyments.
The ecstatic yogi after experiencing God in him becomes like an ocean where all types of waters trickle and pour in him yet he does not become overwhelmed. Like the ocean, he too assimilates everything silently because of his deep wisdom and unyielding peace of mind.
He acknowledges that this sansara will remain in a steady flow, in influx of constant changes, people will come and go, there will deaths and births, happiness and sorrow will take turns, there will be loss and gain in his life but he is Atman, the unchanging Spirit, the source of all illumination, peace and ecstasy and he is That!
And the last verse says:
Vihaya kamanya: sarvanpumamshrchrati nispriha I
Nirmamo nirhankar sa shantimadhigachati II
He, who has given up all desires and moves free from attachment, egoism and thirst for enjoyment attains peace.
So dear readers, we began with why is it so essential to have peace as seekers and we have ended up by knowing that by giving up all the attachments, egoism, self-indulgence and thirsting for worldly desires brings us lasting peace; that state of a seer which can be compared to an ocean which does not get disturbed by all the activities that are carried out in and around it.
That’s why in the previous verses in second chapter, Lord Krishna first enlightens Arjuna about indestructibility of Atman, the Self and then goes on to advocate him to cross over from his current wavering state to equanimity by discarding dualities present in this world after which the mind becomes steady. Once the mind is in constant equilibrium for an extensive time period; he connects to God, our Atman, the state of perfect equanimity and unending peace.
Qualities of a real seeker
20.08.11
As I bring to a close this post, I remember a few lines from Bhagwat Geeta from Chapter 2 from verses 64, 65 & 66. The eternal spiritual wisdom in it stands true even today: these shlokas seem to conclude everything that a struggling seeker must acquire and I would be keen on to quote them here…
Raagdveshviyuktaiastu vishyaniindriiyaishrachran I
Atmavashyaivirdheyatma prasadamdhigachati II 64
But the self controlled Sadhak while enjoying the various sense objects through his senses, which are disciplined and free from likes and dislikes, attains placidity of mind.
Prasade sarvadukhanam hanirsyopajayate I
Prasannachetaso hvashu buddhi: paryavatishthate II 65
With the attainment of such placidity of mind, all his sorrows come to an end; and the intellect of such a person of tranquil mind soon withdrawing itself from all sides, becomes firmly established in God.
Naasti budhiryuktasya na chayuktasya bhavana I
Na chabhavayata: shantirshantasya kutu: sukham II 66
He who has not controlled his mind and senses can have no reason; nor can such an undisciplined man think of God. The unthinking man can have no peace; and how can there be happiness for one lacking peace of mind?
Who are you?-III
20.12.12
In Bhagwat Geeta, Arjuna faces a similar dilemma when he tells Lord Krishna in chapter 6 verses 34 and 35
Chanchalam hi mana Krishna pramathi balvadhadham I
Tasyaham nighraham manye vayoriv sudushkaram II
For Krishna, the mind is very unsteady, turbulent, tenacious and powerful; therefore I consider it as difficult to control as the wind.
Shri Bhagwanuvach
Asanshayam mahabaho mano durnighrham chalam I
Abhyasen tu kaunteya vairagyen ch grihate II
Shri Bhagwan said: The mind is restless no doubt and difficult to curb, Arjuna; but it can be brought under control by repeated practice of meditation and by the exercise of dispassion, O son of Kunti.
Why does it take a prolonged time for our soul to manifest?-II
10.05.13
Sarvadharmaanparityajaya mamekam sharanam vraj I
Aham tyaam sarvapapebhyo mokshyishyami ma shuch II
Resigning all your duties to Me, the all powerful and all pervading Lord, take refuge in Me alone. I shall absolve you of all sins, worry not.
From Bhagwad Gita chapter 18, verse 66.