Monday, 22 August 2011

Bhagavad Gita-Chapter 5 Koramangala

Sloka 25
Rishis are those who have gained self knowledge. It does not refer to any ashrama (life style). The earlier karmas have helped them to get rid of impurities. One sloka says that in kali yuga people are with lot of impurities in their minds.Mind once exposed to the external world, is bound to get impurities. But in other yugas, there were means to remove them.Shastra tells the way to cleanse the mind.In kaliyuga, one does not use this means to clean the mind.Most of the people in this yuga, live for others' opinions, not for themselves.Bhagavadam mentions about Krishna dhanam (black money) which affects one's mind.Rishis,committed for the welfare of all beings, attain the brahma nirvanam.
Sloka 26
Kama, krodha and other emotions affect the intellect by their strong presence and blind a person from doing right things.Conquering these emotions depends on one's efforts and not on his previous karmas (Prarabda). Person  (rishi) who is not affected by kama, krodha and has control over his mind, gets Brahma Nirvanam in this life and after. Planning for the future is required but worrying about future  is not needed.
Slokas 27-29
The benefits of karma are always after one's death.When one plants a tree, he can get the fruits only after few years.There is a difference between spiritual (vedanta) sadhanas and other sadhanas.Karma phalam of vedanta sadhanas is immediate. Vedanta considers Moksha in three levels.- Krama Mukti, Jivan Mukti and Videha Mukti. Krama Mukti is like buying in instalments. Punyam earned by all good karmas will give you Brahmaloka. As per shashtras, Brahmaloka has the option of studying self-knowledge in addition to all other comforts. Jivan Mukti is better than Krama Mukti. The clarity of self-knowledge gives one to experience Mukti while he is living. Jivan muktah is like a lotus leaf, which is not affected by the water (samsara), while being in it. Prarabda is like the oil in a lighted lamp.The flame (life) will go once the oil (prarabda)is exhausted.
For a matured person, nothing is a problem, it is only a situation. For a confused one, everything is a problem. Pujya Swami Dayanandaji  was once asked " Is marriage  a word or "sentence"?  ". , This question drives the above point.
Shashtras ( in Shivaabarada Stotram),   says that samsara is created only to develop vairakyam  and not for suffering. Bhagavan Krishna has  two types of baktas- with expectations (artharti) and without expectations (Jnani). Once Lord Krishna visited two baktas, one is very rich and doing dhanas and worship with a wish to become  more rich; the other is poor living with a cow to earn. The rich one wished Bhagavan to give him more wealth and he granted his wish. The poor wished that he should always have His grace and Bhagavan told that his cow would die soon. When asked for reason, Bhagavan told the rich would be in Samsara with all his wealth while the poor bakta would reach him soon.
It is important to learn to manage one's life rather trying to manage the external things of his life. Generally mind has a tendency to remember the negatives while forgetting the positives. It is better to forget the negative things to keep the head clean.
The last two slokas are introductory to the next chapter 'Dyana Yoga". Desire, fear  and anger are not fixed and permanent. once encouraged will get bigger and bigger. One who controls these, can attain mukti. Bhagavan is always  a well wisher of all beings. One who understands this, will be at peace ( Shanti).

Sunday, 21 August 2011

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5-Koramangala

Sloka 18 was explained on 22 June'11.
People use the word "pandit' to refer to knowledgeable or scholarly person. But in Vedanta, this word has a different and fuller meaning. Pandit is one who has a vision to see the  atma tatvam in all living beings. Each living being is unique. Vedanta points out that atma chaitanyam in all living beings is the same. Only at body mind level, they differ.
Manu Smruti says - All are born as sudras (as they are not refined); Samskara (upanayanam) refine them to dvija (second born); education (learning) makes them vipra (knowledgeable person); One who understands oneself becomes a brahmana.
One Niidhi sloga says - more prosperous (either internally or externally) one is, more humble one becomes like the tree with more fruits bend more.
A Pandit sees the atma in well learned humble brahmin, cow, elephant , dog or dog eater.Thus he sees the same atma in the  highest to the lowest beings. The dog eater is significant. The dog is always loyal to his master. By referring to dog eater, it means those who cheat the persons who trusted them.
Sloka 19
No two living beings are same in various aspects. Atma in all beings is same, but at individual level each living being has different values and views. Anatma is constantly changing and not reliable whereas Atma is constant and reliable. Samsara is excellent in providing the worldly existence but does not give a permanent happiness (ananda). Uttara Gita was taught by Bhagavan to Arjuna after the war was over. This shows that the changes are ever happening. Jnani knows that the changes are inevitable , hence he does not resist them
Sloka 20
Jnani is referred as stirabuddhi, one who has the clarity of brahman. In life one expects to get some thing,but some times he does not get. Jnani is neither too much happy with his expectations fulfilled nor he is too sad when he has not achieved his desires. In life, one follows the other,like failure followed by success, happiness followed by sadness etc.
Sloka 21
Scriptures advise us to use anatma for life but not to depend on it. Jnani knows that vishya sukam is not dependable and atma sukam is dependable. Ajnani develops fear and anxiety due to his dependence on worldly things.
Once a great king, who was a devotee of a mahatma, requested him to come to his palace from his place in the forest. Mahatma agreed and moved to the king's palace. The king served him with lot of devotion and royal things. After some days, the king asked the sage as to how he felt about the change. The sage replied that he would tell during their evening walk. That evening, the sage continued his walk towards the forest, instead of turning back to palace. Then the king asked the sage for the reason for continuing his walk. Then the sage replied that the answer for his question was there; he was not depending on the luxury offered by the king, even though he accepted it.
Thus a Jnani knows that happiness is not coming from outside world.One who understands "Aham Brahma Asmi"enjoys the eternal happiness.
Sloka 22
All the material enjoyment is the root cause of all miseries. All material things have a start and  an end.Knowing this fact, Jnani does not seek sukam in material things while the people search the happiness in the worldly things. Sant Tukaram said that dukham is like a mountain, while the sukam is like a mustard seed.
Once a person went to the forest for firewood. He was chased by a tiger  and he ran blindly . He was tripped by the root of a tree and was about to fall inside a dry well. He caught the root and was hanging .Then he saw a cobra inside the well.While the tiger was waiting at the edge of the well, he tasted the honey dripping from the beehive on the tree. This story symbolises the honey drops for the sukam and all other dangers to dukham.
Sloka 23
Anger and lust greatly pressurises one.One, who can tolerate these pressures, gets well equipped to be a happiest person in his life. By realising the consequences of losing temper, one can overcome the difficulties that follow. One sloka says- one can have many friends and well wishers with a sweet and cultured tongue. One can earn well with a good tongue. ( Successful businessmen never lose temper).
Anger is an emotion that cannot be controlled always, but expressing that anger is in one's control.
Sloka 24
 'antararaamah' is one who depends on the inner self for happiness, 'antarjyotihi' is one who is with self knowledge. Such a person is referred by Bhagavan as a yogi. One who depends on atma, for his happiness (yogi) and enjoys the atma and sees the light of atma lives as Brahman in the existing life and becomes one ultimately