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Opening and closing prayer-chants 4
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Lecture1.1
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Bhagavad Gita Dhyaanam 6
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 9
Chanting only of Chapter 1 by Pujya Swami Dayananda ji
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Lecture3.1
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Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 2 - Saankhya Yoga 46
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Quiz4.1
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Lecture4.44
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 22
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Lecture5.1
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Jnana-Karmasannyasa Yoga 30
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Lecture6.1
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 Sannyasa Yoga 20
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Lecture7.1
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Lecture7.2
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Lecture7.3
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Lecture7.4
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Dhyaana Yoga 15
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Lecture8.1
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Lecture8.2
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 Jnana-Vijnana Yoga 16
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Lecture9.1
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Lecture9.2
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Lecture9.3
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Lecture9.16
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Akshara Brahman Yoga 17
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Lecture10.1
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Lecture10.2
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Lecture10.3
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Lecture10.4
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Lecture10.5
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Rajavidya Rajaguhya Yoga 20
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Lecture11.1
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Lecture11.2
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Lecture11.3
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Lecture11.4
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 Vibhuti Yoga 22
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Lecture12.1
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Lecture12.2
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Lecture12.22
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga 10
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Lecture13.1
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Lecture13.2
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Lecture13.3
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Lecture13.4
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Lecture13.5
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Lecture13.7
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Lecture13.8
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 Bhakti Yoga 16
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Lecture14.1
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Lecture14.2
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Lecture14.3
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Lecture14.4
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 Kshetra-Kshetrajna vibhagah yoga 37
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Lecture15.1
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Lecture15.2
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Lecture15.3
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Lecture15.4
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So far, we have looked at श्लोक-s १-८ | We saw the discussion of अवतार/divine incarnation, including the purpose of अवतार |
भगवान् श्री कृष्ण: says-
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥ ८॥ ~ For the establishment of धर्म, I come into being in every युग |
Time is cyclical, and consists of 4 युग-s ~ सत्ययुग, त्रेतायुग, द्वापरयुग, कलियुग | Each युग spans several 1000 years (see PDF document on this on Gita Amrtam tab on Slack).
And with the passage of time, धर्म will decline and be at its worse in कलियुग |
Generally, an अवतार comes at the end or beginning of a युग, and so भगवान् श्री कृष्ण: has come at this time i.e. at the end of द्वापरयुग |
And, what can one अवतार do? An अवतार can destroy अधर्म in the hearts of many people by the अवतार’s Teachings. And if one recognizes the value of धर्म, then our institutions will become धार्मिक् i.e. our families, schools, judiciary, executive, government. At all levels, all institutions- companies, corporates, non-profit organizations. Because a company, or a society is not an amorphous abstract entity; it is made up of people like us. Therefore, if the people who constitute and run the institutions are धार्मिक्, then it will help to promote the happiness, well-being & welfare of the cause that they serve.
People often complain about different institutions including our own companies. But who works in that company? Therefore, one should not behave helplessly, as if one can do nothing about it.
However, many times we operate out of fear. E.g. in the workplace there is a collapse of work boundaries with one expected to be available 24/7 to take calls. And one does not bring up this matter, because of the fear of the loss of my job. This lifestyle is not feasible, as then everyone gets burnt-out and then quit the position/sector/company. Or, one starts a new company, or scales down one’s lifestyle. So then who bells the cat? Because working 16-18-hour days is not sustainable in the long-run.
Even if one is a CEO with a lot of drive/passion for work, this one-dimensional focus is not conducive to a healthy family life etc.
Therefore this धर्मसंस्थापन (establishment of धर्म ) is really us recognizing the value of the value. E.g. I have to see what living the value of अहिंसा (causing the least injury) does for me. And I also have to recognize the corollaries of this. For instance, when I cause violence or violence is caused to me through words or actions, then what is the result? So, for each value we should examine what is the result of the lack of the value.
1. अहिंसा ~ What is the result of हिंसा on me and others~ family, extended community.
Group Discussion –
Physical – Bodily harm to oneself/others with loss of limb/life; loss of opportunities in life, loss of one’s livelihood.
Mental – Can affect one’s self esteem, with loss of trust in oneself, God, society, others. There is resentment towards the other person, and towards one’s own life. There may also be the feeling of intense rage with the desire for retaliation.
Spiritual – There is कर्म-bondage between the perpetrator & the recipient.
A violent episode pulls the perpetrator towards अधर्म and away from सत्त्व |
Intellectual – Then, violence distorts the recipient’s thinking. One compares oneself to others and wonders, why did this happen to me~ ‘why me’ and not someone else?
Another viewpoint on intellectual हिंसा is that one thinks it’s ‘my way or the highway’ with a missed chance for creative teamwork opportunity.
2. सत्यम् ~ What is the result of असत्यम्/lies on me and others.
Group Discussion –
The effect of lies is a loss of connection due to a lack of trust.
It leads to a loss of credibility for the person who speaks the untruth, and it affects one’s reputation in the long run.
असत्यम् leads to conflict for the victim of the untruth- external, as well as internal conflict.
There is also internal conflict for the person who speaks the untruth, due to that inner voice of धर्म, with the litmus test being a sleepless night.
3. अस्तेयम् ~ non-stealing. What is the result of stealing ideas, property, wealth.
Group Discussion –
Impact on others- One ends up hurting the other and losing relationships. Anger & resentment is created in the other person from whom one has stolen property/money/ideas. One loses respect in the other person’s eyes.
Impact on self- If the person is aware that stealing is wrong, but still does it out of habit then one loses peace of mind, and respect in one’s own eyes.
However, if one is unaware that stealing is wrong, maybe because one started at such a young age and was not corrected, then one may not have the moral compass of धर्म guiding but instead be living in an illusionary world that what one is doing is okay. E.g. Duryodhana believed that asking for the entire kingdom was right, because he was disconnected with his धर्म |
Additionally, when one steals, one robs oneself of the opportunity to gain that thing by धार्मिक् means. E.g. if one works in a team and steals another’s idea, then one loses the opportunity for oneself to gather that on one’s own.
4. शौचम् ~ external and internal cleanliness.
Group Discussion –
Physical & External & Internal –
Self-cleanliness avoids disease. External शौचम् involves keeping the environment & house clean. The impact of अशौचम् is the lack of environmental harmony and the spread of disease.
Uncleanliness comes from clutter & hoarding. This can be a symptom of incompleteness. The object has already served its purpose, but the emotional feeling associated with it is still there, so there is that attachment and so one hoards. Therefore, this external clutter is associated with cobwebs of the mind, which further drives internal अशौचम् of emotions and thoughts, e.g. greed, anger, jealousy.
Then in turn, this internal अशौचम् affects one’s external interactions in one’s relationships and reactions/responses.
Also, when one binge watches certain media, it affects one’s response to a given situation. E.g. if I watch an anxiety-provoking show, one’s immediate reaction to a situation may be anxiety.
शौचम् is in keeping with कर्म योग बुद्धि: and one’s स्वधर्म |
Overall, the cleaner the water (one’s mind), the sun shines better on it.
And so, we remember Marie Kondo’s decluttering motto ~ keep things that spark joy.
5. इन्द्रियनिग्रह (mastery/discipline over sense organs)
Group Discussion –
There is an intimate connection between इन्द्रियनिग्रह and doing what is right i.e. one’s स्वधर्म |
If one has strong likes & dislikes, and one is unable to control the senses, how does this impact me?
This can create a chaotic feeling, and lots of drama since there is the insistence that circumstances be a certain way in accordance with my likes/dislikes. Additionally, there is no inner orientation to धर्म as it is blocked by strong रागद्वेष | And so one feels disturbed with resultant anxiety & depression, because one’s happiness is tied to the fulfillment of the रागद्वेष through the sense organs, e.g. I must have my potatoes cooked a certain way, or else!
Also, depending on one’s role, इन्द्रियनिग्रह may have further import. For instance, a mother is a role model to her kids, so her lack of restraint can have an impact on her kids. In this example, the lack of fulfillment of the mother’s role due to lack of इन्द्रियनिग्रह can have further impact on the kids with resultant fragmented and unsafe feelings in the kids.
Also, at work a lack of इन्द्रियनिग्रह can have an impact with one being disorganized as one’s senses leads them outwards to check Facebook, instead of working on the task at hand.
6. स्वाध्याय (study of the शास्त्र)
Group Discussion –
Without स्वाध्याय one does not turn inwards, one continues with an external pursuit.
One would be intolerant, impatient, and have wrong perspectives that would not be corrected.
Such persons may be धार्मिक् in life, but since not pursuing वेदान्त, the understanding of one’s true nature never comes.
Important is learning under a गुरु | One will not get the correct understanding without a गुरु | For instance one may not have the कर्म योग understanding that I am a contributor and not the controller of a result.
Additionally, one may have certain limitations that one is unable to accept/overcome, and so face issues with self-acceptance. This essential problem cannot be overcome without a गुरु |
7. संतोष: (contentment). The opposite of this is that one is never satisfied. There may be the thinking that ambition is everything.
Group Discussion –
The result of a lack of संतोष: is never being satisfied with me or with others.
Work – One is never satisfied with one’s performance and feels the constant need to change. Also, the boss is never satisfied with the work done and so one is forced to do more.
Family – Despite loving family members, there seems to always be some discontentment with the need to change others.
Devoting oneself to others – There may be the feeling of personal dissatisfaction with how much I am able to give to others.
संतोष is an important value for कर्म योग, as if we always put ourselves under stress, then with an agitated/restless mind we cannot enjoy what we have. There is the feeling that I need to do more to get more, so the mind is not relaxed. And the restless mind can lead to lack of focus when one tries to do other tasks objectively, and so there is overall anxiety.
And from the कर्म योग perspective, by doing what needs to be done with a contented & satisfied mind, then the vision of ईश्वर and the acceptance of any results becomes more possible.
8. दया (compassion). The opposite of kindness is cruelty/harshness.
Group Discussion –
Compassion is a value which should be practiced by one as well as others. With the practice of compassion, there is the expectation of reciprocal compassion.
But, many times this may not be the case. So, how does one deal with this? Because one cannot force another to be compassionate to one.
Only by the practice of कर्म योग बुद्धि: can one accept this non-compassion.
An additional point was that compassion to other living beings e.g. animals & Mother Nature is needed. Compassion is not only towards human beings.
So, it is important to understand the implications of these values.
For instance, unless I see the effect of when I/another speaks a lie, and so fully grasp the value, then the value of सत्यम् remains a moralistic injunction to me, and then I tend to abstract the value and do not apply the value to myself or my situation.
So, one should see the effect of what अधर्म does to me. Only then do I implement धर्म because I recognize for myself that अधर्म is not working for me, or for the other.
ॐ