The 19th of December 1999 was Gita Jayanthi. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10, entitled Vibhuti yogaH "maasaanaaM maargashiirshosmi", meaning "Among the months, I am Maargashiirsha". Maargashiirsha in the Gregorian calendar would fall between December 16 and January 15. It is in this month, sometime in 500BC, that it is believed that the Bhagavad Gita was delivered by the Lord to Arjuna in the battlefield. Shrimad Bhagavad Gita occupies a unique place in world literature as it happens to be the most mystic and divine speech directly rendered by the Lord Sri Krishna Himself. Even though numerous commentaries and discourses have been given on the Gita, every time an attempt has been made to explore this book of divine grace, new insights spring up in the minds of the listeners and readers. 

This is yet another attempt to dive into the ocean of Gita to pick up our handful of pearls.....Over the next few days, we would be uploading the Bhagavad Gita talks at the Bahrain Satsangh. In addition to the text, these talks are  also available in real audio format and you can listen to these talks by clicking on the icon next to the chapter number. 

If you can't hear the verse, you need to get

The hesitation & despondency of Arjuna – Chapter 1 Click to Listen to the Talk
By Mahesh Ramasubramaniam

Chapter 1 begins with a narration of the battle field by Sanjaya to Drudhrashtra. The scene is the sacred plain of Kurukshetra. The setting is a battle field, where a war is about to begin. The main characters are Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna, witnessed by millions of soldiers led by their respective military commanders.

The battle in the Bagavad Gita is not Krishna’s fight, but it is Arjuna’s. Krishna is only Arjuna’s charioteer and advisor. He has promised Arjuna that he will be with Arjuna throughout the battle, out of love for him. As the charioteer, Lord Krishna is in a perfect position to give advise and encouragement to Arjuna, without participating in the actual fight.

The first few verses give a brief description by Duryodhana of the leaders on both sides. Arjuna, the mighty warrior overcome by pride requests Lord Krishna to station his chariot between the two armies. Centering himself with the chariot, Arjuna surveys both the armies. He sees his own brothers Yudhisthira, Bhima, Nakula & Sahadeva, and on the opposite Kaurava side, he sees his grandfather Bhishma, Teacher Drona, Duryodhana and other friends. When he sees his kinsmen standing ready to kill each other for the sake of power, suddenly the frightful consequences of war dawns on him. He realizes the gravity of the situation. Arjuna had till now led a life of a respectable man of the world, seeking the good things in life, and carrying on his religious duties. But now, when he is called upon to lead the Pandava army against the Kauravas, a moment of disillusionment comes to him. The fear of losing his friends and relatives in the impending war makes him very depressed. He is totally shattered and his mind becomes perturbed. He is overcome by pity and be becomes very weak to even stand or sit. His famous bow now slips down and falls.

It is here that Arjuna seeks guidance from his Divine Teacher Lord Krishna.  He now tells Krishna that killing his relatives for the sake of the throne is a sin, and that he does not want his success to be tainted with such sins.

Arjuna’s grief shows under what circumstances man in his day to day life, has to struggle between the two natures within him i.e. the good and the bad. For one who has the Lord on his side, there need be no fear or worry. Just like Arjuna who took refuge in Lord Krishna, we also should listen to our God conscience whenever we are faced with a dilemma.

This chapter also shows that only when man is faced with calamities like death, disease, etc. he turns towards the spiritual path. Hence, we are given a clear advance warning that we should not waste any further time in seeking the Lord.

Back to top

Communion through Knowledge – 2nd Chapter Click to Listen to the Talk

Back to top

Communion through Action  - 3rd ChapterClick to Listen to the Talk
By Ramasubramaniam

The first two slokhas depict Arjuna in a confused state. On one side, Krishna  has preached the philosophy of Atman, and at the same time, Arjuna has been told to fight the war. Arjuna now wants to know only one path, i.e. the right path which he should follow to attain his goal.

The rest of the slokhas are Krishna’s answers not only to Arjuna, but pertaining to all of us as well. Lord Krishna says that Karma Yoga is one of the paths to realization. In short dutifully do your duty.

The Lord next explains the Law of Yagna.  Yagna – meaning self sacrifice or any other form of service to the Lord and other fellow beings. In today's world, most of us only indulge in take, take, and take policy, but never the give and take policy. Its always been a one way traffic. So many wonderful things we take from nature free of cost, so many services we take from society in general, but do we ever try and repay this in any way ? To overcome this, we must be willing to share what we possess. All of us have within us, an infinite stock of love and happiness. Just bring it out and distribute, and believe me, you'll feel so good. Once we are tuned to this, we will naturally share more of it, since our very inherent nature is to give love, as we are all loving creations of our Lord. The 10% of one’s salary to be earmarked for charity, as strongly advocated by our Guruji to guide us in this path of Yagna, is one of the means of converting this one way traffic to a both ways traffic.

Karma means action. Whatever actions we do, we are bound by these actions. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna the way out of this bondage. Perform your duties, for action is superior to inaction. Whatever actions we do, we should do it as an offering to the Lord without expecting any results. This may appear rather puzzling.

Every action of ours is prompted by a desire to achieve something. Anything that we do, there is a motive, goal or a desire behind it. A mother always wants her child to come first in the class.  There is nothing wrong in this attitude, which is quite normal, & for this, the mother will coach the child to her level best. But the secret advocated here is that she should not become over anxious with respect to the result of the exam. Now take an example of an office. Your junior is promoted and not you. No doubt you have done your best, and maybe you are better than your junior, but see that the result does not upset you, or ruin you. Whatever be the result, accept it gracefully as the Lord’s  prasad.

Also, we should not get elated when we achieve success, or be depressed when we fail. A calm and balanced mind is necessary, and for this we must completely surrender ourselves and our actions to the Lord.

Here Lord Krishna cites the example of King Janaka as a role model for Arjuna to emulate. Janaka was a just king, ruled well, and did not shirk from responsibility; yet he was not attached to any personal gain.

Finally in this chapter, Arjuna asks Krishna, what is it that prompts man to commit sins ? Even if we wish to act rightly, so often we do the wrong things. What is the reason for this ? The Lord says, it is the vasanas in the form of lust, anger, desires that drives a person to act. Knowledge exists in everyone, only it is hidden by these vasanas. This selfish desire originates in the senses, mind and intellect. Controlling these desires, one can realize the Atman.

For us Satsanghi’s, we have our own Guruji, as a living example for us to follow. Not a second is he inactive. Always doing something or the other for our benefit only, expecting nothing in return for himself. Be it teaching Hindustani vocal, bhajans, harmonium, Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavatham or sharing without hesitation his golden experiences, his is the true path of selfless service i.e. Karma yoga.

Back to top

Renunciation of Action in Knowledge - 4th ChapterClick to Listen to the Talk

Pranams to the Lord, Guruji and dear Satsanghiis,

The title given to this chapter is "GYAANA KARMA SANYAASA YOGA"
The word GYana is synonymous to spiritual wisdom or knowledge of reality;  Karma stands for karma yoga or the path of action and Sanyaasa means Sankha yoga or the path of knowledge and discrimination.

Here, in this chapter, the Lord has discussed about the paths of action and knowledge as well as the knowledge of the truth about the Supreme Spirit.

The birth of the Lord is independent and transcendent in nature and is not bound by karma whereas an individual is born as the slave of karma for attaining the individual ends of Dharma, Artha, Kaama, Moksha.  The Lord manifests himself whenever the barometer of virtue and morality in the society falls very low and that of the vice and immorality rises high, which means decline of virtue and preponderance of vice.  The secret behind His avataar is to establish virtue and righteousness for the protection of good and the destruction of the wicked.  The establishment of Dharma also brings greater and greater awareness of man's spiritual goals with which his worldly welfare is also related.  One who contemplates on these teachings and incarnations shall attain salvation.

Three qualities are required for progress in spiritual life:
1.  Shraddhaa or Faith
2.  Ardent Practice
3.  Control of Senses

Faith is the first and foremost quality of mind which makes it pure and sincere.  Just as the backwater is linked with the sea and is one with it always, the divine incarnate is always liked with the Infinite and Absolute Brahman.  One should have faith in this eternal truth.  The worship of any personalized form becomes the object of bhakthi and GYana and the means of salvation only if this truth is strongly believed in.

The Lord created the four division of varnaas in the human society.  These varnaas namely Brahmanaa, Kshatriya, Vaisyaa and Sudhraa are based on the proportional distribution of the three gunas of satvaa, rajas and tamas.  Accordingly duties have been assigned and the action of the individual belonging to any one of these varnaas are based on their karma.  Despite being the creator of the four divisions.  The Lord remains the non creator because He is the least affected by creation.  Those who contemplate on this aspect of the Lord as being unaffected by creation shall be unperturbed by the  effects of Karma.

The Lord explains the intricacies of action, inaction and forbidden action.  The act done with what motive or renounced with what motive decides whether it is action or inaction.  The result of every action or inaction leads on to either of the two ways:

1.  bondage in the form or rebirth
2.  no bondage meaning no rebirth

In atman consciousness alone is true Nishkarmaa or actionlessness.  The physical worklessness whether intentional or born of idleness is, like all other actions, an effect of one's own will without atman consciousness.  A person who identifies himself with the atman, who is only a uninvolved witness in the midst of non-stop activities of the body and mind can be termed as the wise man.  He is the eternal Yogi.  This state of actionlessness in the sense of non-attachment is attained only through long and steadily practised discipline of dedicated action, combined with discriminative understanding.  This is the second kind of sacrifice by those who worship the impersonal feature of the absolute truth, as against the first kind of sacrifice by those offering material possessions for achieving temporary material happiness.
Such knowledge-based action or sacrifice is the highest form of Yagna in the vedic tradition.  The peak of yagna discipline is reached when an aspirant sees the acts, the means of actions, the things acted upon and the process of action as but different forms or manifestations of Brahman.  This experience of knowledge can be sought through a spiritual master.  Such a spiritual master should be accepted in total surrender without false prestige.  Inquiries and submissions constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding.  Unless there is submission and service, inquiries put forth to the spiritual master will not be effective.

This fire of knowledge burns to ashes all reactions to material activities.  Ignorance is the cause of bondage and knowledge is the cause of our liberation from bondage.  When one is situated in transcendental knowledge, he need not search for peace elsewhere, for, he enjoys peace within himself, whereas, a person who is ignorant or faithless and doubts the revealed scriptures cannot attain this knowledge.  For this doubtful soul, there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.

This GYana is the most powerful purifier.  This wisdom comes naturally to one who becomes perfect in the discipline of disinterested action.  Just as the dawn of the sun in the horizon makes objects visible to our eyes, wiping out the darkness, this knowledge wipes out our ignorance which causes doubts and delusions about spiritual identity and makes one an ENLIGHTENED SOUL.

Hari Om.

Back to top

Communion through Renunciation - 5th chapterClick to Listen to the Talk

Pranams to the Lord Guruji and dear satsanghis.  The fifth chapter of Bhagavad, Karma Sannyasa Yoga, explains that action or Karma yoga, if well understood, is easier to perform than GYana, and leads more efficiently to the experience of the self.  It also explains (i) the factors that help in performing action, with interest and devotion and (ii) the attitudes while performing action, in order to make the experience of the soul mature

Lord Krishna defines the concepts of “action with detachment” and “renunciation from actions”, explaining that both are a means to the same goal.

To start with, Arjuna was confused after listening to the Lord describing Sankhya yoga, that is renunciation of action at one point and, immediately explaining Karma Yoga, the Yoga of action.  When you give a choice to people it is inherent human tendency to get confused.  Arjuna, a representative of the community, asks the lord, which is better?

Now the Lord says that, both forms lead to the same result but the Karma Yoga is superior to the Sankhya Yoga.  As far as a realised person is concerned the two are not viewed as pairs of opposites but are like the heads in the two sides of the same coin.

I would like to mention an incident.  Nehru and Patel were guests in a party hosted at the Buckingham palace.  At the party they were served with silver and gold cutlery. Patel was impressed with the cutlery so much, that he slipped a silver spoon into his pocket and thinks that no one noticed it.  However, Nehru promptly notices it.  At the end of the dinner, the dignitaries request Nehru to entertain them by doing some magic, as in those days India was considered to be famous for magicians.  Nehru agrees, and asks for a gold spoon.  He puts the gold spoon into his pocket and tells the audience that it will now be available as a silver spoon in Patel’s pocket.  Now Patel is forced to check his pocket in front of the audience and to pick out the silver spoon with due exclamation. Nehru is applauded for an excellent trick.  When they returned to the hotel room, Patel is a bit disgusted and he tells Nehru, I wanted to take that Silver spoon as a souvenir and you spoilt it by doing this trick.  Nehru consoles him saying “Don't worry, I have the Golden spoon for you” which is better than the silver.

Karma Yoga is like the golden spoon. Karma means action or deed.  All physical or mental action is Karma. Even thinking is mental Karma.  Karma is the sum total of all our acts, accumulated both in the present life and in our earlier births.

Karma not only means action, but it also includes the result of an action. There is a hidden power in Karma termed 'Adrishta' which means, “that which is not seen”. This Adrishta brings in fruits of Karmas for an individual. The consequence of an action is not a separate thing but it is a part of the action itself and cannot be divided from it.

The realised soul is one who is able to see the Lord.  Thinking of The Lord, merged in The Lord, established in The Lord, solely devoted to The Lord, he goes to the origin from where there is no return, with all his sins dispelled by knowledge.

With the self unattached to external contacts and ever engaged in the consciousness of Brahman he attains endless bliss

The Lord states that desires, anger, selfishness and attachment to material things are the characteristics of ordinary mortals.  We do not realise that all sensual pleasures are temporary and are bound by time and space.  They have a start and end in themselves.  We pursue these rigorously, and ignore the ultimate truth.  Ironically, our inventions and innovations are in pursuit of these transient pleasures.  Whilst we talk about selflessness, self-service is the most popular concept in hotels. Whilst we talk about detachments from material things, our emails are not complete without attachments.  Buddha is not a favourite email subject ?  You know why, Because he has no attachments!!.

Two guys are watching a group of marathon runners. One has a doubt about what is going on.  The other explains that they are running a marathon and at the end, the runner finishing first will be awarded a prize.  Immediately the first one asks “why then the rest of them are running”?  Similarly, we tend to be clouded in our perceptions and have isolated many things as meant for yogis and decide that it is not applicable to us.

The Lord explains that a Learned Sage looks upon a cow, an elephant, an outcaste and a dog equally.  This is not something unusual to us.  We also practice this equanimity in our perception when we face extreme circumstances.  for example, at times of ecstasy and fear. When the Indian cricket team wins a tournament, the entire team is looked at as heroes, without isolating any one.  Everyone at that moment is felt to be a representative of the victory.  Similarly, when we are caught in the midst of a forest we do not differentiate between the sound of a fly and the roar of a tiger.  We are scared of both.  Whilst our equanimity is limited to various extreme circumstances, a realised soul views the extremes themselves without any difference.  He considers every experience as various faces of the Lord.

He who is able to withstand while still in the world, the impulse born out of desire and anger, is a Yogi.  He is a happy man.  “Eternal peace lies near to those controlled ascetics, who are free from desire and anger, who have controlled their thoughts and who have realised the Self.

Back to top

Communion through Meditation - 6th ChapterClick to Listen to the Talk

Pranams to the Lord, Guruji and assembled devotees.  The first five chapters of the Bhagvad Gita explained the need of leading a life of selfless dedication to the Lord, and spending our time, energy and resources in fulfilling our duties towards others. Chapter 6 entitled Dhyana Yoga discloses the essential secrets of the Path of Meditation.

Lord Krishna opens the chapter with a powerful definition of man of true renunciation (Sanyasi) and a true practitioner of spiritual life (Yogi). The Lord says if one performs his duties without anxiety to and/or longing for the fruits of action, he alone is a TRUE sanyasi and a yogi. Thus the Lord makes it clear that if one shows tendencies to enjoy the fruits of action, he cannot be a yogi although he may be well versed with scriptures, withdrawn transcends beyond name and form, withdrawn from worldly activity

The Lord uses the term Sankalpa which is to be understood as fancying and contemplating for future material happiness and thereon direct the efforts and energies to accomplish it . An example is when we read Khaleej Times or Gulf news about Dubai Duty Free Raffle, how many of us felt that, what if I had won the raffle and probably we go even to the extent of driving the car.

As a prerequisite for meditation, Lord strongly urges the seekers to develop the power of concentraion. Mind is a monkey and it roams and wanders aimlessly. In order to converge all rays of the mind to a single topic of contemplation, it needs a special strength of mind called “concentration”. Without concentration, the mind has no strength nor efficiency.  The power of concentration can be equated to one who is doing a tight rope walking to earn his bread . We have seen this in India on roads.

Lord says that practice of karma yoga which helps in renouncing the ego centric desires and quietude (withdrawal of mind) is necessary for developing the power to concentrate. Lord declares such seekers as integrated yogis who are indifferent to the pain and pleasures of the material life and view all objects of life as one and the same (equanimity)

The Lord says that self effort is the only means to conquer the inner foes – mind and intellect.  In the material world, more often than not we exhibit our dependencies on others for several things. Externally it would be helpful for instilling ideas but the transformation is the final stage and this can be achieved by the individual himself. Satsangh is a place where many get transformed as it teaches to look into oneself.

The Lord also specifies that yoga of meditation drives the seekers to establish in oneness in the world. In oneness, there are no likes-dislikes, love-hatred, ego, lust, greed etc. Oneness can only be achieved when our deep rooted ego is uprooted and the sense of I and mine disappear.

Example on oneness is our Guruji, when he starts a music class or puja lessons, he makes sure he calls everyone and does not distinguish by the type of car we have, house we live etc. Talking about oneness – What did the Yogi say when he walked into Pizza Hut? "Make me one with everything."  The yogi paid $20 and to his surprise the waiter never returns. The yogi goes to the cashier and said "Don't I get change?" The cashier said, "Change must come from within."

In this chapter the Lord also enumerates the conditions for meditations, the seat of meditation and the final adjustments required for meditation as all these would help the seeker to Laserise the mind on a single point.

A lamp when kept in a windless spot never flickers, similarly, according to the Lord, the yogi’s mind is rock steady and garlands him as a Yuktha in Meditation

As the meditation deepens, the mind collapses and the thought waves also deplete, what is left is the experience of the infinite bliss comprehended through the subtler equipment, the intellect. What dawns is the experience of the immeasurable contentment, a sense of fulfillment and a total satisfaction. Lord describes this state as fulfillment of meditation.

The Lord reassures and confirms that the Infinite Bilss surely descends upon the yogi practicing the yoga of meditation.

In order to motivate the seekers, the Lord describes the quality of transformation if one practices this yoga. The yogi, who transcends to a higher plane, sees the lord in all creations and all creations in the Lord.  To him nothing exists around except the supreme divine and have universal love and greatest compassion for all creatures.

The Lord confirms that experience of the divine is not a momentary and it is an endless and inseparable experience.

To the natural doubt of Arjuna, Lord Krishna accepts that the mind is ever restless but can surely be tamed and brought under control through the constant yoga of practice of bringing the mind back to point of contemplation whenever it wanders into its world of sense objects.

In this chapter the Lord also provides warranties for the fallen yogis or unsuccessful seekers who are dragged out of track by the materialistic forces.    Lord Krishna assures that whatever good one has done cannot run to waste. A fallen yogi makes a rebirth in the home of sacred and divine people and would continue their spiritual path. Due to the good impressions of the previous birth, he strives more than before in his spiritual endeavor, plunges more deeply into sadhana and attain perfection in a very short span.

The Lord concludes this chapter by glorifying the practitioners of yoga of meditation as noblest and ranks them superior to all erudite scholars and men of service.

HARI OM

Back to top

Communion through Knowledge & Realization - 7th ChapterClick to Listen to the Talk

The 7th chapter of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, titled “Gyana Vigyana Yoga” is the one where the Nirguna- Niraakara thathvam of the Paramaathma known as Gyana. And the Thathvam and greatness, qualities and rahasya and the Leela vibuthi of the formless and the formful known as vigyana are dwelt with in detail.

The Lord describes His illusory energy in the material existence called Maaya and declares how extremely difficult it is to surmount it.  He also describes the four types of people opposed to Divinity and the four types of people who are attracted to divinity.  In conclusion He reveals that one in spiritual intelligence takes exclusive refuge of the Lord without reservation in devotional service.

The Lord is “All in one, One in All”, And that is the supreme and ultimate truth.  However many of us are far away from realising this truth.  The Lord himself states that only a few, one in billion realise this truth and the rest of us just recycle( he has spared us a few blushes!!!).  The Lord declares that all that is seen and felt like the Pancha Boothas, the mind, intellect and the EGO (Ironically, Go is only in the word for something which stays with us always till death) are His own attributes known as the Moola Prakrithi.  The Lord further declares that He is the source of these attributes and all these attributes finally merge in Him.  Thus He is the Moola Karana, everything emanates from Him, but He is not bound by any of these manifestations.  The entire universe created by Him is being held as the Pearls are held together in a Maala by the String.

The Lord specifies that the foolish, self centred, lowest among human beings and the pseudo rationalist with demonic qualities( they will fall at the feet of their leader, garland their statues but if we pray in a temple it is irrational) are those who could never attain Him.

An elderly man lay dying in his bed. In death's agony, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favourite jilebi wafting up the stairs.

He gathered himself, stumbled, stuttered and reached the kitchen.  There was his favourite jilebis – 100s of them spread over the table. Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he reached for one jilebi and heard his wife’s stern voice "Stay out of those," she said, "they're for the funeral."

Such people are never going to attain God.

There are the other four types who attempt to realise the Lord who are, the distressed, one who prays to the Lord for money, the inquisitive and the wisdom seeker.  Of the four, the wisdom seeker is the most dear to Lord but is also the most difficult to find, the likes of Gajendra, Prahlada, Vibhishana and Draupadi.

There are others who pray to lesser Devatas(demi gods) but still the Lord answers their prayers as boons given by the respective Devatas but they do not realise that such a phenomenon is temporary and for a permanent solution they have to surrender to the ultimate Lord.  It is like children at home asking for favours from their fathers without realising the true power centre at home.

A guy after returning from Russia was telling his experiences to his friend.  He said that i met Kasparov and he asked me to play a game of chess with him. I told him that you are World No 1 and you will anyway win. Kasparov offered to play with his left hand.  I agreed but still I lost the game.  Hearing this his friend told him that Kasparov has cheated you, because he is a natural left hander.

We are like the friends.  Just as these guys did not realise that the hand is only a tool while playing chess and the key is the brain, we have not realised the nature of the Lord and His Supremacy.  In fact we are just the pawns in the chess played by the Lord and he makes all the moves and we have no control over our destiny.  As pawns you can move only one step at a time but if you stick to your path and reach the other end you can get the power of queen!!!

Because of the YOGA MAAYA people are unable to realise the Ultimate Truth that Lord Vasudeva is and should be the Ultimate Goal if one has redeem himself from the sorrow bound Samsara.  The situation can be compared to a man going up to an Eye Doctor and says that Dr all that I see appears double to me.   The Doctor looks up and asks “Are all 4 of you having the same problem?”

Because of the Likes and dislikes generated by the Prakrithi, human beings subject themselves to happiness and misery, never knowing that these states of mind are purely illusions. Anyone, who is blessed with the knowledge of realising the illusions, is automatically directed towards the right Path of seeking Lord's Feet alone as the Permanent Abode of Bliss. Thus they become enlightened and realise beyond any doubt that the Feet of the Lord is the Only REAL GOAL, even at the time of their Death.

To quote Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

A man’s rebirth is determined by what he has been thinking about just before death.  Devotional practices are therefore very necessary.  If, by constant practice, one’s mind is freed from all worldly ideas, then the thought of god, which fills the mind in their place, will not leave it even at the time of death.

Let us not increase the count of jilebis in the world

Back to top

The way to imperishable Brahman - 8th Chapter Click to Listen to the Talk

This chapter is quite different from rest of the chapters.  While all the other chapters teach How to live and how to lead life, this one teaches how to face death, what are the things we are supposed to do when we are in the last moments of our life.

In the very beginning of the Chapter, Arjuna, after hearing the Lord's exponence in the earlier chapters, raises very basic and vital questions to the Lord. He asks what is that Brahman, what is karma and what is adhibhootam? If Arjuna, even after hearing all this from the Very Lord who is the very Brahman, can ask these questions we can comprehend about the doubts that we would have.

The Lord explains that Brahman is the Supreme, the Ultimate truth, the indestructible and the imperishable and adhibootham are those which are subjected to creation and destruction. All Universal Forms of the Lord such as Brahma, the sun, the Moon and other Demigods are adhidhaivatam.  Karma or duty as explained earlier is nothing but selfless service. We should know that all Lokas including Brahma Loka are such that when one reaches that, he must subject himself for rebirth.  These lokas have specified time limits.  Even Brahma has defined time limits of days and nights that are of course different from those of human beings.  THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THESE IS LORD'S PARAMAPADAM, i.e., HIS FEET.

The Lord says if a person knows me and remembers me at the time of his death, there is no doubt at all that he will reach me and find me after his death. This is what is told in verse 5

In the 6th verse of this Chapter, Lord emphasises the utmost importance of thinking about HIM or chanting HIS nama at the moment of death.  He further clarifies that those who think of any other state of being at the time of death shall attain THAT state  thereby subjecting himself to rebirth.

At this point, let us look at a practical incident that illustrates the 6th verse.

There was a man who was very bad all through his life and was in his deathbed.  At that moment when YAMA was just about to take him, this man was so thirsty and he called out his son's name for some water.  It so happened that his son's name was "Narayana".  The end result, I am not sure whether he got the glass of water he wanted, but surely he attained Moksha and reached Heaven.  On the other hand, there was this King whom you all know of, King Bharatha who was so good all through his life, and towards the end of his life was very attached to a Deer. Because of his strong attachment and thoughts about the Deer at the time of his death, he was born again as a Deer.

But from the above story, it should not be concluded that, all we need to do is think about the Lord at the time of our death and not during the rest of our life.  As you all know, nothing comes out well without practice.  So, we should practice on thinking about the Lord, just the same way artist or musician practices.

Now, let us try and understand what this Aksara-brahma is all about.  Akshara is the syllable for "OMKARA", the Brahman.  Great Yogis meditate upon this OMKARA by closing all the gates of senses, confining mind in their heart and concentrate to think nothing but LORD.

There was a sage who was hurt by an arrow by a hunter by mistake. The disciples were wondering how to remove the arrow?  It was decided that the best time to remove the arrow  would be, when the sage engages himself in meditation, he would not have any discomfort because he would have closed all his senses by uttering OMKARA.
Talking about. meditation, there was a guy who called a person & asked" What’s your son doing? For which he replies he is meditating.
The other person say " Oh that's great ,that's good as long as he is not wasting his time or sitting idle"
We can keep talking about this for hrs..but nothing is going to be useful unless we start practising.
SARVAM KRISHNA MAYAM JAGATH

SARVAM SRI KRISHNA PATHUKAARPANAM ASTHU

OM THATH SATH

Back to top

The sovereign science & sovereign secret - 9th ChapterClick to Listen to the Talk

One day a Management Professor brought a big wide jar in front of his class and started filling it with big rocks until the jar became full. When he asked the students, " Is the jar full"  they all said "Yes." Now he poured sand and pebbles upto the brim and asked them whether it was full. The students now realized their mistake and said that there was space in to fill it with water.

When the professor asked the students what was the lesson they learnt from it they all said whatever be your schedule you can always find time to fill in with other activities. But the professor said that "No, that is not the point. The point is that if you do not put the big rocks FIRST you will never get them in."

What are the big rocks in our life? For a spiritual aspirant Self-realization is the big rocks.  To achieve this Royal objective the Lord has given us the Royal Knowledge in this chapter.   It is known as Raja vidhya because it is the king of all knowledges and illumines all other faculties.  It is also known as Raja Guhya because it can be realized only in the inner most recess of one's heart.

This chapter can be briefly summarized into 4 topics.

Verses 1-10 emphasize that the Lord alone pervades and permeates the whole world.  The Lord emphatically says that though all Beings exist in him he does not dwell in them. The Lord is a mere Sakshi, a mute witness and a detached Director in this whole gamut of activities of creation and dissolution.

The verses 11-19 describe how the people get deluded by following their worldly aspirations and in the process miss the woods for the trees. Instead of seeking self-realization they end up in petty gains. They are so much engrossed by the pebbles and sand and eventually miss the rocks. This is what the Professor had demonstrated.   But the Mahatmas worship the Lord with unwavering mind and single pointed concentration and attain him.

i.e.  "Sathatham Kirthi yantho mam  yatantashcha drdhavrataaha"

Once I went to a B'Day party and saw a lot of balloons being blown in the air. Some of them rose only a few feet above the ground level and fell back again. Some of the balloons rose upto the tree top.  But only a very few soared up high in the sky without getting entangled anywhere. This comparison can be extended to the 3 types of pursuits in the path of self-realization as selfish, unselfish and selfless.

The slokas 20-28 dwell on this theme.
The selfish desire driven people accumulate all sins throughout their life and have no recourse to redemption. The second category is the set of people who perform all sacrifices, they no doubt reach heaven and remain there till their punya gets exhausted, but after which they have to come back to the earth to continue their journey. The 3rd category is the set of selfless seekers of self-realization. They are like the set of balloons which rise high to the sky level never to return.

The Lord promises the final merger of such ananya bhaktas with Him who think of none else other than the Lord.

" Ananya chintha yanthomam ye janah paryupaasate"

Even if such devotees worship Him with pathram, Pushpam, phalam or thoyam also the Lord accepts it willingly .

Rukmani's one tulasi leaf was enough to win the Lord. Sabaris's fruit to the Lord earned her a place in heaven.  Andal offered the garlands to the Lord after wearing them on her neck.  That was accepted by Him, as she was a great bhakta.  Even if nothing is available water can also be offered to Lord.

There is also a subtle meaning for this sloka. Patrham means the body. Pushpam means hridaya and the mind is phalam .The Body heart and the mind should be offered to the Lord. Toyam stands for tears of joy. Naara is water and nayana means eyes. The naara flowing from our nayana should be offered to none other than Narayana. This is the offering the God expects.

To put it in a nutshell, The Lord declares,

"Manmanna  bhava madbhakto madyaajimaam namaskuru
maamevaishyasi yuktvaivam aatmaanaam matparaayanah"

This sloka is a beautiful summary of the entire chapter and gives the crux of bakthi. This is the one and only sloka which gets almost repeated in ch 18 v.65.  This sloka says that when you fix your mind on the Lord and totally surrender to Him you become one with the Lord and get delivered from the clutches of this contaminated world.  As the river gives itself to the ocean and becomes one with it, so too a devotee gives himself to the Lord and becomes one with Him.  So let us all strive to be steadfast in our devotion like the rocks and rise ourselves like the balloons to reach the abode of the Lord.

Hari Om.

Back to top

Manifestatio of divine glories - 10th ChapterClick to Listen to the Talk

My humble pranams to the Lotus feet of Lord Krishna, whose glories we shall hear today, to Guruji, all my elders and dear satsanghis.

Chapter 10 deals with the “vibhuthi yoga” or the “Opulences of the divine”.  “Vibhu” in sanskrit means Lord and Vibhuthi signifies Lordship or control.

In the previous chapter, the Lord speaks of “Raja Vidhya Raja Guhyam Yoga” – the most confidential and greatest knowledge of bakhti.  The 10th chapter is rather like a divine tracking manual in which the lord shares with Arjuna a few of his favourite signs.  In this chapter too, the lord emphasizes the fact that he alone is present everywhere and the expression of his presence varies throughout the infinite variety of his creation.  Truly, no one other than the Lord can speak about His Vibhuthis as it is difficult to understand his glories in just one life.

This chapter may be divided into three sections.  In the first section, the Lord begins to impart knowledge to Arjuna and states that he is the cause of all Devas & Rishis and yet they fail to comprehend Him.  Amongst those on the path of realisation, the one who can understand that, the Lord alone is the proprietor of everything, would be the most successful in his endeavour.  At this stage, when one is fully convinced that the Lord is the Supreme, he is freed from all sinful actions.   Thus one should also realize that the various qualities expressed by the mind and intellect of a common man such as VIDHYA, KSHAMA, DHAMA, THUSHTI, all arise from Him.

THUSHTI means “be content what life sends you.”  We can all take a lesson from Sudama, Lord Krishna’s friend and devotee in the subject of contentment.  When Sudama approached the Lord for some financial assistance, the Lord, sent him back empty handed.  But Sudama at no time thought ill of the Lord and just accepted the Lords gesture as something that is good for him.  When Sudama reached home, to his pleasant surprise, he found that his small hut was replaced by a huge mansion.  Sudama had got much more from the Lord than he could have asked for! Whatever we find in this universe, be it good or bad, originates from Lord.  The Lords adds that the thoughts of His true devotees dwell in Him and gives a chance for all devotees to progress and ultimately attain Him.  He destroys the darkness of ignorance and lights the lamp of knowledge in their hearts.

In the second section, Arjuna feels extremely inspired when he gets re-educated by his knowledge of Vedas through the sparkling words of Lord Krishna.  He at once declares that “You are Parabramha, the Supreme,  God of all Gods”.  Now Arjuna, being a man of action and practical, wanted to know how the Lord can be understood by all.  He also enquires about His Divine glories and how He should be meditated upon.

In the next section, the Lord gives a list of various vibhutis and opulences which personify him.  The Lord says His conspicuous glories have no limits.  He is self-seated in the hearts of all beings and is their beginning, middle and their end.  At this stage the Lord would have probably handed over 72 visiting cards, or what we are discussing here as Vibhuthis,  to Arjuna telling him where he could find him.  Among the most prominent ones, the Lord's Vibhuthis can be  seen in the sun, moon, wind, the Himalayas and  the Ganges.   He is the Sama veda, among the vedas, ‘A’ among the aksharas, Om among the syllables.   He is Prahalada among daityas, kamadhenu among the cows, airavata amongst he elephants and vasuki among the serpents.  In short, the Lord can be found everywhere. Elucidating it to our lives, we should be reminded of the Lord whenever we see excellence around us.  We can consider the talent in Sachin Tendulkar, the melody in M.S. Subhlakshmi’s voice and even the innocence in a small child as a part of the Lord’s Vibhuthis. At the same time He is also the den of a gambler's mind, the corruptness in a politician. Once when a team of Japanese experts told great Lalooji that they could convert Bihar in to a paradise in 5 years, he retaliated by saying  “ give me 5 days, i can convert a paradise to Bihar.” The lord dwells in the mind of those japanese experts as well as in lalooji , who is obsessed with Bihar!!

Finally, after listing all the vibhutis, the Lord says that he is sustaining the entire universe merely with one portion of his immense opulence to illustrate the extent of his ability.  He creates a perfect scenario and stage to show the Vishwa-Rupa to Arjuna that follows in the eleventh chapter.

Hari Om

Back to top

Vision of the Cosmic form – 11th Chapter Click to Listen to the Talk
By Ramkumar                

In the 10th chapter, Lord Krishna says that he is the source of all and to know him is to know all. The Lord concluded the previous chapter saying that the entire universe is held in a mere fraction of His being. Bhagavad Gita is a poem with profound meaning and the eleventh chapter is the most poetic of all.

The success of a movie hinges on the powerful impact created through trailers and reviews. Arjuna, having seen such a powerful trailer now stands dumbfounded. His conception about himself, about the world, his duty takes a back seat and he now requests the Lord to reveal to him that direct vision of the infinite form of the Lord, who is the source and support of all that exists.

Once a man went to a doctor. Just as he entered the room, the doctor said, “ I think you need to wear glasses.” The man said, “ Doctor, you are a genius. How did you know that I was going to consult you about this problem?” The doctor said, “ years of experience in this field plus the fact that you just came in through the window.”

If for watching a 3D film in theatre, we people are given special glasses these days, is it ever possible for us to see the Lord’s cosmic vision with one’s ordinary eyes? Out of compassion for Arjuna, Lord Krishna gives him the "Divine eyes" or “Divyachakshu” through which he is able to see the Lord’s multifaceted personality. What we need to understand here is that without the Grace and compassion of the Lord, nothing at all is possible in this world. We should submit our will to Lord’s will. As Guruji often says, maximum benefit for maximum people at large- This should be at the top of one’s mind all the time.

The Lord now reveals to Arjuna his cosmic vision. What is this cosmic vision all about? For most of the husbands out here, this concept might be easy to understand as you all would have experienced a mini version of such a vishwarupa at home sometime or the other. However in this vision of the Lord, Arjuna finds a snapshot of all that exists, past, present and future.  Everything that was created in the past and everything that was to be created in the future. The brilliance of the Lord could somewhat be compared to the effulgence of a thousand suns if they were to appear in the skies simultaneously. Arjuna saw Lord’s many mouths and eyes, many hands, many bellies and he could neither see his end, nor his middle or beginning.

Anadimadhyantam anantaviryam, anantabahum sashisuryanetram

pasyami Tvam diptahutashavaktram, svatedasha vishwamidam tapantam

Imagine seeing someone in a hall full of mirrors and try finding out where he is standing. That is how the Lord should have looked. He was pervading every space and this is what we refer to in Vishnu Sahasranamam when we say "Vasanaath vasudevasya, vasitham bhuvanathrayam "

When Arjuna saw that the warriors and everyone else were entering his mouth just as moths, which enter a blazing fire at great speed only to get destroyed, Arjuna trembles with fear. A warrior by birth, if he is frightened to see that vision of the lord, even with a pair a divine eyes given by the Lord, we could very well imagine what sort of vision it must have been. He then pleads with the Lord to come back to his ordinary form. Arjuna’s mind was not steady and hence he was not ready for this experience. 

When Arjuna asks the purpose of this cosmic vision, the Lord says that he is the terrible time, the destroyer of people. The Lord is Ahah samvatsaro vyaalaH pratyaya sarvadarshanah meaning He is both the time and space just as two sides of the same coin.

The crux of this entire chapter lies in sloka 33 where the Lord uses the beautiful phrase Nimitta maatram bhavasavya saachin meaning we are all only mere instruments of action. Everything is this world and everywhere else happens according to God’s will. Lord says to Arjuna that even without him, the war would have definitely taken place.

Currently our view in life is to “Zoom” in on the Lord only in temples and in puja .  We should start using the “wide angle button” to see the Lord in everything that we come across. If we use this concept, our attitude in life will change.

Lord continues further stating that neither by study of Vedas and sacrifices, nor by charity or austere penances alone can one see the cosmic vision of the Lord. Such a form can be seen only by a person who has undivided and unswerving devotion of the Lord. 

Lord concludes saying that His Grace is definitely with those individuals who work for him and who has Him as the ultimate objective, who remain non-attached and also who shows no hatred towards any creature. Therefore it  becomes a must that we start loving everyone. 

Back to top

Communion through loving devotion - 12th ChapterClick to Listen to the Talk

1.0 Introduction

This Chapter is the pinnacle of the Chapters dealing with the Path of Devotion in the Bhagavad Gita. Here, Krishna repeatedly stresses that Bhakti Yoga is the most pragmatic approach to reach Him and elaborates the practices of Bhagavata Dharma and qualities of a true devotee.

2.0 Bhakti

Chapter 11 – Vishwaroopadarshana Yoga provides the curtain raiser for the Bhakti Yoga.  Krishna after bestowing his Cosmic Form to Arjuna, declares that the God realization cannot be obtained by Vedas, penance, gift or sacrifice but can be obtained only through ‘Ananya Bhakti’ i.e. unwavering, single pointed devotion towards Him.

What is Bhakti? ‘It is the state of one who has devoted all activities to the Lord through self-surrender and it is the state of one who experiences extreme anguish if the Lord were to be forgotten even for a moment’.  This is the definition given by Sage Narada in his ‘Narada Bhakti Sutras’.

Seekers of God have successfully used this simple but powerful technique to reach Him.  Gopis of Vrindavan, Prahladha, Druva, Meera, Andal, Nayanmars, Alzhwars, etc. have set examples for the perfect expression of Bhakti.

3.0 Form and formless worship

 Coming back to the Chapter, after hearing Krishna’s discourses, Arjuna is now confused and wants to know  (a) who is a better Yogi – the one who follows the path of devotion or the one who conceives the Lord as the Absolute Brahman and (b) which of two ways is more suitable and better designed for reaching Him.

Krishna replies that by either way, one can reach Him through concentration and meditation.  He proclaims that it is easy to reach Him through worship with intense faith, total surrender and adoration.  This devotional path is tailor-made for a common man who lacks the capacity to focus his concentration on the Brahman Consciousness State. Also, the devotee has the advantage that, since he depends on the Lord and not on his effort alone, the Lord is always with him to pull him out of the ocean of Samsara. On the other hand, the path of Jnana Yoga is for intellectuals and is too difficult for persons rooted in body-consciousness and worldly afflictions.  Also, in this path one has to depend on his effort alone.

4.0 The Practice of Devotion

Krishna then advises Arjuna various ways of Bhagavatha Dharma and tells him to establish his mind and intellect in Him so that He will live in him.  If he cannot do it, he should develop concentration through Abhyasa Yoga i.e. sravana, kirtana, smarana, Japa, etc. failing which he can try doing work for His sake to reach Him.  Any work becomes Divine when one performs it with the feeling that he is His servant or when one feels his capacity for work is His gift or when it is done for Holy causes, etc. If none of the above ways are possible, he can just practice self-control and offer the fruits of all his actions unto Him.

5.0 Bhakta’s Attributes

Krishna then describes the thirty-five qualities of a true devotee namely detachment, universal love, resignation, self-control, egolessness, etc. just like that of a stithaprajna, the man of steady wisdom.  True devotion automatically unfolds these distinguished qualities in a seeker.  Devotion to God is not blind faith, mere prayer or routine ritual.  It is the unconditional, dedicated and Supreme Divine Love.  Krishna declares that one who follows the Bhagavata Dharma with faith and considers Him as Supreme, he is dear to Him and He lives in him.

He has emphasized this philosophy in Chapter 9 in the Sloka

Ananyascintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate
Tesam nityabhiyuktanam yogaksemam vahamyaham!

To those who worship Me thinking of nothing else and ever seeking union, I grant them yoga (union) and khsema (both spiritual and materialistic benefits)!

6.0 Conclusion

Bhakti Yoga is the science of higher Love. Bhakti Yoga does not say, ‘Give up’; it only says, ‘Love, Love, Love the Highest,’ – and everything low naturally falls off from a true seeker. Devotion is something that is not transferable from one to another but has to be cultivated through our own efforts. Thus, having known the significance of Bhakti Yoga in Lord’s own words, let us put this knowledge into practice NOW and let us all begin our journey in this path of eternal bliss!…

Back to top

The differentaiation of the knower from the known - 13th Chapter          Click to Listen to the Talk

The Lord talks about the concepts of the ksetra,ksetrajna,brahman,purusha,prakriti and draws conclusions from these concepts.

The body (ksetra) consists of the 5 elements,ego,intellect, the unmanifest,10 organs of perception nd action, the  mind, 5 sense objects( smell, sound,colour ,taste touch)

Desire ,pleasure ,pain, consciousness all these are  the evolutes of the ksetra.
The sages and wise men who try to know the truth about the ksetra are the ksetrajnas(knower of the field)

Any object animate /inanimate is the union of the ksetra (matter) and the ksetrajna ( spirit)

When on is free from pride ,ego hipocracy,is dispassionate towards worldly objects , has a stead fast mind on e lord and is not worried about old age death and has a steady mind through favorable and unfavorable circumstances is said to have attained wisdom.

There is a story from the bhagvatam, of king puranjana. King puranjana  had a very close friend avignyata. His presence was unknown , but whenever the king wanted to be with him, he could do so.  The king slowly lost touch with avignyata.fell in love wit a lady whom he named puranjani and lived happily, until he was approached by jara to accept her as his wife ,
Puranjana refused . she then teamed up with yavaneshwara and prajvara and they slowly made their presence felt on puranjana, puranjana suffered from great agony and saw his beautiful world being destroyed .

Naradha explains the story thus,
The jeevatma (puranjana ) became restless and wandered away from avignyata (paramatma) in search of worldly pleasures till jara(old age ),yavaeshwara(death) and prajvara( disease) gained control of him, he felt sad that he could no longer enjoy worldly pleasures and died an unsatisfied man.

In the world of men, all strive for happiness  & try to avoid unhappiness , this is the end view of all our actions but in the end all this strife does not get men what they want nor do they give man courage to face pain that comes with unhappiness .

Brahman which is all pervasive,incomprehensible can be achieved through 3 ways , by action, meditataion, and knowledge

Purusha and prakriti are both beginning less and prakriti is responsible for evolving the 3 gunas.  The purusha in prakriti senses the objects in nature and these gunas are evolved,
Being in contact with the gunas brings about good /evil births.

Again to quote from the bhagvatam,
Bharata muni who had almost attained moksha , after renouncing the worldly pleasures , saw a new born deer who had just lost its mother  this incident in prakriti gave birth to the gunas in him,  Being  in constant touch with these gunas he became a deer in the next birth .

Thus after explaining the concepts of ksetra,brahman,purusha,prakriti, the lord concludes that anyone who has the wisdom of differentiating between the  ksetra and ksetrajna  and can detach oneself from prakriti and  her gunas attains the supreme spirit.

HARI Om

Back to top

Division according to the three guNaas - 14th ChapterClick to Listen to the Talk

Pranams to the Lord, Guruji and all gathered Satsanghiis,

I trust you all are aware about three modes of material nature, namely,

Satva...................Mode of Goodness
Rajas....................Mode of Passion
Tamas..................Mode of Ignorance

This chapter has three parts:

The first part has been dealt within verses 1 to 5, which says about Lord as our Universal Father.  We have to understand Him, His nature, if we do that we can attain Him.  This process is known as process of merging with God.  Bhavawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba says that in order to merge with God, you have to give up identification with the body and constantly meditate upon, " I have to separate myself from myself"

Satva, Rajas and Tamas emanate from Nature and bind the soul in the body.  When Satva prevails - knowledge arises.  When Rajas prevails - greed arises.  When Tamas prevails - ignorance and delusion arise.

When we talk about greed, I recollect one beautiful example.................

A small child about 4 years old went to one departmental store with his mother.  Mother moved around for her household purchases, during that time the child stopped at the chocolates counter.  Looking to the child who was so cute, the owner of the store told him to pick up some chocolates, to which the child refused to do so.  Once again the owner told him to do so, again the child refused.  When mother finished her purchases and was settling the bill, the owner told child's mother about his discussion with the child and requested child's mother to tell the child to pick up some chocolates,  again the child refused to do so.  Ultimately the owner on his own gave handful of chocolates to the child, which the child accepted.

On their way back home, mother was so surprised and asked the child that why did he do so at the shop, and to mother's wonder the child replied, "Mother, if I had to take the chocolates myself I could have taken one or two because my hands are small but when the shop owner gave with his hands I could get a lot of chocolates.

The lesson we learn out of the above incident is that we should be content with what God has given to us and to become greedy.

The Second part of the chapter explained by the verses 6 to 20 , which talks about the 3 Gunas.  Any living entity that comes into contact with nature gets affected by these Modes of Material Nature.  It starts with food habits, which leads to equilibrium between thoughts, words and deeds and vice versa.  This is mainly because thoughts, words and deeds are directly related to our body, mind and intellect.  Most of us are in RAjas or Tamas, so we have to try to come out and Satva Guna.  Once we are in Satva Guna, that is not the full stop, we have even to rise further to attain Liberation.

The Third part of the chapter is covered by verses 21 to 27 which tells about a person who has gone beyond these Gunas and what qualities such person will have.

Such person will be alike in pleasure or pain, who remains the same in things dear and things not dear to him.  He is one who regards blame & praise as one, who is same in honour & dishonour, who is same to friend or foe.  He will be called Sthitapragnya or Yogaruddha or pure devotee of the Lord.  Such person is said to have risen above Gunas and he is fit for becoming BRAHMAN.  This is the ultimate goal of our life.

Hari OM

Back to top

The mystery of the all pervading person - 15th Chapter                      Click to Listen to the Talk
By Ratna Jagtiani (Mataji)

My humble pranams to the Lord, Guruji and dear Satsanghiis,

From Sloka 1-4 Lord Krishna describes about the THE TREE OF CREATION

He said the created world is like a peepal Tree, rooted above in the unseen, with branches spreading everywhere in the world of the seen.  Entangled in its branches, no one understands its source, nor does one grasp the utterly flimsy and momentary nature of the values it yields.  He advised man to use the powerful weapon of Non attachment and cut the tap roots that bind him to it, and go into empyrean heights to seek God, its source - The supreme purushottama.

Slokas 5-6 marks and destiny of God realization.  Sloka 5 is very very important.  It used to be the favourite stanza of Swami Chinmayananda.  Whenever this chapter was chanted by us, he would insist to repeat this sloka twice-

nirmana mohaa jita sanga dosaa adhyaatma nityaa vinivrutta kaamaah
dvandvair vimuktaah sukha duhkha samjnair gacchanty amudhaah padam avyayam tat

which means those undeluded ones, who are free from pride and infatuation, who have conquered the vice of attachment and dwell constantly in God, whose desires have completely disappeared and are freed from the pair of opposites such pleasure and pain.  They will reach that imperishable Supreme state.  The Lord further emphasized that having attained that Supreme abode, the spirit does not return to the life of Samsara again.

Slokas 7-11 deal with the Jivatma or the embodied soul.  The Lord says the Jivatma in the body is an eternal portion of Myself ;  it attracts with it mind and the 5 senses born of prakriti.  When he gets a new body or abandons an old one, the Jiva moves carrying them (the mind and senses) with him, as the wind carries smells from their seats ( in flowers and the like)  Dwelling in the senses and the mind, the Jivatma enjoys the sense objects.  The deluded do not recognize the spirit ( Jiva)  when in identification with the Gunas, he tenants, or leaves a body, but those endowed with the eye of wisdom, do.

Slokas 12-15 deal with the glory and essential character of God.  The Lord further emphasized that light of the Sun which illumines the whole universe which is present in the moon and in fire likewise - know that splendour to be Mine.  Entering the earth by My spiritual energy, I sustain all beings residing in it.  As the water I nourish all plants and herbs.  Based in the body of living beings I manifest as the digestive fire, vaisvanara, digest the four kinds of food taken by them.  Further, I am seated in the hearts of all.  >From Me emanate memory, knowledge and forgetfulness.  I am the original teacher of vedanta as also the knower of all vedas.

Slokas 16-20 explains the explanation of Krishna and Akshara purushas and the Purushottama.  There  are two kinds of Purusha; Kshara (the imperishable i.e. bodies) & Akshara ( imperishable i.e. Jivatma)

Sloka 17 which is also very important in this chapter.  It describes about the Supreme person ( Uttamah Purushas)  The Supreme person is distinct from both called paramatman ; who is indestructible Lord.  He pervades and supports the three worlds.  He transcends the Kshara and the Akshara and is known in the world as Purushottamma in both the vedic and secular literature.  The undeluded are who knows Me thus, worships Me with his whole being.  Thus the secret teaching has been imparted to you assimilating this, man becomes wise and attains Supreme Satisfaction.

Hari Om.

Back to top

Distinction between Divine & Demoniac types - 16th Chapter                  Click to Listen to the Talk
By Asha Shivananda Pai

Lord Krishna in this chapter reveals to us that mankind is classified into 2 categories.  The first one being the divine or daivic and its counter part the asuric.  He goes on to describe the actions and out come of both.

The contents of the Bhagavat Gita in its entreaty are of great significance to mankind but ch. 16 in particular calls for rapt attention from us.  Let us ponder why?

Slokas 1 to 3 describe the qualifies of the daivic type.  People who have the qualities of being fearless self controlled, loving, truthful and are free from the vices of vanity pride and anger are those that imbibe the qualifies of the divine.  Such  qualifies can be directly compared to previous wealth.  These qualifies in us will ultimately lead us on the path to moksha.

Now let us look closely at the dark side of the picture.  When we hear sloka 4 we learn of the demonic characteristic which is present to a certain extent in each one of us.  Hypocracy, ignorance, arrogance, anger, rudeness and harshness are some of the qualities which mark the asuric type.  These are the ones who are born for the demonic state.  /in their ignorance they cannot comprehend what they are doing and what they should refrain from.  They think that they are wealthy, noble and that none other is on par with them.

In their delusion of grandeur they destroy not only themselves but aid in the destruction of all that they come into contact with.   Such demoniac species are thrown in the transmigratory world where they have to endure rebirth after rebirth in lowly farms.    The Lord repeatedly brought to our attention that evil ways will result in the destruction of ourselves and send us hurtling down the  path towards hell.   Like for every positive element there is a negative one so also in man there are the faces of evil to offset the forces of good.

As always the Lord tries to protect his creation so he goes on to advice us how we can avoid going on the path towards destruction.   There are 3 gates which every man should ensure that he does not pass through.  The 3 gates being kama ( lust), krodh(anger) and lobha (greed).  Talking about lobha there is a small snippet.  I would like to quote from the preaching of many great men.

" There is enough in this world for every one's need but not enough for one man's greed"

Greed in man is never ending.  The more you satisfy it the more it will grow.   On renouncing these 3 gates man performs acts which leads to god realization and gradually he attains union with the supreme.

As we bring this chapter to its natural end many among us will be experiencing the dawn of realization that within us there is a raging battle between the faces of good and evil.  It is upto us to opt far the seemingly easy path to hell or experience an on going battle towards heaven.

This is easier said than done but we can try and try till God bestows His Divine mercy on us.

Hari Om.

Back to top

The three divisions of faith - 17th ChapterClick to Listen to the Talk

The Yoga of the Three-fold Faith
 
 IN chapter 17, Lord  Krishna classifies the three divisions of faith revealing that it is THESE different qualities of faith in the Supreme that determine the character of living entities.These different types of faith determine one's consciouslness in this world.Thus this Chapter is entitled : The three Divisions of Material Existence.

The Lord categorises Satva, Rajas and Tamas as the 3 kinds of faith and explains the differentiating factors of these 3.  These are: (a)the type of food each kind prefers, and (b)the motive behind each of the actions performed by them.  The Lord also says that the key to success of each action which has a pure motive are the words 'Om Tat Sat'
 
As usual, Arjuna starts off by asking what defines the faith of individuals who do not follow scriptural ordinances, whether it is S, R or T by nature?

The LORD explains that the faith of such individuals depends on the impressions they bring forward from previous births. Further,the kind of actions performed by them determines what the nature of their faith is. A Saatvik person worships the Devas, a Rajasik person prays to the demons and Taamasik people worship spirits and ghosts. The food of a person determines his mind and character.A Saatvik person prefers food which is nourishing, promotes good health, longevity and happiness, while the food of a Raajasik person is
generally pungent, salty, sour- food which tastes good, but leads to depression and disease later( due to Obesity! etc) A taamasik person likes food which is constituted of the leavings of others, which is decayed, stale etc.
 
A political party worker is severely injured while participating in an unwanted rally( almost all political rallies are unwanted!) and is in the ICU with all gadgets- Drips, oxygen supply etc.The minister of the concerned party visits him with all fanfare to get some mileage out of it. He poses for some photographs as if he is consoling the guy and he notices, the party worker frantically waving his hands and struggling to say something. Assuming that the guy wants to say something to his wife, the minister hands him a piece of paper and a pen. After writing a few words on the paper, the man hands the note to the minister and dies within a few minutes. Later, the note is passed on to the wife by the minister and it reads " U idiot, U are trampling on my  oxygen supply!"

So, the sacrifice of the partyworker was of no good- to him, or anyone else and this type of a sacrifice  can only be taamasik.

The Lord says, sacrifice without any desire for fruit is of Saatvik nature, while that with a view in mind to obtain some result , is Raajasik, like that of the minister!
The Lord then talks about the three-fold austerities which are to be practised by men. These are austerity of speech, mind and body.  Speech which causes no unhappiness and is true and beneficial, is austerity of speech. Serenity of mind, self control, purity of nature constitute Mental Austerity, while worshipping the twice-born, ones Guru, the Wise, Being Straightforward, cleanliness is bodily austerity. This threefold austerity, when practised with faith and without desire for fruit is said to be saatvik.When practised with the aim of getting Fame and Adulation its is Raajasik.When practised with evil intent or for the purpose of self-torture, or destruction, is taamasik.

There was once a rich businessman who was cornered by a Social wrker to donate for a charity.The businessman told him " Do u know I have an old mother at home who needs constant medication and attention? I also have a widowed sister and her 2 children dependent on me for their daily food.  By this time , the social worker is looking as little guilty.The business man says," I also have a crippled brother to whom I am the only source of money. The social worker says" I'm sorry sir, I did not know you had so many obligations"
The business man tells him" when I have not given even a single penny to any of these people, what makes you think I'll give you any money??!"

This kind of giving is even lower than taamasik giving. Gifts given with a good intention, without any expectation of return and to a needy person at a proper time are of a Saatvik nature. There is a saying in Tamil " Paathram arindhu Picchai idu " That is, give according to the need of the individual.    who asks for something. If you donate money to someone who doesn't need it, even if you do so with a good heart, it is not saatvik because it is not given to the proper person. Gifts given with a view to receiving in return, or given reluctantly, are Raajasik, while, Taamasik people give while insulting the person , or while grumbling and without any feeling of respect.
 
From the beginning of creation, the words Om Tat Sat were used to indicate the Absolute Truth.These words should be uttered when one is performing any kind of action without desire for fruit, for the sole purpose of the satisfaction of the Supreme.  The Lord finally tells Arjuna, that anything done with a desire for fruit is of no use to one in this life or
hereafter. Let us then adopt the attitude of Nishkaamya Karma.

Hari Om.

Back to top

Liberation through Renunciation – 18th Chapter Click to Listen to the Talk

Back to top

Thanks to Saroja Sundaresan for compiling the text version of these talks in order to make them available on the internet.

You are visitor number since December 22, 1999.