Bhagavad Gita Course: Chapter 9 (9.15–9.18)
Class Notes | December 12, 2017
Notes by Madhu Soni
A Sadhu realizes and can feel, remember, and know that Bhagwan is All-Pervading, Infinite.
We are habituated to live by the senses, live by the thoughts; so we are stuck.
Our Bhagavad Gita course is teaching us how to be unstuck, how to see and how to experience reality.
Review of the mid-portion of Chapter 9 from last week: as long as we worship the small, we will feel worry because we know deep within ourselves that the small are unable to provide what we need, which is infinite joy. So if we are feeling worried, it is because we are worshipping the small and vice versa. If we worship the Infinite, we are going to feel natural. We feel the most natural with ourself because deep within ourself we know that only the Infinite is able to provide us with what we need: independent joy.
Bhagwan is going to provide us with all we need whether we feel it or not. If we feel it and realize it, we do away with worry. If not, we hold on to worry. This is the truth, this is reality.
This is why this chapter is teaching us how to feel the presence of Bhagwan who will provide us with all we need, even Himself through our Satguru.
When we think of Yoga and Kshema, Yoga is the power to gain and Kshema is the power to guard. The Lord promises that to the one who is capable of maintaining 3 factors (consistency of will and thought, pouring out themself with a singleness of purpose, and self-control) and pursues them diligently, there need be no anxiety to gain, nor worry to guard. The Satguru we meet will be guided to us and that Satguru will guide us back to Bhagwan, to ourselves.
Keeping all of these insights in mind, what should we do?
We should worship Bhagwan.
How?
Patram (leaf), pushpam, (flower), phala (fruit), dhoyam (water).
Some mandirs and ashrams have a donation tree in the form of these elements.
However, the bhakti, the love is what is important, not what is given.
The prefix, pra- (as in prashna, like prashan, to question) perhaps is showing someone engaged in shravanam and mananam. Then when they ask the question, it’s indicating that they’re ready for the answer.
Are we ready to accept that the only way to Bhagwan is love? If we keep worshipping the small, then we think there are alternative routes to Bhagwan and there are not.
9.15–9.17
In Panchavati, citizens flock to Shri Laxmana and Bhagwan Rama for their darshan. In this Panchavati (pancha meaning 5), there are 5 banyan trees. Banyan trees are very strong , iconic for 5 different directions of sraddha or faith. Shri Laxmana has these 5 different directions of sraddha in:
· Brahman
· Shastra
· Satguru
· Atman (oneself)
· Sadhan
When one has these 5 directions of faith, then the questions that one would probably ask are what Shri Laxmana asks Bhagwan Rama. These 5 questions are:
· What is Jnana?
· What is Vairagya?
· What is Maya?
· What is Bhakti?
· What is Ishwar?
5 trees, 5 faiths, 5 questions and when Bhagwan Rama begins to respond, he doesn’t respond in the order of Shri Laxmana’s questions.
The last response Bhagwan gives is to What is Bhakti? He gives that answer last as He elaborates on this the most. In one simple word, what Bhakti is according to Lord Rama is: Depending. Depending on Bhagwan is Bhakti.
If you know Bhakti, vairagya comes to life.
Anyone who is engaged in pariksha of the world is examining, reflecting and paying attention to each moment in this field of experiences. That person will naturally develop vairagya. Vairagya means not depending on what you’ve examined: articles, beings, circumstances (abc’s). Pleasure, possession, position cannot fulfill us. So we naturally develop a vairagya towards these directions, independence from the abc’s, pleasure, possession and position. It’s living most efficiently, not depending on those that dependent on other factors. The transition process is where Bhakti develops.
Rather, we become dependent on the Divine and Peace. Less worried and more feeling of being natural. Efficiency = love; to depend on that which is Infinite, Independent.
Many of us may feel that we are undeserving of this Bhakti as we live lives that are undisciplined, dependent on the abc’s; whatever that feeling of attachment or dependency is it is a feeling associated with the here and now.
Bhagwan answers this question on Bhakti and elaborates on how to develop this depending, and he gives 2 steps on how to engage in Bhakti:
· Sadhu satsanga: When we start to revolve around Sadhus, Brahmanas (those who revolve around the shastra), then depending on Bhagwan becomes natural.
· Dharma palana: Follow, fulfill, protect your responsibilities.
Bhagwan brings a Sadhu or Satguru into our life.
Bhagwan also brings the dharma or responsibilities we have into our life.
Through Sadhu satsanga and Dharma palana, we start to feel the presence of the Creator. We start to feel virtues.
When we are around Sadhus, we see their virtues. When we follow our responsibilities, we know virtues.
To further explain this, currently, we are vasana anusari. Anusari means tied around or revolving around vasanas, this feeling of smallness; and when we’re tied to vasanas, we’re directed towards vishaya. Vishaya means sense objects, visha means pleasure.
Vishaya comes from “vishwanti bandhanti”, that whose nature is to bind.
So the nature of a sense object is to bind us. The nature of pleasure is to make us stuck. To pull ourselves out of this vasana anusari, we have to become shastra anusari. We have to revolve around and tie ourselves to the science of self-development, the science of independent joy.
So today we may feel undeserving of Bhakti, of Bhagwan. However, tomorrow, we may not feel the sense of being undeserving of the presence of our Creator, the presence of virtues.
In Sloka 30 of Chapter 9, Bhagwan says when someone takes up the sankalpa, takes up the promise to oneself that he/she will engage in Sadhu satsanga, in Dharma palana, that person’s primary title/designation should be Sadhu, because she/he is now evoking the grace of Bhagwan, of Satguru. All of us are eligible for and deserving of Bhakti. It doesn’t matter about our varna (the color of our personality), karma (the work in which we are engaged), gender, or income. This is for all.
How will we know if we’re engaged in depending on the Creator, on Virtue?
We will be raising the quality and reducing the quantity of our thoughts, and we will be redirecting the flow of our thoughts. This is what we do when we are in Sadhu satsanga. When engaged in Dharma palana, we follow our responsibilities. We reduce the quantity of thoughts and don’t play as many mind games.
The mind will play games. Dharma palana ends the game when we exercise control over our thoughts. Reduce the quantity of the thoughts and then naturally, thoughts will go towards the Creator, towards Virtues, that’s the redirection of the flow of our thoughts.
Toward the end of Chapter 9, Bhagwan says to Prince Arjuna: My devotee, my disciple never perishes. This can be understood as the devotee/disciple’s efforts will not go in vain. The devotee/disciple transcends the fear of death, the fear of the unknown, the fear of sorrow. No word of Bhagwan is in vain.
Know it, remember it, feel it.
9.18 (review of chapter 9)
This chapter began with the title Raja Vidya. This is royal knowledge because this is the only knowledge that will lead us to peace, to us feeling natural, to us not becoming, but being.
This is also known as Raja Guya, this is a royal secret because it is beyond being an extrovert; you can’t perceive it or think it.
Knowing the beauty of this knowledge, Bhagwan says I am not in them and they are not in I. If Bhagwan is not in us and we are not in Bhagwan, then there is only Brahman.
The Creator is not in creation and creation is not in the Creator, then there is no Creator, there is no creation, there is only Brahman.
Brahman is existence, awareness, joy. Existence, awareness, joy does nothing, it is just being.
Live with utter humility.
Every movement we make, every change, every effort is doing or becoming. If we are humble, the focus is not on the movement, the change, the effort, it is on how all of this is happening. If this is not known clearly, we have a tendency to think, speak and act in vain. Moga is to be in vain.
The feeling of living a life of vanity is worry and fear because there is forgetfulness to live with utter humility.
This moga or vanity can, will and must be changed by yagya.
Yagya is to know He, to know Virtues.
Namaskara is to see He, to see Virtues.
Devi sees no weaknesses in people, she only sees their strengths.
Yagya namaskara kirtana. Kirtana means to live by the will of the Creator. Live virtuously.
Kirti means policy, prioritization, the lighthouse of our every moment, every experience. Then that moga, that vanity, that fear goes away. Worry then also goes away.
Shift from becoming to being.
Someone engaged in yagya, namaskara, kirtana is giving his/her resources, time, and effort to the Creator, to Virtues. All that is given in this way is given back. Depend on Bhagwan and Bhagwan will make you independent.
Bhagwan and Virtues are like a mirror. If you ignore Bhagwan, it’s like Bhagwan ignores you. In prayer, we communicate with Bhagwan and in contemplation, Bhagwan communicates with us. If we don’t initiate that dialogue in prayer, then in contemplation, we will not be able to hear or listen to Bhagwan.
If anyone comes across a teacher, a program that is teaching contemplation in the absence of Bhagwan, then we are probably just going to be listening to our own ego and we won’t even know it.
Bhagwan is mandatory to reach Brahman.
Apply all that you’ve learned in the Gita course. Specifically, begin with Bhakti, the most practical way to live. Once we begin living like this, we come to understand and appreciate that the way we used to live with pleasure, attachment, and fear is most impractical.
In this chapter, Guruji says, “We all have an infinite potential of love and an available capital of it.” The infinite potential of love is our nature. We simply have to realize the purpose to release our potential. The more we need Bhagwan, the more we will need Bhagwan. The more we depend on Bhagwan, the more we will need to depend on Him. The more we love Bhagwan, the more we will love Him.
In Chapter 10, Prince Arjuna wants more, he wants to know Bhagwan in all.
In Chapter 11, Prince Arjuna wants to know All in One.
In Chapter 12, Prince Arjuna wants to be that. So the last 6 chapters of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita explain to Prince Arjuna how he is that. He simply has to raise, reduce, redirect.
No teaching of Bhagwan is an exaggeration. Be a Bhakta by practicing Bhakti.
Anytime you’ve removed yourself from sadhana, you’ve misinterpreted.
Discussion: What are reasons and remedies for bullying within a family?
One discussion group raised the following reasons:
· Fear that a family member is not performing up to an expectation
· Jealousy
· Expectations
· Respect (feel superior, think the other is vulnerable/inferior)
· Insecurity
· Ego
· Control, power to get what u want
· Toughen up
Remedies:
· Accept each for their own strengths
· Show respect
· Discuss concerns with those involved
· Change ourselves and be receptive
· Maturity
Vivekji’s response: Bullying happens regularly in families; the reason is that family members are used to possessing people. For example, they claim, these are my parents, sister, child, etc and this possessiveness grows through closeness in space and length of time. We are all experts in taking things for granted, e.g. the environment, our health, family, the presence of Bhagwan.
Taking for granted our family, we make them feel small or make them feel dependent on us. Possessiveness is a major reason for bullying in a family setting.
Remedy to this is what Bhagwan shares with Shri Laxmana:
· Sadhu satsanga
· Dharma palana
Sadhu satsanga: Patiently and quietly engage in your own self-development. Not with conflict. Through your own self-development, you will encourage family members’ self-development and there will be less bullying. Through your greater happiness, you may trigger a question from them as to why you are so happy.
Dharma palana: Engage in your responsibilities, including with them, in a quality way. If you engage in quality time with them, then quantity time is not as required. Through this, we give them the quality that they need so that they are at ease, there’s less pushing around and less possessing. If you’re engaged in your own responsibilities, including self-development, then you no longer feel bad due to mind games.
Many times we feel guilty within our family, but if you’re engaged in Sadhu satsanga and Dharma palana, you’re trying to practice Bhakti. If anyone is trying to make you feel bad, don’t allow such negative thoughts to come into your personality as you’re engaged in Bhakti towards The Greatest, the greatest form of sadhana.
Reflection Adventure of (last) Week: Identify 5 people most accepting of you and why.
Vivekji: They have accepted their own nature which is why they are so accepting of our nature. Someone who is not self-conscious, does not make other people feel self-conscious. Someone who doesn’t judge themselves, doesn’t make other people feel that they’re judged. When you accept your relative nature, you’ll accept the relative nature of others. Mutual respect is the sattvic way of thinking. Above this, if you identify with your Absolute nature (existence, awareness, joy), there’s no discussion about accepting. Then you are that other person. You are One with them.
Reflection Adventure of the Month:
Every day starting tomorrow until January 15, write a letter to God and mail it.
Address it to Bhagwan Krishna, with your own address.
Next class: Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Hari Om.
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BG class notes / CM Cleveland/ USA / Dec 12, 2017
● Story of Sant Savata Mali, of Maharashtra, to illustrate the concept of seeing, glorifying, and being with Bhagvan ( Reality), throughout the waking hours no matter what one is doing. To See this Reality (Bhagvan), at all times, in everything, and everywhere, is the way to learn to live.
● Worshipping the small and finite, leads us to worries, insecurities, and a sense of being incomplete, which creates a constant extroverted chasing of the finite, in the world of names and forms, hoping to find something that would make us whole. It is only when we worship “the Infinite” that we experience our “True nature”, and even though we know this deep within ourselves, we are swayed by our conditioned habits of living by our “thoughts”, which are driven by our vasana. Chapter Nine is teaching us to feel the presence of Bhagvan everywhere, in everything we do, and at all times.
● Bhagvan says, it is not what we offer to HIM, rather the attitude ( bhakti / love) with which the offering is made, that is critical. With reference to Bhakti, Panca vati ( Vedanta in Ramayana) was brought in to drive home a point. The five Banyan trees represent the five types of Shraddha — Shraddha in Brahman, Shastra, Sadhguru, Atma ( OneSelf),and Sadhana. Answering the five questions raised by Lakshmana ( what is jnana, vairagya, maya, bhakti, and Isvara), Bhagvan Rama says “depending” on Bhagvan is Bhakti.
● Living most efficiently is not to depend on something, that needs something else to make it function ( Acit needing Cit to enliven it); being dependent on Bhagvan is the most efficient — i.e., depending on that which is Infinite, Independent, and all pervading.
● Bhagvan further says , in order to develop this “depending” on Bhagvan one needs to be in the company of those (Sadhu satsangha) whose lives are rooted and revolve around shastra, and commit oneself to fulfill one’s responsibilities ( Dharma phalana). Bhagvan brings Sadhguru and dharma phalana, into our lives, and we begin to feel the presence of the creator and begin to know the virtues.
● Right now we are “vasana anusari” ( we revolve around our vasana), which leads us to be extroverted and to “Vishaya” ( pleasure, sense gratification through sense objects), resulting in being bound and feeling stuck ( Vishvati bandati). To pull ourselves out of vasana anusari, we have to bind ourselves to the higher and become “Bhagvan anusari”.
● When someone takes the sankalpa to engage in Sadhu satsangha and Dharma phalana, they are known as righteous, “ good and saintly”, for choosing the divine path, no matter how sinfully they lived earlier ( Veda condemns the sin, not the sinner) — Verse 30.
● As we become more dependent on HIM (on virtues), we raise the quality of our thoughts, decrease the quantity of thoughts, and the flow of thoughts are redirected towards HIM. Through the practice of Dharma Phalana ( upholding responsibilities), we are able to overcome the conditioned mind games and the mind moves towards virtues. Bhagvan says “ no effort put forth by my devotee is in vain”
● Review of chapter Nine — Raja Vidya ( Royal Knowledge) — is the only knowledge that leads us to peace and towards our True nature. Knowing this , we realize, there is nothing else remains, to be known. Raja Guhya ( Royal Secret) — is that Royal knowledge, which is beyond all the sense driven, limited, extrovertedness. This secret is realizable by direct experiential knowledge, is “supreme in its purifying effects”, “clearly comprehensible” by an immediate experience of the Self, and is imperishable.
Bhagvan says “ I am not in them, they are not in Me”.
Bhagvan is not in us, we are not in Bhagvan”.
There is only Brahman! Sat-Cit- Ananda; So “JUST BE!”
The powerful message is “ To live in Utter Humility”. Then the focus is not on “what” is happening, rather the focus will be on “How” all this is happening. It is not “i am doing; i am deserving” rather it is “HE is doing”. So i surrender to HIM with devotion and humility.
● Vanity (mogha) is to be changed through Yajna (burning of ignorance through knowledge); glorifying HIM continuously through the sacred practice of Kirtanam, with reverence and devotion ( a silent act of a mind that is becoming subtle, through sadhana, to appreciate the Ideal); and namaskaram ( implying detachment and surrender of all the false identifications, i.e., with acit). Thus vanity, worries, and fears drop way and we shift to “being” and depend more on Bhagvan.
● In prayer, we communicate with Bhagvan and in Contemplation, HE communicates with us. In depending on Bhagvan, we realize our infinite potential to love, which is our true nature.
Discussion
What are the reasons / remedies for familial bullying?
Vivekji’s response
Reason — Possessiveness is the major reason ( my son, my wife etc.)
Remedy — By patiently engaging in sadhana / Self-development, we model and influence the other in a positive way; by engaging in our responsibilities ( giving of quality time); and by practicing bhakti, we do not allow others’ negative thoughts to interfere with the status of our mind.
RAM — Write a letter to Bhagvan Krishna ( starting 12/13/2017- Jan 15, 2018), everyday, affix the postage required on the envelope, address it to Bhagvan Krishna, and mail it to your own address.
In gratitude
Indira palekar
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