Bhagavad Gita Course: Chapter 16 (contd.) & Chapter 17

Class Notes |April 3, 2018

Sheetal Gupta, CM Vancouver, Canada

Chapter 16 highlights the divine and the demonic virtues. The Bhagavad Gita is a reality check for each and every one of us. It allows us to ask the fundamental question about whether we are living a life of truth, or a lie/illusion. Is there a split between what we know and what we do? Through Arjuna, Bhagwan is trying to guide us to our ‘right karma.’ In Chapter 16, the focus was sampatti, and in Chapter 17, Bhagwan explains that with the right shraddha and then right swabhava, Prince Arjuna CAN change.

The Bhagavad Gita is a most revolutionary guide book to help us with our evolution. It gives us all the tools and hence power to create our personalities. Sanatan Dharma is purely about evolution which is why we have so many frameworks such as the Gunas, Daivi Sampati, etc. Many other religions will not give the power of evolution to the seeker, whereas the Bhagavad Gita is focusses on this. And as Bhagwan is all set to deliver his final message, he tells Arjuna to do what he feels is right.

Chapter 16 continued:

What is Bhagwan Shiva’s teaching? It is virtues. What else is Sanatana Dharma other than love development, virtue development, self development? To have these divine inner wealths is to find the divinity. To understand that we are not human either, and that we too are Bhagwan.

Chapter 16 highlights the divine and the demonic and shows the relevance of religion. Religion is relevant when people think that they have 2 personalities within their experience. In the BG, Bhagwan Krsna often says that the Aatma needs to be lifted by the Aatman. The Aatma is lowered by the Aatman. How is this possible when there is only one Aatma? He is talking about the division in our personalities.

Guruji highlights the concept of Asatya — living a lie is when there is a split between the knower and the doer (i.e. know I need to be patient/morning-person, etc.) I am a knower of this, but there is a split, because I am also not a doer of this. And this gap only increases.

Satya — living the truth is when what we are thinking and acting is based on Shruta (heard this), or Drashta (seen this), Anumita (experienced this myself) — seen, heard, experienced →when you think, speak,and act in such a way there is more and more integration and Yukta (alightment between mind, body, intellect)

Ask yourself — are you living a lie, or the truth. Is all that I think, and speak, and I say, based on my hearing, and seeing, and experiencing? Or is there a division? That I know but I don’t follow.

Chapter 17 — is the Appendix to the Bhagavad Gita — highlights one’s faith (shraddha). Deeper than faith is one’s nature, and more shallow than that is one’s actions.

We have all heard: Tell me who you love and I will tell you who you are. Who you love and look unto shows the person that you are. Another way to know who you are is by how you feel if and when we are around mean/selfish people. How we behaved around such people will show us who we are.

- Can we still be in satsang when among negative people? If yes then that is a sign of strength, but if not, then more training is needed.

- Bhagwan says that our nature expresses as faith, and faith expresses as action

swabhava — shraddha — karma. Bhagwan is trying to help us understand who we are even more deeply.

Chapter 17 is introduced by a question asked by Price Arjuna (Sloka 1 of CH 17)

arjuna uvācha

ye śhāstra-vidhim utsṛijya yajante śhraddhayānvitāḥ

teṣhāṁ niṣhṭhā tu kā kṛiṣhṇa sattvam āho rajas tamaḥ

Arjuna — those who break injunctions of the shastras (don’t follow it), yet they still engage in dedication/sacrifice with their own faith (not following shastras but engaged in own dharma with their own nature), Bhagwan, what is their conviction (Nishta), and what will be their fate? Is it Satva, Rajaha, or Tamaha, (calmness, aggressiveness, or laziness)?

Bhagwan says that Shraddha creates Phalla — your faith leads to your fruits.

- if experience is calmness (shraddha is satvic, and phalla is calmness)

- if experience is aggression (shraddha is rajas, phalla is aggression)

- if experience is laziness/lack of inspiration (shraddha is tamas, and phalla is laziness)

Shraddha comes from our Swabhava. Nurture has made our nature. created Nature. The way we think (Vrithis), manifests as our vasanas. Shraddha deepens to becomes ones swabhava.

Section 17.4–17.7

Bhagwan says that if we want to be the best, we need to have the best role models, the best satsang. And in order to change my Swabhava (which affects my shraddha, my karma and phalla), we need to have the best role models.

- quality will always supersede quantity

- engage in CSI towards our own altar (clean altar, simplify altar, inspire your altar)

- just keep your Guru and Ishtdevata

- think deeply of who I surround myself with

- surrounding myself with wise people will improve my swabhava

Chap 17, Sloka 8–10

Bhagwan talks about importance of good food. What you input, you will output.

i.e. tamasic part of apple one will defecate, rajasic part becomes body/breath, and satvic part becomes mind/intellect. If I want to change my swabhava, I need to have the right role models, and I should eat the right food

- we are what we eat — every part of the multiverse is governed by the Gunas (calmness, aggression, etc).

- one must also train themselves to be a morning person to improve swabhava as that is the satvic period

Bhagwan continues to share how we should evolve, and Swami Tejomayananda ji calls these the Tips to Success as follows:

1) yantra — equipment (i.e. car, pen, etc) Need right equipment to evolve, i.e. having the right body to live well.

2) tantra — right technique — if you want to evolve, you need the right technique to do so (need to know how to drive)

3) mantra (most important) — right purpose. Why do you want to change? Why do you want to evolve? Purpose is what pulls performance.

Why purpose is most important? When raising a child, we may not have the right yantra and tantra, but if we have the right mantra, and we love our child, then we can raise our child well. But if we don’t love them, we can’t raise a child no matter what equipment and technique you have.

Bhagwan keeps giving these most practical frameworks. He says to Arjuna, that if he wants to evolve he must have the right role models, eat the right food, and more specifically: yantra, tantra, and mantra. And even more specifically than that, he must use the yantra, tantra, and mantra for:

1) Yagna — all that we do in life should be directed toward yagna: serving. One’s whole life should be yagna, and the more one does this, the more one is able to do tappa.

2) Tappa — investing in the equipments of the body, mind, intellect equipments so that one can engage more in daana

3) Daana — sharing. Omens invest well in order to share well. But one must love oneself in order to share with others

17.1–17.7 summary:

Bhagwan is the master teacher — allow teachings to move around in mind until we can find a way to live his teachings. Most relevant is for us to continue to hold these teachings.

Discussion question: What is the most significant practice you have incorporated based on the teachings of BG?

Vivekji’s feedback: All in life is Sadhana/Yagna — all space, time, matter is sadhana. Traffic is sadhana, crying babies are sadhana, and especially families are sadhana. Managing the different dimensions of family expectations is also sadhana

Question: ‘Instead of being agitated at our swabhava, we should focus on our shraddha to change our swabhava.’

Vivekji’s answer: Generally yes. But the only time we should ever be agitated and disgusted with ourselves is when we are engaged in ADHARMA. There should be NO OTHER reason to be agitated. And if we are agitated, then we haven’t placed enough emphases on being peaceful. The greatest asset in life peace of mind. Our swabhava is the unconscious part of you, shraddha is the subconscious part of you, and your karma is the conscious part of you. Engage in dharma, which is at the karma level — or the right action. Engaging in right action will allow you to reach the subconscious to develop right faith, then will reach the unconscious to develop the right nature. And once you have the right nature then faith and actions will be pure and flow from there.

Question: What is the distinct separation between yagna and dana?

Vivekji’s answer: Yagna, which is serving, is more macro and dana is more micro. Our lives need to be more service oriented. Magna bhava is an attitude. And we need less selfishness and more sharing. The more that we have, the more that we can give.

This week’s RAW:

Only to eat during Rajasic part of the day 9am-9pm; More particularly: 9am, 3pm, 9pm

Seema Nema, Chinmaya Haridwar- Portland, USA

Existence (sat) is an absolute truth, multiverse will become non-existent without it. Are we sure that we are not taking all this just as a ‘Myth’-o-logy.? As long as we believe Bhagavan is a man like us… then there is only hopelessness. This division of thinking that the infinite Bhagavan is like us shows our AYUKTA personality (split in our BMI and our disintegrated understanding) giving us SANKATA. KATA means challenges (demanding relatives, poor weather, traffic) which we have to face but it is संकट (SANKATA) when the challenge is treated as a problem. Trying to understand who Bhagavan really is brings YUKTA/integration to us. Fearlessness — ABHAYA was the virtue we focused on in Chapter 16 while studying our inner wealth. Lets lift this up to ABHAYANKARA (Bhagavan Shiva/Shankara) one who can create or teach fearlessness. Sanatana Dharma is self, love, virtue development…. leading to the understanding that we too are Bhagavan.

• Religion is relevant and means to recover when we have split in our personality. Talking about the division in our personality, Bhagavan Krishna many times says “the atma is to be lifted by the atman”, and that “atma is lowered by the atma”.~ Understanding this is not possible since there is only one atma. Chapter 17’s lesson highlights that ASATYAM is the split that happens due to this division between the knower (knowing I must be a patient, morning person, not overeat nor overreact) and the doer (not following what is known)… then this becomes a lie and grows into over-exaggeration, a complete lie. Split if not corrected right away keeps growing. Living the truth SATYA is when what we are thinking, speaking, action is based on what is DRSHTA(i have seen it) and SHRTA (i heard it) in a authoritative way or ANUMITA (i have experienced it my self). Think, speak and act such a way that there is more integrated alignment (YUKTA) between the mind and body. SBG is our reality check (to detect and to check ~ are we still living in an illusion?) .
• Chapter 17 is an appendix that helps us understand ‘who we are’ more deeply. Chapter 16 highlighted demonic and divine virtues, Chapter 17 highlights ones faith (ShraddhA) ~ deeper than faith is ones nature and shallower than that is ones actions! TELL ME WHO YOU LOVE AND I WILL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE -

2)How you feel when you are around meanness.

First understand who you are by observing how you felt, behave with/react to DuHsanGghI (people with bad inclinations and those who are utterly selfish). How one behaves in a non controlled (outside satsang of this course) environment reveals this strength otherwise more training must continue.

Chapter (17), Section (17.4–17.7) / Verse (#1): Bhagavan Krishna uses the framework of strength of faith expressing as our actions ~ Svabhava(Nature), ShraddhA(Faith), Karma(Actions) to lead Prince Arjuna to the final message about to come to feel and do what is right!

अर्जुन उवाच |
ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विता: |
तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्वमाहो रजस्तम: || 1||

Those who break the injunction of the shastras or don’t follow (scriptures) yet stay dedicated & sacrifice doing it with their own faith (not following scriptures but engaged in DHARMA, own nature, own faith etc)… What is their conviction? What is their fate while acting — is it Sattva(calmness), Rajja(aggressiveness) or Tama(laziness)?

• Your ShraddhA/Faith leads to your Fruits (फल )to your Actions:
• Today if you are experiencing calmness reveals fruit(result) is calmness and your faith is sattvik, aggressiveness reveals your fruit(result) is agitation and faith is rajas and laziness (no inspiration to wake up, to be better) reveals tamasic faith even when outwardly you may appear noble. The feeling what one is experiencing is primary, the praise is secondary.
• Nurture has made our nature. THE WAY YOU THINK (VRITTIS) GROWS INTO YOUR PROPENSITIES/HABITS (VASANAS). Today animals are still sensitive to nature; we are more (inclined)sensitive to profit and loss. We have lost our fight or flight syndrome of our cave/ARANYA time in past. Think… what moment of the past are you scared of, what moment would you like to relive(this reveals inclinations and prejudices of ones nature)… Vivekji mused over reliving the ‘PARIKSHIT-SHUKMAHARAJ’ 7 DaY Best Satsanga with the best role models… since our ShraddhA:faith is our nurture and it deepens to affect our Svabhava:nature and practically to lead us to do the right Karma(कर्म):actions and effect our result(phalas/fruits). Keeping emphasis on quality supersedes quantity… so alter your altar to Clean Simple Inspiring to focus, to feel to immerse rather than the quantity(shopping around for more icons). Chapter 17 tells that one can change. SBG is the most revolutionary guidebook to ones evolution in giving power to create ones evolved personality. It gives the power of evolution to the seeker employing various frameworks.
• Right Role Models, Right Food ~ YANTRA (यंत्र )TANTRA(तंत्र) MANTRA(मंत्र)
• If one wants to change their svabhava, they must become a morning person (the morning is also known as the sattvik period). Three aspects are needed for evolution of svabhava= yantra, tantra, matntra. Yantra means equipment(car, hairbrush). You need the right equipment if you want to evolve, for example having a healthy body.
• Tantra is the right technique. If one must evolve, they have to have the right technique. Mantra means purpose; why do you want to change, why do you want to evolve, purpose is the most important. We should use these three things and apply them to Yajna, Tapah, and Dana. Yajna means serving (dedication), Tapah means investing, and Dana means sharing. When you go to work, you go to serve and give dedication (one’s whole life should be yajna). The more focus on Yajna, the more Tapah. It means investing in the equipment such as body mind and intellect. The more Tapah there is, the more focus goes towards Dana. If one invests poorly, there is none to share, in the same way if there is not enough Tapah, Dana does not work either.
• Let things move around in your mind — it will help you find clarity which you then should commit to.

Discussion Topic : What is the most significant practice you have incorporated into your lives based on the teachings of SBG?

• Incorporating that ALL SPACE TIME MATTER (infants, recession, hot water, people especially & within groups of people family especially) is SADHANA; and the key is to manage the different dimensions of expectations

Questions

• Instead of focusing on agitations (of our Svabhava) should we focus more on deepening ShraddhA to change our Svabhava? Generally Yes. Agitations should not come unless we are engaging in papa(sin) or adharma, it should be so bothersome that we get so disgusted and do not touch it anymore. Someone criticizing or plans not implementing the way we want should not agitate us. Our greatest asset is peace of mind and getting agitated is a sign of not valuing it enough & shows a lack of sadhana. In VIR class our RAW is to write down ones Dasha Sampattis and Vivekji wants all SBG course students to try this RAW. In Chapter 16 we just studied the Daivi and Asuri Sampattis and we have discussed the inner wealth : ShatSampattis from Vivekchoodamani, Acharya Shankaracharya. What are the 10 greatest assets of ones life — the answer is PEACE of MIND. Without peace nothing else has any value. Svabhava is the unconscious part of mind, ShraddhA is the subconscious and Karma is the conscious. Engaging in Dharma leads to right actions which develops the right ShraddhA in our subconscious which in turn develops our Nature/Svabhava.
• What is the distinct difference between (Yajna)serving and (Dana)sharing? Yajna : serving is more macro and Dana : sharing is more micro. Yajna is more karma. Dana is more phala (result). Our lives should be service oriented (not just volunteering, Vinay your teaching should be your Yajna, this class is our Yajna). All is Yajna is Yajnabhava (not an action, it is the attitude). Connecting to this one wants to do more so invests more in it. This inculcates more and more tapah and less and less svartha (selfishness). Tapah becomes the shakti for the Yajna. The more one has the more one can give…

RAW

• Last RAW was to go thru 16.7–19 and identify three most most detrimental asuric sampatttis one has… Vivekji shared one — Abhijaanvan (literally the aristocrat, someone who over administrates).. urge to facilitate more and more satsangs, classes sometimes resulting in less letting go.

Rubini Naidu, CM New York City

We are in a course to systematically study who and what God is, to know Bhagvan as Bhagvan. This can bring us integration and hope. Discrepancy between what we know and do is dangerous and can grow over time. Living the truth, living what we know we should do, is the proper route. We should think and speak and act in an integrated manner. This enables integration between body, mind, and intellect. Are you living a lie or a truth? Is there a division between what you know and what you follow?

This Bhagavad Gita course is a reality check. Are you living in reality or living in an illusion?

Chapter 17:

This is an appendix to Srimad Bhagavad Gita. This chapter highlights one’s faith, nature, and actions. Our nature expresses as faith, and our faith expresses as actions. In this chapter, Bhagvan is trying to help us understand who we are more deeply through a different framework.

Your faith will lead to your fruits. What are you experiencing today?

Nurture has created your nature. The way you think manifests as your vasanas. You hold your power of evolution! Do what you feel is right. Whoever you are, grow. If you want to be the best, you need to have the best role models and have the best satsangs. Quality will always supersedes quantity. This goes for people and food! Anything you input, you will also output. Every part of our multiverse is governed by our gunas.

3 aspects needed for evolution, or tips for success, are:

• Yantra/Equipment — e.g. a healthy body
• Tantra/Technique — e.g. disciplined schedule
• Mantra/Purpose — This is the most important. Purpose pulls performance. Why do you want to evolve?

What is your yantra, tantra, mantra?

Sayali Tadwalkar

Introduction

“No absolute truths” — if you took away existence from multiverse, it would go away = SAT = absolute truth

Cit = Absolute truth

What about stories and rituals? We think about them as “Mythology” — presumption is myth

As long as we believe Bhagwan is a man, there will only be hopelessness; as long as we think God is like us, there will only be hopelessness. We feel all of this is mythology.

This belief in the division of Bhagwan, who is infinite, shows our ayukta personality. Disintigration in our understanding.

Kata = challenges

Sankata — when you treat the challenge as a problem. The more yukta one is the more kata comes and goes. The more ayukta one is, the more sankata there is

We are in this course to study who God is.

To know Bhagwan as Bhagwan. This brings us integration and hope.

Chapter 16

We studied divine and demonic qualities (inner wealths)

Abhaya — fearless

Abhayankara — aka Bhagwan shankara — the one who can teach fearlessness

Virtues are Bhagwan’s teachings

To have divine inner wealths is to find the divinity — to understand we are not human either. We too are Bhagwan.

This chapter shows relevance of religion. It’s relevant when we think we have two personalities within our experience. We have division in our personality

Guruji highlights that living a lie (asatya) is when there is a split between the knower and the doer (ie I know I should do something, but do I follow what I know?)

Once you start the lie, it just keeps growing

We start with an overexaggeration and turns into a lie. Split keeps growing.

Satya (living truth) is when we think/speak/act based seeing/hearing/experiencing this ourselves à this brings more and more integration. It brings alignment between mind, intellect, body.

Are we living a lie or living a truth?

Gita course is a reality check. Are we living reality or an illusion?

Chapter 16 highlights virtues

Chapter 17 — Appendix to srimad bhagvad gita

- Highlights ones natures/actions

“Tell me who you love and I’ll tell you who you are”

How we feel when we are around mean people shows who we are

Satsang is a controlled environment

When you are with people who are “dusangis” then we need to be in satsang, otherwise we need more training

Our nature expresses as faith. Our faith expresses as actions.

Swabhaha, karma, swaha

Chapter 17 is the same as Chapter 16 but oriented differently — different framework

Chapter; Shloka 1

Prince Arjuna says: those who transgress the injunctions of the Shastra, yet they still engage in dedication/sacrifice with their own faith (engaged in dharma), Bhagwan, what is their conviction? What is their feeling when they are acting and more importantly, what will be their fate?

Shraddha creates phala — your faith will lead to your fruits

Think of today: what are you experiencing? If it’s calmness, then that shows that your Shraddha is satvic. Aggression (your phala) shows your Shraddha is rajasic, if we experience laziness then our Shraddha is tamasic. What is important is not what we are getting but what we are experiencing. Ie if you get praise or a promotion, but are not experiencing calmness, then it doesn’t matter what the outcome is.

Shraddha is coming from our swabhawa.

Nurture has created nature.

The way you think (vrittis) go on to manifest as our vasanas (habit).

Ie during tsunami, animals were sensitive to nature so didn’t really die wheras humans have lost the sensitivity/flight/flight syndrome. It’s a constant fight to keep nature

Shraddha like our nurture and nurture becomes nature.

Shraddha deepens to become ones swabhaha

Bhagwan is trying to guide prince Arjuna to the right karma — have the right Shraddha, have the swabaha — YOU CAN CHANGE

Shraddha called sampathi in chapter 16

Gita is so revolutionary

Purely about evolution — so many frameworks

Gita has given power of revolution to the seeker

Final message about to come, now you do what you do is right

17.4–17.7

Whoever you are, you should grow. Sri Krishna states how: you need to have the best role models. The best satsang.

Quality will always supercede quantity.

Engage in CSI towards your own alter/contemplation — clean, simple, inspiring

If you have an icon, through that focus, immerse yourself, become that rather than having a quantity of idols/icons (gurus, Bhagwans, etc)

Think deeply about who you are surrounding yourself with. The deeper you connect with someone who is noble, the deeper the impact will be on your swabhwawa

Don’t be a spiritual shopper

If you want to be the best, you have to have the best food also. Chapter 8–10 teaches this (quality of food and how it affects you). Anything you input you’re also going to output. The most tamasic part of the apple I will excrete (defecate, urinate, etc). The rajasic part becomes my body/breath. The saatvic part becomes the mind, intellect, etc

If you want to change your swabhwawa, have the right role models, eat the right food (you are what you eat)

Every part of our universe is governed by the gunas

Where this is most impactful is in the periods of the day. Train yourself to become a morning person if you really want to change (saatvic period).

Bhagwan continues to share how we can evolve — “tips to success”

1. Yantra — equipment. I drove in a car to come here. A hairbrush. Etc. The right equipment to evolve = healthy body, Having the right zoom code, tec

2. Tantra — technique. Need to know how to drive the car. Need right technique to evolve.

3. Mantra — purpose. Most important. Why do you want to change/evolve.

Purpose pulls performance — most important because if we have the right mantra (despite yantra and tantra) then you will be a fine.

Framework:

Have the right company

Eat the right food

Yantra, mantra tantra

Use it for yagnya (serving), tapa (investing), dana (sharing)

Yagna (dedication/sacrifice) — do you do your day to day activities as a service? The more you immerse yourself in that, the more you focus on tapa

Tapa is conserving energy. Investing in equipments (body. Mind, intellect) so that we can engage in Dana (sharing)

If you invest poorly, you can’t share very much. Make sure you look after yourself so you can share yourself

17.1–17.7 (wrap up)

Don’t let the questionnaires force you to come back to secular mindsets.

Bhagvan Krishna is the master teacher — take these teachings and let them move around in your mind until you can live this. Whether you can write or speak about this is not relevant.

Will bring a lot of peace into your life if you allow it to percolate in your mind

Find clarity and commit to that clarity

Discussion Question: What is the most important/significant practice you have incorporated into your life based on the teachings of srimad bhagvad gita

VIVEKJIS THOUGHTS: All Is sadhana — all space, time, matter is sadhana. Traffic, snow, water, infants. Recession, etc. People especially and within groups of people, family,

The only time we should be agitated is if we are engaging in papa or adharma. No other reason to be agitated.