Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Ii

SHRIMAD-BHAGAVAD-GITA The Universal Message PART II Message Of: Bhagavan Shri Krishna Compiled By: Maharshi Vedavyas Bhashya by: Jagadguru Shankaracharya Commentary by: Swami Ranganathananda Summary: Satyendra Nath Dwivedi

“Om, may God protect us (teacher and student) together. May we be nourished together. May we attain vigor together. May we become illumined by this study. May we not hate each other. Om, peace, peace, peace”

1

SHRIMAD-BHAGAVAD-GITA PART II

2

CHAPTER 3: KARMA YOGA THE YOGA OF ACTION Why should I act? Why not keep quiet? After all, the Atman is absolutely inactive. If I want to be Atman, I should be inactive; so this theory of inaction has a tremendous appeal to the Indian mind. Why should I work? And that developed in such a way that more and more laziness came upon the people.

“In the beginning of the creation, O sinless one, the two-fold path was given by Me to this world – the path of knowledge for the Sankhyas, and the path of work for the yogis.”

“But, O Arjuna, one who controlling the senses by the mind, and remaining unattached directs the organs of action to the yoga of action, excels.” Vedanta repeatedly says, work freely, give freely, whatever you do the people, give it with a free mind, not with a sense of that ‘kanjus’ or miserly attitude with a very very limited mind. Whatever actions are to be done, do them well. Suppose you are working in an office, you have got some responsibilities: discharge them properly – let not anybody have to come to supervise or say, do this and that. We need to develop self-respect so that we will do the work allotted to us to the best of our capacity. That attitude is an excellent attitude, a free people’s attitude. Before taking give; then you get the best. There is unity in this universe. Everything is related to everything else. Nothing is unrelated. “Our Upanishads say that the cause of all misery is ignorance; and that is perfectly true when applied to every state of life, either social or spiritual. It is ignorance that makes us hate each other, it is ignorance that we do not know, and do not love, each other. As soon as we come to know each other, love comes, must come, for are we not one? Thus we find solidarity coming in spite of itself.” - Swami Vivekananda God projected the world out of himself; first the cosmos, then the starry heavens and all living organisms and eventually the human species. Everything comes

3

from that One, and into that One the whole world will go eventually. That is the Indian concept of creation as projection. Mutuality, interdependence is the way to progress; not by isolation, not by confrontation, not by exploitation. Nature is not something to be destroyed. Nature can be used, but it must be replenished also. If you don’t replenish it, you will be in trouble. The principle of a healthy social life is also based on ‘parasparam bhavayantah’ principle; not by fighting with each other, but by helping each other, serving each other; that will help all people to rise to the highest level. If you take from nature and not give back to nature, you will suffer. Take and give back: that is the nature of a healthy human-environmental relation. Wherever you give back to nature, nature also gives you good things. Whatever was a ritualistic idea in the ‘karma kanda’, the ritualistic portion of the Vedas, becomes converted into ethical idea of renunciation and service in the Gita. ‘Yajna’ means an action oriented to the welfare of all around you, including yourself. “The national ideals of India are ‘Renunciation’ and ‘Service’. Intensify her in those channels, and the rest will take care of itself.” - Swami Vivekananda The whole of ethical life is concentrated in two principles: renunciation and service. Renunciation of what? This self-centered ego or self. That has to be renounced. The larger Self must manifest. Then every action becomes service. A ritualistic concept of the Vedas becomes transformed into a highly ethical principle, making for integration of human beings with other human beings in a society, and of the human being with outside nature. Today in all international discussions on the subject, we make a distinction between human needs and human wants. And Gandhiji said, “There is enough in this world to meet human needs, but there is not enough to meet human wants”. When one realizes the infinite Atman, he or she does good to society not as a duty, not out of social compulsion, but as a spontaneous outflow of love and service. When you have nothing of your own to obtain, you serve to help others gain their interests in life. That is a woeful quality of human life.

4

“Therefore, do thou always perform obligatory actions, without attachment; by performing action without attachment, the human being attains to the highest.” To be detached is very difficult. But that does not mean we should not start trying. In the beginning it may be difficult, but as you go on doing, you will find more and more areas in which you are able to perform actions in a spirit of nonattachment; by constant struggle, we can enrich our lives with the spirit of nonattachment. ‘Lokasamgraha’ is a tremendous concept of general human welfare, and it must be a constant attitude in our minds.

“Whatever the superior person does, that is also followed by others; what standard he or she demonstrates by action, people follow that. I have, O Partha, no duty, nothing that I have not gained, and nothing that I have yet to gain, in the three worlds; yet I do continue in action. If ever I did not continue to work without any relaxation, O Partha, men and women would, in every way follow my example.” ‘Lokasamgraha’ is the wonderful motivation for work of a high quality spiritual type that, in this world of work, we can become deeply spiritual if the motivation is ‘Lokasamgraha’. You can make men and women bewildered by speaking to them something for which they are not prepared; that is not correct. Make them understand; slowly lead them step by step. “A good teacher is one who will come to the level of the student, and then slowly lift him or her up…. Do not disturb the faith of any man. If you can give, give him something better; if you can, get hold of a man where he stands and give him a push upwards; do so, but do not destroy what he has. The only true teacher is one who immediately comes down to the level of the student and transfers his soul to the student’s soul and see through the student’s eyes and hear through his ears and understand through his mind.” 5

-

Swami Vivekananda

In Vedanta, nature in the human being is both external nature as well as a higher dimension of nature which finds expression as intelligence; this distinction between lower dull external nature, ‘apara prakriti’, and higher inner nature ‘para prakriti’ is discussed in 4th to 6th Chapters of the Gita. When you become spiritually awakened, you are able to regulate these nature’s functions and make them moral and ethical and value oriented. All values, says Vedanta, have their source in the Atman. The whole subject of the science of religion and spirituality, which is Vedanta, is how to strengthen that little focus of freedom and make the human being truly free from thralldom to nature. Behind the ego is the ‘Atman’, our own infinite divine nature, which is the only source of all freedom and of all values. When you realize this truth, you go beyond the constraints of nature.

“Renouncing all actions to Me, with mind centered on the Self, getting rid of hope and selfishness, fight on, free from mental fever.” The Gita wants us to be absolutely calm and steady while at work. All our national problems we can solve, when we become efficient and honest workers, calm, silent, and steady. Great books are eternal books, immortal literature. About five thousand years ago the ‘Mahabharata’ war took place. Shri Krishna gave this message to Arjuna. After all these thousands of years, you find it is so relevant to everyone in the amazing modern age, not only in India, but also outside India. The message given to human beings: “how to make him or her free; that freedom is one’s birthright, it is built into each person, only he or she doesn’t know how to manifest it.” Shri Krishna is helping us to manifest that ever present freedom that is within ourselves. Nature is also within us, not merely outside. Our body, our sensory system, even our psyche, is all outposts of external nature in you and me. That nature exerts a great force within us. We are pulled down by that nature to live like an ordinary animal or beast; we must reckon with this nature. In a human being, that nature in its outer and inner forms is there; but something else is also there, the highest form of nature, the Atman. That something is the human source of freedom, the Atman manifesting through the body mind 6

complex as an urge for freedom: “I want to take my life in my own hands and shape it; I don’t want nature to shape it”. Human life is a struggle. The concept of human life as a struggle is a wonderful concept. Animals do not struggle to manifest themselves on a higher plane. We struggle. Their struggle is for mere survival, eating, drinking, and mating; ours is not for mere survival; something within us is seeking expression and to dominate this body-mind complex. Philosophy of the afternoon of human life: “Have I enriched myself qualitatively.” What a beautiful concept! More of peace, more of joy, more of compassion – that spiritual development must become the main activity in the afternoon of one’s life. There is a need on our part to have faith in ourselves, in one’s own psychological disposition. One can change it for better but should not exchange it, should not cast oneself in the mould of somebody else. Vedanta speaks of six enemies of every human being. They are all inside the human being: ‘Kama’ (desire), ‘krodha’ (anger), ‘lobha’ (greed), ‘moha’ (delusion), mada (pride and arrogance), and ‘matsarya’ (jealousy). The human being alone can tackle them and defeat them with spiritual strength. Desires are endless; as soon as you satisfy one, ten will arise. All sin, evil, and crime come from these two forces: ‘kama’ and ‘krodha’, which arise from ‘rajoguna’. Unrestrained ‘kama’ and ’krodha’ are human being’s eternal enemies. The divine nature, the knowledge of it, becomes hidden by the overwhelming nature of this ‘kama’ and ‘krodha’ born of ‘rajas’. It is out of this that every evil comes.

“Desire is not quenched by satisfying of the desire; it only gets inflamed like fire into which butter is poured.” Shrimad Bhagavat Education is meant to help us start that spiritual growth and become decent citizens in society. Education actually means in the language of Swami Vivekananda, “manifestation of the perfection already in the human being.” We are to unfold those beautiful possibilities hidden within ourselves, so that peacefulness, humanist concern, a spirit of dedication and service, all these can come from within ourselves, if only we know how to handle the wonderful thing called the human mind. 7

When you train the mind, you are a master. This subject of training the mind is not meant merely for school and college students. Every citizen in every field of life, whether alone or in the field of work, must be busy with this one work: to train the mind so that efficiency may increase and self-restraint gained. In the Kathopanishad, Yama had told Nachiketa: “Life is a journey to fulfillment; every human being has been properly equipped for this journey. Body is the chariot, sensory systems are the horses; motive power of the journey is in the horses – not in the chariot. To control the sensory system is the ‘manas’, like the reins to control the horses. And the reins are held by the charioteer, the driver that is ‘buddhi’.” Yama warns that if this journey is to take us to the destination, we must take a particular wisdom with us: “Let not the journey be controlled by the sensory system, namely, the horses; nor by reins, the manas. The journey must be controlled by the buddhi, the driver, the charioteer.” Vedanta accepts that a natural, spontaneous life is the best for human beings; but you won’t get this without passing through the hell of discipline. Otherwise it will be animal nature and nothing else.

“Two types of people in this world enjoy happiness – the utter foolish person and the one who has gone beyond ‘buddhi’ (and realized Atman); all people in between are in varying stages of struggle and tension.” - Shrimad Bhagavat [3.7.17] We must pass through the struggle, we discipline the energies of the sensory system through the help of the ‘manas’ and ‘buddhi’. Then we come to a second type of naturalness – that is real naturalness. All impulses are not meant to be released. You have to discriminate which is worth releasing and which is not. When you become truly ‘spiritually strong’, then you can release all impulses because they will always be pure, coming from the depth of human spirit. Discipline the sensory system. Without it you cannot build up your character, your personality, or achieve life’s fulfillment. The most important asset is our children, not the house, nor the bank account; these are secondary. The primary asset is our children. If they are healthy, if they are in a well-balanced disposition, we are happy, they are happy, and the world is happy. If they go wrong, we are all unhappy. So we have to protect the health of our children, physical as well as psychic.

8

The human being is a combination of necessity and freedom. We are partly determined by nature, partly we are free. A little bit of that freedom in us makes us restless. The human being is the only restless being in God’s creation: that little freedom in me wants to find expression. As a human being, if you want to develop character, if you want to realize your higher potentialities, you must discipline this tremendous energy system known as the senses. It is like controlling the horse to ensure a safe journey. When the sensory system is free from infection, mind remains healthy, and buddhi remains healthy. Your pursuit of human excellence becomes a success.

“The sense organs are said to be superior (to the body), the mind is superior to the sense organs, the ‘buddhi’ or intellect is superior to the mind, and that which is superior to the intellect is He (the ever-free Self, the Atman).” This truth of Atman or Brahman is referred to in Vedanta in various ways. ‘Om tat sat’ (Om That Truth); ‘Tat tvam asi’ (You are That). A special feature of that Truth is: It is ever pure, ever free, ever luminous. That is the supreme teaching of Vedanta. In his ‘Brahma-Sutra’ commentary, Shankaracharya refers to it as: ‘nityashuddha, nityamukta, nityabuddha svabhav parmantman’: “that supreme Self which is ever pure, ever free, ever illuminated.” Nowhere in the Vedantic teaching will you find the idea that the human being is a sinner. He or she commits sin, no doubt. But he or she is not a sinner. Because, not knowing one’s true nature, one commits sin; but our redemption is also builtin in each one of us. “A Vedic sage stood up before the world and in a trumpet voice proclaimed the glad tidings: ‘Hear, ye children of immortal bliss! Even ye that reside in higher spheres! I have found the Ancient One, who is beyond all darkness, all delusion: knowing Him alone you shall be saved from death ever again.’ Come up O lions, and shake off the delusion that you are sheep; you are souls immortal, spirits free, blest and eternal; ye are not matter, ye are not bodies; matter is your servant.” - Swami Vivekananda Shankaracharya says that whatever is subtle compared to the gross is ‘Para’. The gross is ordinary; the subtle is higher, superior to the gross. The sense objects are gross, you can touch them, you can handle them; but the sense

9

organs are not gross; they are comparatively more subtle and we have always understood that energy in gross form is inferior to energy in subtle form. Buddhi is considered to be ‘the nearest to the Atman’, ‘nedishtham Brahma’. Brahman, also called Atman, is your Self. When the buddhi develops the purity to be able to look back, it realizes the infinite Atman or Brahman, and the person who experiences this becomes a Buddha, the enlightened one. Our redemption is built into us. We have only to discover this truth. Shankaracharya says in his Gita commentary that not even God can destroy the real Self of human beings. In the whole of world’s literature, the Gita and the Upanishads are the only great books where you find this subject constantly emphasized, namely faith in oneself – ‘Atma-shraddha’, strength and fearlessness. The Upanishads are the great mine of strength. Therein lies strength enough to invigorate the whole world; the whole world can be vivified, made strong, energized through them. They will call with trumpet voice upon the week, the miserable, and the downtrodden of all races, all creeds, and all sects, to stand on their own feet and be free. Freedom, physical freedom, mental freedom, and spiritual freedom are the watchwords of the Upanishads. CHAPTER 4: KARMA SANYAS YOGA YOGA OF RENUNCIATION OF ACTION The philosophy, that is called by the simple word Yoga, and is treated as practical Vedanta, was communicated by a succession of teachers and students. When this Yoga fell into the hands of weaklings, physically and mentally weak (without the discipline of the sensory energies), Yoga became diluted day by day and was lost. Shankaracharya says: When people lost their physical strength, their mental vigor and also their control over the sensory system – high character cannot come without a measure of control of the sensory system – when such a situation came, this Yoga became diluted and lost. When there is more than one person, the idea of power comes in, the idea of management comes in, administration comes in. We need a philosophy to guide the holders of power. If that philosophy doesn’t inspire the holders of power, he or she runs amock, becoming inebriated by power. When you don’t digest power, it inebriates you. Power is something that inebriates the human mind. That power can be political, intellectual, money power, or feudal pedigree power.

10

All experiences are to be digested. And there is only one energy that can digest them; that is the spiritual energy within you. The fire of spirituality can digest all kinds of power. In a feudal society, feudal power touches man and woman to make him or her small. In a democratic society, political power touches people to make them big with self respect and sense of freedom. When they get this power of Yoga philosophy, they become capable of working for the happiness and welfare of the people. The whole teaching of the Gita goes to the people all over the world with this message of ‘atma-vikasa’, spiritual growth; this is a type of greatness, before which all others will also feel great. Every child must feel, every laborer must feel, that he or she has a place in society, must feel elevated, and know that free India is there to help him or her. “Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal.” - Swami Vivekananda Let education put every child on this road to being a ‘mahatma’; little by little so that by the time the child reaches the age of retirement, he or she would have developed a good deal of spiritual development. That is real scientific education, making for spiritual growth, development, fulfillment, and carrying the world with oneself by that inner growth. This kind of spiritual growth is the birthright of every human being, says Vedanta. This is the central theme of the Gita. It is not an ascetic philosophy; it is not a world-rejecting philosophy; it is life in action, but life in action motivated by humanistic consideration of love and service. The difference between God and all of us is: we are subject to ‘Maya’, but all ‘Maya’ is subject to the divine. He is free, we are not free. We are the same divine, but we are subject to this ‘Maya’, therefore we are finite, human individuals. But our nature is that infinite one, as Vedanta will say again and again. “God enchained is man, man unchained is God.” -

Shri Ramakrishna

An ordinary saint cannot make the world move. A few people can benefit. But when an incarnation comes, he or she makes the world move. And he or she can produce many saints by one’s own spiritual energy.

11

In history you will find that, whenever there is that devotion to a divine Incarnation, high character, tremendous energy, all these qualities will flow from that kind of devotion.

“Whenever, O descendent of Bharat, there is decline of Dharma, and rise of adharma, then I body myself forth.”

“For the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of dharma, I come into being in every age.” “The national ideals of India are renunciation and service. Intensify her in those channels, and the rest will take care of itself. The banner of spirituality cannot be raised too high in this country. In it alone is salvation.” - Swami Vivekananda The divine spark in all of us, which shines only a little bit, in a twinkle, shines in brilliance in that divine personality. So, he is described as a divine embodiment, and he comes to lift us up to our own inherent divine stature. That is the significance of the ‘avatars’ in Indian cultural context.

“Freed from attachment, fear, and anger, absorbed in me, taking refuse in me, purified by the fire of knowledge, many have attained to my being.” Vedanta does not consider even fear as a friend of moral and spiritual life. Fear is an inhibitor of high action. The human mind must be raised to the level of knowledge seeking. And what is learned must be digested, must be assimilated. Emotions of anger, lustful tendencies, hatred, fear – all these have to be burnt in the fire of knowledge. Vedanta proclaims that the source of all values is the infinite and ever-pure and ever-free Atman in the depth of body-mind complex. Vedanta also holds that the science of values is the link between the physical science and the science of spirituality.

12

The great word ‘tapa’ has been interpreted by Shankaracharya quoting from ‘Yagnavalkya Smriti’ as: ‘manaasashcha indriyanam cha aikagryam tapa uchyate’ – “the concentration of the mind and the sense organs is known as ‘tapa’.” Nowhere in world’s religious literature, except in India’s ‘Sanatana Dharma’, will you find an expression like this: ‘Veda paragaih’ – a devotee going beyond the Vedas, or any scripture. Words do not give you the truth. Truth comes only through experience. That knowledge, which is purely intellectual, becomes an experiential knowledge through this kind of ‘tapa’, which Vedanta describes as ‘nirvikalpo hi ayam drishta prapanchopashamo’. Not only so, ‘advayah’ – non-dual. There is no multiplicity in this ultimate reality. One infinite consciousness is there, in which all this universe appears with all its diversity; we see this diversity now with our senses, and when we realize this truth diversity goes. There is only one Atman in everyone. That is the highest spiritual realization. Nature has given us this cerebral system. It has a tremendous capacity to discriminate, to fix goals and to proceed in that direction. Man alone has the capacity to seek knowledge: physical as well as spiritual. The search for higher things will be emphasized again and again in the case of human beings. That is the line of human evolution; otherwise, it will be absolute stagnation at the physical level. Human brain is not meant to be a mere instrument for personal survival. It is meant to take us to the highest level of freedom, and take others also to that high level of freedom – for spiritual growth, development and fulfillment of oneself and others. The ‘buddhi-yoga’ means detaching this higher brain from the control of the lower brain and making it function independently and freely by aligning with the Atman just behind. ‘Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti’: Truth is one; sages call it by various names.

13

“In whatever way men and women worship me, in the same way do I fulfill their desires; (it is) my path, O son of Pritha, (that) people tread in all ways.” That is the tremendous contribution of Indian culture, coming not from any kind of expediency or policy, but out of a comprehensive spiritual vision, philosophical understanding: “Men and women always adopt a path which is leading to Me.” “I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.” - Swami Vivekananda “As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their waters in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to thee.” - Swami Vivekananda “From the high spiritual flights of the Vedanta philosophy, of which the latest discoveries of science seem like echoes, to the low ideas of idolatry with its multifarious mythology, the agnosticism of the Buddhists, and the atheism of the Jains, each and all have a place in the Hindu religion.” - Swami Vivekananda When that freedom to choose what you like according to your ‘guna’ and ‘karma’ is there, then a society becomes healthy. You can do better work, more creative work, when the mind is detached. Creativity cannot come from the attached state of mind. From a detached state of mind only it can come.

“Actions do not taint me, nor have I any thirst for the result of action. He who knows me thus is not fettered by action.” The human mind can become unattached. That is the challenge given by the Gita with respect to all work. Especially, in this highly industrial age, when work creates tension, blood pressure, and bad moods, the only way is to practice detachment. Then any amount of work will not trouble me.

14

“One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent among beings, he or she is Yogi and a doer of all action.” While working, you are not only working but also expressing your personality in work. In work, when you express your personality, it is a wonderful spiritual experience. Even the simplest work, you can find joy in it, because you have spiritual value into the work. Work itself is just an external action. But it is mind that gives value to the work that I do. I inject that value in the work; then I find it is fine and quite pleasant. Detachment is not possible until one recognizes the Truth proclaimed by Vedanta or the science of human possibilities, that in every human being, there is everpure, ever-free, higher Self which is the true nature of all. Nothing is great in work itself. It is the attitude of the worker that evaluates a work as good or bad. That lesson the Gita teaches again and again. If the attitude is good, the work is good. If the attitude is wrong, your work is wrong. So control your attitude. That is in your power. When the mind is properly disciplined, and if there is perfect detachment of mind, then working will be as good as non-working, it will mean relaxation. In work itself you find relaxation. There is joy in work also. When you put your soul in your work and feel a sense of detachment, so far as the lower ego is concerned, you discover the truth of it. So there is a state of mind where heavy work doesn’t make you feel a sense of heaviness. You feel relaxed, because you have touched some deeper reality within yourself. You are not the ego, constantly in tension. Everybody is ordinary or extraordinary, as he or she thinks of oneself. That is what Vedanta teaches and our people must learn. Have faith in yourself. You can do wonders. Every word in the Gita is meant to make people better and better, civilization richer and purer. This is a profound Vedantic truth that there is only Brahman in this universe, infinite, non-dual pure Consciousness. That has manifested this universe; objects, actions, subjects, everything is only one infinite Brahman; that is the Truth.

15

“Some again offer all actions of sense organs and the functions of ‘Prana’, the vital energy, in the yoga fire of self-control, kindled by spiritual knowledge.” Mere physical activity, mere ritual activity, without the ‘jnana’ behind it, has absolutely no value for human development, for character development. All the ‘indriya’ activities, all the ‘Prana’ activities, all these you can throw into the fire of ‘atma-sanyama’ – Self control, self-discipline; take all these energies and put them into that fire, then they become high character. ‘Atma-sanyama’ – inner discipline is compared to fire. That fire is to be lit up by the fire of ‘jnana’; then only it is worthwhile. ‘Love of God’, ‘Knowledge of God’ – both have the power to transform human character. After finishing our university education, we should not give up our study. Study and search for knowledge must continue. As long as we live, so long we should continue to study. In the early Vedic period, ‘yajna’ merely means lighting a fire, pouring some ghee or some other kinds of grains into that fire. But in the Gita, it has got such a vide meaning. All aspects of life, even the food that you take, those who are spiritually inclined, they treat it as offering ‘yajna’ into the fire of Brahman that is in your stomach. That is also ‘yajna’; eating is not for mere sense satisfaction, you get life energy.

“Know That (Supreme Brahman), by prostrating yourself, by repeated questioning, and by service; the ‘jnanis’, those who have realized the Truth, will instruct you in that knowledge.” Questioning is needed for developing knowledge. Only truth can stand questioning; and it encourages it. It is actual experience. Service is a tremendous source of spiritual development, character development. Learn to serve, that is how you develop high character. So, here, service of elders, service of those who know more than you, service of the holy, is always considered to be a spiritual sadhana. In the case of the highest knowledge, the knowledge of ‘Brahman’, the infinite, immortal and non-dual Reality, it is taught with very little utterances: the briefer the better. Even silence is far better than speech in this particular field.

16

We need that spirit of humility, to be able to receive what is given, and to digest what is received. That attitude of mind is absolutely essential for true knowledge. Knowledge will then flow into character and wisdom. And the supreme ‘tattvam’ is ‘Brahman’. Behind the whole universe is that one infinite truth that is called by the Upanishads ‘satyasya satyam’, the Truth of Truth, or ‘param tattvam’. These are the words used in the Vedantic literature. In spiritual development, we take away all sense of separateness between all beings. Normally, we feel separate from each other. As you grow spiritually, separateness becomes removed. We are essentially one. “Our Upanishads say that the cause of misery is ignorance; and that is perfectly true when applied to every state of life, either social or spiritual. It is ignorance that makes us hate each other, it is through ignorance that we do not know and we do not love each other. As soon as we come to know each other, love comes, must come, for are we not one? Thus we find solidarity coming in spite of itself.” - Swami Vivekananda When our minds become free from this idea of separateness, we can enter into the heart of other people. Difference is a fact, but it is not the truth; the truth is, we are all one. That ‘Advaita jnana’ must be there within you. Then you will always be successful in dealing with each other.

“As a blazing fire reduces all fuel into ashes, so, O Arjuna, does the fire of spiritual knowledge reduce all actions to ashes.” High character means a tremendous blazing fire of spiritual knowledge within. When you light the fire of ‘jnana’, you are able to handle all your mental troubles and tensions.

“Verily, there exists nothing in this world as purifying as ‘jnana’ or spiritual knowledge. In good time, having reached perfection in yoga, one realizes that in oneself.” It may be a small fire to begin with, but it will become a mighty fire. That will come to you, because that is your true nature, says Vedanta.

17

‘Lighting the fire of knowledge’ is a beautiful conception. All knowledge is meant for that. The knowledge that you get in education is not merely book knowledge. That is how you realize you have to light the fire of knowledge in your heart. Human beings can understand the source from which we and the universe have come. We can become one with it. “Education is the manifestation of the perfection already within the human being.” - Swami Vivekananda

“The person with ‘shraddha’ or faith and devotion, the master of one’s senses, attains (this) knowledge. Having attained knowledge, one attains at once the supreme peace.” ‘Shraddha’ means faith in oneself, faith in the meaningfulness of this universe. Shraddha is a great virtue, which mere intellectual education can easily destroy. Shankaracharya defines ‘shraddha’ in a beautiful phrase: ‘Shraddha’ is ‘astikya buddhi’, the positive frame of mind is called ‘shraddha’. ‘Shraddha’ means the meaningfulness of the world. I have accepted it, I am going in that direction. And I have faith in myself, that I have the organic capability to pierce the veil that covers the truth. If you realize the Atman fully, then you become a centre of infinite peace. This is the truth of the human being from the physical to the spiritual dimension. Any one-sided development makes for cynicism. That capacity to love, to understand, and to become one with others, it is that capacity that makes one creative.

“With work renounced by yoga and doubts rent as under by spiritual knowledge, O Dhananjaya, actions do not bind one who is poised in the self.”

“Therefore, cutting with the sword of knowledge, this doubt about the self, born of ignorance residing in your heart, resort to yoga and arise, O Bharat.” 18

Stand up to break down this kind of doubt and these weaknesses within, cut them off. You can achieve it. Nature has given you the capacity. Utilize all those capacities and achieve freedom, freedom from doubt, freedom from fear. What a beautiful and powerful message is going to humanity from this great teacher, Shri Krishna. The Kathopanishad also sends out this summon to all humanity:

“Arise, Awake, and approaching noble people enlighten yourself.”

CHAPTER 5: SANNYAS YOGA THE YOGA OF RENUNCIATION Whenever the human being is there and is striving for fulfillment, he or she needs guidance from a rationally satisfying philosophy. It is that philosophy which is expounded in the Gita, and the very essential parts of that philosophy you get in these chapters. “I do not believe in a God or religion which cannot wipe the widow’s tears or bring a piece of bread to the orphan’s mouth.” -Swami Vivekananda The same Brahman, on whom you mediate in your heart, is also in front of you in these millions of forms. They all have come from Brahman. The universe has come from Brahman, lives in Brahman, returns to Brahman. Shri Ramakrishna told Swami Vivekananda, “Meditate closing your eyes on the God within you, and when you open your eyes the same God is in front of you in these forms. Serve them.” The Gita teaching, and today, the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda teaching of ‘Advaita’, is based upon this idea that the divine is in the heart of all. We have to worship God by serving people around. Shri Krishna wants to infuse self-confidence, ‘Atma-shraddha’, in people who have to face challenges, difficulties, and family and social responsibilities. Whatever can be achieved by the ‘Sankhya’ path of ‘sannyasa, and ‘jnana’, can be achieved by the yoga path of action and day to day dedication. Will and obstinacy are not the same. Will can change if you know that it is not correct. Obstinacy can never change. We often mistake obstinacy for will.

19

“The goal which is reached by the ‘jnani’ is also achieved by the ‘karma-yogi’. One who sees ‘jnana’ and ‘yoga’ as one, alone knows.” If you want to touch the feet of somebody else, do so, but as a product of your dignity and self-respect. By doing that you must feel your own dignity enhanced. That can never happen unless the one whose feet you touch is a good person, is endowed with moral values. Anything that demeans somebody else should not be done; also anything that demeans oneself should not be done. Let everybody be raised in his or her own self-respect. Then only we have a healthy human society. The work becomes great, when done by a great mind. The work becomes small, when done by a small mind. It is not work that is great; it is the mind that is behind the work that makes it great. “Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die.” - Swami Vivekananda Anything that you can verify is scientific. A mere belief, without subjecting it to verification cannot be science. Belief, when verified, then it is true. So, the Gita teaches many truths about the human being, which are verified and verifiable.

“Following the yoga of work, yogis perform action only with body, mind, senses, and intellect, forsaking attachment, for the purification of the heart.” Unlike our recent misunderstanding, neglect of the body is never allowed in Vedanta; it is just like neglecting your house. If you don’t keep it clean, if you don’t repair it, attend to its maintenance, soon it will become unfit to live in. So also the body. That is a house in which you live. Keep it clean. But don’t get attached to it. The whole teaching of Gita regarding work is this: Act without fear. Live without fuss. So, that fuss free life can be lived by training the mind in calmness; perfect self-control and self-possession, aligning it with the Atman, which is one’s true nature and which is always inactive and all powerful, and yet doing all the work. A human being is a combination of two natures: the external nature, and the higher nature, i.e. intelligence. The higher nature functions as a subordinate of external nature in most people. It cannot express itself because the other nature 20

‘apara prakriti’, is very dominant in most people. That is ordinary human life out of which comes crime, delinquency, etc. But whenever that nature is slowly contained, and the higher human nature finds manifestation, then slowly spiritual culture comes. We evolve into better and still better human beings. Real civilization itself is the product of a little dominance of this higher nature over lower nature. All culture is the product of discipline of impulses; and culture is specially a human phenomenon; animals have no culture. By such judicious discipline, guided by reason and love of truth, man manifests the higher and higher aspects of nature, first the human, then the divine, from within oneself. And the whole of such discipline of impulses, and the manifestation of the divine within, can be as natural and spontaneous process as the expression of impulses at the organic level, when we understand the wide range of the meaning of the words nature and natural. Vedanta tells people that don’t take things as they are. You can make them better and still better. There is a progress from this to that. You can be the architect of your destiny.

“But whose ignorance or spiritual blindness is destroyed by knowledge (of the Self) – that knowledge of theirs, like the sun, reveals the Supreme (Brahman).” All human beings, proclaims Vedanta are essentially pure and free. We are of the nature of pure consciousness. We are of the nature of light. The light of consciousness is our nature. But when we are deluded, that light becomes dim and we do all sorts of evil. Remove that delusion. Remove that ‘ajnana’. The ‘jnana’ shines in its own splendor.

“Those who have their intellect absorbed in That, whose self is That, whose steadfastness is in That, whose consummation is That, their impurities cleaned by knowledge, they attain to non-rebirth (‘Moksha’).” That infinite urge in every human heart finds its consummation in this spiritual realization: I am the Atman, ever-free, ever-pure; that is my true nature. No delusion will make me fall away from that state. Our whole Indian culture praises knowledge very highly. And India was very devoted to knowledge! Every type of knowledge – worldly knowledge or spiritual knowledge. 21

Knowledge, more knowledge, still more knowledge of all levels. Out of that will come excellence of character, excellence of work, excellence of conduct. This is how we build up a new destiny for us. That is a great truth in Vedanta. Ignorance leads to diversity. Knowledge leads to unity. So, ‘samadarshita’, seeing all as equal, is a profound message of the Gita. And it is also the very soul of democracy. Any kind of hierarchical consideration goes against the spirit of democracy. I have every hope, with Vedanta as the great philosophy behind us, with Swami Vivekananda as the expounder of that great philosophy and its practical implications, our democracy will develop that soulfulness, that spiritual enrichment, which very few democracies in the world have. Behind this body-mind complex is the infinite spiritual Reality called Atman, and it is one in all of us, existing undivided in things apparently divided.

“Resting in Brahman, with intellect steady, and without delusion, the knower of the Brahman neither rejoicing on receiving what is pleasant, nor grieves on receiving what is unpleasant.”

“With the heart unattached to external contacts, one realizes the joy that is in the Self; with the heart devoted to the meditation on Brahman, he or she attains undecaying happiness.” The most tangible of all the sense organs is the sense of touch. The word tangible itself comes from the word touch. When you touch a thing it is called tangible. This is the true direction of human evolution. We begin with joys coming from external world, but slowly we reduce dependence on them when we begin to experience the ever-present joy in the Atman. Vedanta does not look down upon any sensory joy. But there are joys and joys. There is a passage from a lower joy to a higher joy. Don’t forget that. That is the warning that Vedanta gives.

22

“One who can withstand in this life, before the liberation from the body, the current arising from lust and anger, he or she is a yogi, he or she is a happy human being.” The Gita asks all human beings to realize their own inner possibilities and learn to be free, learn to withstand all these currents with us. If happiness is to be sought after, you have to achieve this particular strength to withstand the currents that take us this way, that way, making it mere slaves of various forces acting with ourselves. All unchecked ambition takes away our judgment, and we get destroyed. Here you can see, the self destroying the self, one becoming one’s own enemy.

“Whose happiness is within, whose relaxation is within, whose light is within, that yogi alone, becoming Brahman, gains absolute freedom in Brahman.” “Everything that makes you dependent on external factors is unhappiness; everything that makes you free is real happiness. This is the nature of happiness and unhappiness; please understand this truth.” - Manu Smriti (4.160) According to Vedanta (Mundaka Upanishad III.ii.9): ‘Brahmvit brahmaiva bhavati’ – the knower of Brahman verily becomes Brahman. Knowledge and being are that same in the inner life of man.

“With imperfections exhausted, doubts dispelled, senses controlled, engaged in the good of all beings, the ‘rishis’ obtain absolute freedom in Brahman.” So, this teaching is not merely for sages and saints. This is for everyone, so that, persons can get on to the road of their own spiritual development by taking one step, two steps, three steps and so on, and bring happiness to millions. But some people may progress far and achieve very great heights; they are the ones who are referred here. They are always interested to work for the welfare of all people. That is the state of mind that creates high character. It must become an 23

educational program to put all our people on that road to total human development. That is real education. Swami Vivekananda calls it ‘man-making, nation-building education and religion’.

“Knowing me as the receiver and dispenser of (the fruits of) sacrifices and spiritual practices, as the Lord of all the worlds, and as the friend of all beings, one attains peace.” In our human life, with all our weaknesses, if we have that intense faith that there is an infinite Reality behind this universe, behind me, closest to me, and is my friend, my own inner Self, ever ready to help me, we can get peace and freedom from tension. He is beyond space and time, the Infinite, the immortal. That is our own true nature. He is the Self of our own self. He is the thread that runs through all of us, like the thread that unites a garland of flowers.

24