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Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 2 - Saankhya Yoga 46
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Jnana-Karmasannyasa Yoga 30
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 Sannyasa Yoga 20
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Dhyaana Yoga 15
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 Jnana-Vijnana Yoga 16
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Akshara Brahman Yoga 17
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Rajavidya Rajaguhya Yoga 20
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 Vibhuti Yoga 22
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga 10
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 Bhakti Yoga 16
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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 Kshetra-Kshetrajna vibhagah yoga 23
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1 Comment
+ Role play between आत्मा & कर्ता-भोक्ता – these deliberate, theatrical exercises drive home the point better sometimes +
Understanding the आत्मा is not denying the experiences of the कर्ता-भोक्ता |
Yes, कर्ता-भोक्ता is going through a tough time, and I am in and through that.
Swaminiji has previously done a podcast on this – So we want to alternate between सखा भाव and साक्षी भाव |
What does this mean? That when the experiencer is going through a lot of overwhelm, then the way you talk to yourself has to be as a सखा/friend. Don’t talk about the आत्मा | No, just don’t.
At other times when you’re doing the inquiry, then- I am aware of this, I am aware of the doer, the experiencer and so on, and all that. And you see that more clearly.
So it’s like the army that is preparing for war. On the eve of war, you are not going to say- Oh, I am साक्षी | You want to slap someone, but you say I am साक्षी | If indeed you see the truth, you will not want to slap that person.
So सखा भाव because we want to function according to धर्म, and we start with being friendly to oneself. Be kind, be supportive, be encouraging because that’s what you need if you’re going through overwhelm.
And then when you are a little more settled, either you say this too shall pass, which is a great reminder of the truth, and you say I am in and through all of this. I am in and through the anger.
आत्मा is not denial of anger. आत्मा supports your anger actually, आत्मा supports your sadness, आत्मा is present in and through.
Just like the light that you see. If one is asked what do you see, you will say- Oh, I see you, and I see one plant, and a picture, and all that. But there is light which is taken for granted. You see the light and everything else is seen in the presence of that light.
And so आत्मा is not opposed to कर्ता-भोक्ता |
Otherwise we will only be looking at आत्मा as the manager of the experiencer.
So, you want to calm down, so therefore you objectify. Then what will happen is you will be dissociated, and people will think well, what’s wrong with you, you’ve become very cold, very uninvolved, unaffected, like I can’t relate to you anymore. Because you think आत्मा is separate like CCTV, watching कर्ता-भोक्ता | No.
So this आत्मा is ever revealing, self-revealing.
Then, in terms of degree of commitment, the next verse follows-
* श्लोक १७ *
तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणा: ।
गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धूतकल्मषा: ॥ १७॥
So some words are being used here to indicate the level of commitment to the मोक्ष pursuit.
The word तत् is a pronoun for That.
Who is That?
That is ब्रह्मन्, That is ईश्वर |
(i) तत् बुद्धि: – the one whose बुद्धि:/intellect is awake to ब्रह्मन् i.e. the one who has some insight, who appreciates the inquiry, may not fully understand, but recognizes that yes this inquiry is there, yes I may have got some insights, and it’s important to me. Just like earning a living is important to me. Managing my relationships is important to me. Doing good is important to me. So, just like that, this मोक्ष pursuit is also important to me. I give some time, effort, energy in all my other pursuits of धर्म, अर्थ, काम; I also give some time and attention to the मोक्ष pursuit.
(ii) तत् आत्मान: – Then, the more you find the time and leisure to appreciate this knowledge, and as it starts to flow a little bit more in your life, then that person is तत् आत्मान: |
It could be the same person who goes through different stages of commitment, or it could be referring to different people who have different levels of commitment to the मोक्ष pursuit.
तत् आत्मान: ~ That ब्रह्मन् that is spoken of is me. I have a deeper understanding of that, or I abide more in this understanding.
(iii) तत् निष्ठा: – निष्ठ is lifestyle commitment. So for the one who is committed only to this, which is a जिज्ञासु | So the one who wants to know. Yes I get on with all other things in life, but this is such an important commitment that I give it some time, some effort and attention. In fact, a lot of my pursuits revolve around मोक्ष pursuit. So, it is this जिज्ञासु, the one who wants to know, the one who has जिज्ञास, and in time that person will become तत् परायणा: |
(iv) तत् परायणा: is the the ultimate goal; referring to ब्रह्मन् only.
So for whom the truth is accomplished, in the sense the one who sees that I was already accomplished.
There is one very beautiful book called ‘Accomplishing the Accomplished’, a book on वेदान्त by one of Pujya Swamiji’s students who teaches academically, Prof. Anantanand Rambachan.
So you accomplish what is unaccomplished. Correct? I don’t have money, I work for it. I don’t have enough pleasure in my life, then I do something about it.
But this is such a weird pursuit. Because I’m already the आत्मा, but I am pursuing the आत्मा |
So, on the face of it, it’s ridiculous. But since आत्मा is not known, therefore there is an as though gain, an as though commitment, and so on.
So for this person, the truth is very clear.
And for for such a person, what happens is कल्मषा:/impurities, i.e. whatever impurities are there, they have been destroyed by ज्ञानम् |
And as a result of that,
गच्छन्ति अपुन: आवृत्तिम् – so they’re not going to come back again.
Meaning they’re not going to have the cycle of birth and death.
So what do you mean, I will die? No, you’re one with ईश्वर, you’re always here.
In the second chapter we saw that either you are going to be having lifetime after lifetime, so anyway you are here, always around. Or you are one with ईश्वर | You won’t have a form in that sense. But you’re always here.
So no cycle of birth and death. In other words, no संसार, no cycle of becoming.
Then what are these impurities/कल्मषा:?
In वेदान्त we talk about three kinds of impurities-
1. मल – means रागद्वेष | मल generally means some dirt. Something that colors one’s understanding and therefore dealings with life.
E.g. I hate people who belong to that community~ द्वेष | I love these people who belong to a particular community, I only hang around with them ~ राग |
This is referred to as मल/impurity. Why?
Because it prevents me from being in touch with functional reality.
And so one can get on the self improvement trip and say- Oh, I have to deal with my रागद्वेष | Well, the way you deal with it is to offer it to ईश्वर |
That yes, I find this particular community annoying, let’s say I want to avoid them at all costs. But I will act according to the धर्म of the situation, and all my angst I offer it to you ईश्वर, you please take.
So रागद्वेष is not determining my life, and my mood. The great mood, because we are all very moody people, so रागद्वेष is not determining by mood.
Whatever has to be done I do, and in time रागद्वेष does not define me. It does not determine my mood.
2. विक्षेप – means some sort of projection or disturbance.
Now let’s say that I have managed to neutralize a lot of रागद्वेष with कर्म योग बुद्धि: and all that, so I’m more or less okay. I have some preferences, they are not so binding any more, but I am always distracted.
Just can’t sit still. Luckily for this group, most of us are 35+, so we are not the millennial generation, for whom it’s like everything is buzzing all the time, so much distraction.
So this distraction, each will understand what level of focus one has, when you sit for जप |
Just sit for जप, you will know how you go across on world tour or across galaxies, past, present, future, all the way everywhere.
And that’s why we give a repetitive thought- just stay with the sound; you’re staying with the deity actually, staying with the मंत्र | The मंत्र is the sound form of the deity. Stay. Going here and there, everywhere, you come back, come back, come back, come back. Don’t have to be judgmental of yourself. Just come back. That’s the discipline.
So this विक्षेप is another impurity.
And for that साधु-s sit for hours and hours doing जप | Because one needs a very focused focus. Because the subject matter is like this.
Anything you are pursuing requires some focus. But here because we tend to get distracted, or we distract ourselves, because some things become uncomfortable.
It’s like on a daily basis this happens I’m sure with everyone. You have at least two important tasks to do that day. Then you are dilly-dallying to get into the right mood, or doing some other admin stuff, saying that I’ll get to that soon. Why? Because I don’t want to start feeling uncomfortable in the beginning of the day. I want to feel nice. And then when I have to rush rush rush because there’s not much time ~ so विक्षेप, disturbance/ projection.
3. अज्ञानम् – this is the biggest one, because of which I make wrong conclusions about myself.
And then I say- Oh, I am a list of my favorite things, रागद्वेष | And then I only hang out with these people, and I feel very special about myself. You know, I am a वेदान्तिन् | So this is snobbery. Don’t think very highly of yourself because you’re pursuing वेदान्त | Oh those people are द्वैत, those people are just doing प्राणायाम | Sometimes in class to point out the limitations of a method one may say that, but it’s possible that we may unconsciously pick it up. So there is no need to feel superior because you are pursuing वेदान्त | Because it becomes one more thing to struggle with. Because I feel insignificant, I say~ Oh, I’m a योगी, or I am a meditator, and I chant मंत्र-s and one feels so unique and so special; but hello- you’re still identified with body-mind.
अज्ञानम् has not gone.
So there are subtle ways in which these impurities affect us. But for these groups of people for whom it’s a commitment.
Commitment- don’t conjure fancy ideas. It is just about being consistent with something that is important to you.
And for every single person and for all संन्यासी-s also, there will be phases when you’re very involved with whatever is the pursuit, and then at times you’re just sailing, you’re just floating. Then sometimes you are like okay, not a big deal, not as involved. But the way we perceive our involvement, we have a judgment on that. And then we’ll say- Oh, I’m falling off the track, but all this is not required at all. The ship never sails in a straight line, with all the fancy GPS and whatever else. It stays on track for sure, but moves a little bit here, a little bit there.
So we want to review the kind of commitment we have to earning money and to seeking pleasure. Is that a pursuit? Yes. Are there days that you are not having fancy meals? Yes. Are there days that you are on medical leave, casual leave, privilege leave, whatever leave? Yes. Does it mean you have no commitment to earning money? No. Or you’re just cruising along, whatever in your relationships etc. Nothing fancy, nothing earth- shattering is happening. Are you still involved? Yes.
Then why when it comes to मोक्ष, why would you make that judgment? Okay, there are phases when there are lots of things happening, maybe you kind of fall off the grid, but if it is an important commitment then you’ll come back to it. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, anyway.
So talking about degrees of commitment, it depends on what is your level of विचार |
So to the extent that you have done the correct diagnosis of the human problem, to that extent you will make time, effort, attention for this, and of course it also depends on age and stage of life.