Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 10: Verse 1

Transcript

WEBVTT

00:00:02.108 --> 00:00:04.298
Hello, and welcome to The Bearded.

00:00:04.298 --> 00:00:07.147
Mystic Podcast and I'm your host, Rahul N.

00:00:07.147 --> 00:00:07.567
Singh.

00:00:07.988 --> 00:00:14.227
Thank you for taking out the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode today.

00:00:14.233 --> 00:00:23.978
We will be continuing on with my thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita and before we do begin, there are a few things I would like to talk about.

00:00:27.033 --> 00:00:46.441
If you are really interested in supporting The Bearded Mystic Podcast, and you've found great benefit in listening or watching these episodes, then please do support this podcast on Patreon where you can get ad free and bonus episodes along with other benefits depending on the tier that you select.

00:00:46.466 --> 00:00:56.511
Your support means everything, and it really does help the podcast keep running efficiently and smoothly, and also widens the audience that this message can reach to.

00:00:56.597 --> 00:01:01.218
If you would like to know more about it, the details are in the show notes and video description below.

00:01:01.481 --> 00:01:09.881
00 AM Eastern Standard Time there is a free virtual meditation session along with discussion and Q&A.

00:01:10.551 --> 00:01:17.200
If you're interested in meditating with us as a community, then you can find out the details in the show notes and video description below.

00:01:17.433 --> 00:01:26.945
Please do like, comment, and subscribe if you're watching this on YouTube and if you're listening to this on your favorite podcast streaming app, then please do give this podcast a five star rating.

00:01:26.945 --> 00:01:41.299
It helps the podcast get up in the charts and allows the algorithm to bring this podcast to new listeners and also do review the podcast if you can and make sure you do follow or subscribe to keep getting future episodes.

00:01:41.724 --> 00:01:44.334
Let's get started with today's episode.

00:01:44.754 --> 00:01:47.813
We will be looking at chapter 10.

00:01:48.278 --> 00:01:57.399
Verses one to verse seven, and this particular chapter is about Vibhuti yoga.

00:01:57.399 --> 00:02:05.430
So this is talking about the qualities of Isvara or Saguna Brahman or the Shared Being as we often refer it as.

00:02:05.533 --> 00:02:08.052
Keep this in mind when we are going through this chapter.

00:02:09.492 --> 00:02:26.742
The way to see is in the beginning we feel that we are a separate being, and then there is say existence and existence is made up of Saguna Brahman or Isvara or the Shared Being or an isht-devta that we really like.

00:02:26.742 --> 00:02:56.268
So there's these two differences and then essentially there is this Formless entity, this Formless Awareness that's there in the background that is beyond the manifestation of existence and is also beyond the individual self or jiva and these two things, which is the Shared Being or Isvara and the jiva are none other than that Formless Awareness, or Nirguna Brahman itself.

00:02:56.777 --> 00:02:57.907
That's the way to see it.

00:02:57.907 --> 00:03:09.918
Now when Sri Krishna talks into this verse, He's talking about it in first person as Me, and that is to denote that he's referring to existence at this point.

00:03:10.473 --> 00:03:14.802
And there are elements when sometimes he talks as Nirguna Brahman.

00:03:15.302 --> 00:03:22.532
It is up to our discernment to understand the differences between the two and take that forward.

00:03:23.502 --> 00:03:38.502
O' Arjuna because you are so very dear to Me, listen closely as I reveal for your ultimate wellbeing, the most confidential knowledge of My param nature.

00:03:39.462 --> 00:03:41.832
So we are going to look at the verse as a whole here.

00:03:43.453 --> 00:03:49.423
We know here that Sri Krishna is wanting Arjuna to pay close attention.

00:03:50.143 --> 00:04:04.663
He needs to be really laser focused and try to understand what he's trying to say, and he's gives the first point that the reason why he's given this knowledge is because Arjuna is very dear to him.

00:04:04.663 --> 00:04:05.682
Very, very dear.

00:04:07.018 --> 00:04:17.358
This means that even for us who are able to read this, who have come across the Bhagavad Gita now even for us, we are now dear to Sri Krishna.

00:04:17.358 --> 00:04:23.867
We are, we are also dear to this Paramatma or this Brahman or Shared Being itself.

00:04:25.449 --> 00:04:32.048
Now when he says, listen closely as I reveal for your ultimate wellbeing, this does two things.

00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:36.189
One, it's making sure that Arjuna's intellect remain steady.

00:04:36.189 --> 00:04:39.278
So he has to be deep in listening.

00:04:39.608 --> 00:04:42.908
This is the important thing he has to do is listen.

00:04:43.178 --> 00:04:48.728
Now here, the thing with listening is that it has to be taken in deeply.

00:04:48.908 --> 00:04:53.709
Not something that is just heard and then taken out the other.

00:04:53.829 --> 00:05:03.848
He has to really allow the message to embed itself in his intellect, in his mind, and in his whole outlook towards life.

00:05:05.288 --> 00:05:09.178
The other aspect is he's saying it's for your ultimate wellbeing.

00:05:09.848 --> 00:05:12.249
What will be the ultimate wellbeing here?

00:05:12.519 --> 00:05:16.509
It will obviously be jivan mukti or freedom from suffering.

00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:24.968
If Arjuna listens this is what he's going to be guaranteed because Sri Krishna cares about his ultimate wellbeing.

00:05:25.209 --> 00:05:29.889
And not just Arjuna's ultimate wellbeing, but the wellbeing for all of humankind.

00:05:30.249 --> 00:05:32.048
This is what we must understand.

00:05:33.218 --> 00:05:43.689
And when he mentions confidentiality, this automatically appeals to us because we are like, oh, it's confidential, it's a secret.

00:05:44.228 --> 00:05:45.968
Oh, nobody knows about this.

00:05:46.824 --> 00:05:52.553
And this automatically creates a feeling of being special.

00:05:52.884 --> 00:05:54.473
And therefore we'll be like, you know what?

00:05:54.564 --> 00:05:56.423
I really need to listen to this.

00:05:56.483 --> 00:05:58.673
I really need to take in this wisdom.

00:06:00.624 --> 00:06:05.803
So the most confidential knowledge of my param nature, my ultimate nature, the highest nature.

00:06:06.593 --> 00:06:17.613
Now the highest nature is obviously Nirguna Brahman, but within Nirguna Brahman is sat-chit-ananda and what Sri Krishna is doing is emphasizing the Sat aspect.

00:06:18.033 --> 00:06:20.363
Chit we know is Brahman itself.

00:06:20.694 --> 00:06:25.613
Formless Awareness itself, but the Sat element is existence.

00:06:25.764 --> 00:06:29.274
Everything that we see, perceive is about praising that.

00:06:30.413 --> 00:06:40.973
Also, the other aspect of looking into this chapter is how Sri Krishna does this to ensure that Arjuna doesn't get any ego either.

00:06:41.153 --> 00:06:44.903
If you get say to someone, I'm telling you a secret, only you are going to know.

00:06:45.548 --> 00:06:48.218
But then you reveal this ultimate nature.

00:06:48.218 --> 00:06:49.538
Yeah, this param nature.

00:06:50.139 --> 00:07:00.249
It automatically brings in a bit of humility that, okay, I'm gonna know something higher than me, and therefore there's no need for me to have ego.

00:07:00.488 --> 00:07:05.798
So this is a clever tool by Sri Krishna to eliminate any notion of ego.

00:07:06.668 --> 00:07:07.598
Then verse two.

00:07:07.776 --> 00:07:16.656
Neither the devas nor the greatest rishis completely understand my true nature for I am the source of the devas and the maharishis.

00:07:16.846 --> 00:07:28.062
One thing we can understand from this whole verse, and we are gonna take a look at the whole verse here, Sri Krishna is talking about how even the devas cannot completely understand Brahman's true nature.

00:07:29.158 --> 00:07:33.237
They cannot comprehend what it really is.

00:07:33.778 --> 00:07:34.168
Yeah.

00:07:34.497 --> 00:07:41.637
Now they can explain Nirguna Brahman, they can explain Formless Awareness, but how do you explain this manifestation to people?

00:07:41.877 --> 00:07:53.903
How do you explain the manifestation, which is full of polarities full of opposites, and where people cannot understand the contradictions within nature?

00:07:54.892 --> 00:08:02.512
What is really a synchronicity, people see it as opposition or conflict, and that's the difference, right?

00:08:02.512 --> 00:08:09.223
Between the understanding of a sage and the understanding of, say someone like me who's a beginner on this journey.

00:08:09.543 --> 00:08:16.322
To make Arjuna feel like he's ready for this knowledge to make him feel, again, a bit upbeat, a bit more inspired.

00:08:16.322 --> 00:08:19.473
He's saying, neither did the devas completely understand my true nature.

00:08:19.502 --> 00:08:22.322
But I'm going to tell you my true nature.

00:08:22.322 --> 00:08:24.153
I'm gonna tell you my param nature.

00:08:24.153 --> 00:08:25.473
Remember in the previous verse.

00:08:25.952 --> 00:08:30.632
Then he says, nor the greatest rishis completely understand my true nature.

00:08:30.992 --> 00:08:44.738
Again, that true nature is how can this Nirguna Brahman be manifested as the many, how can it be manifested as this ultimate existence, this ultimate Shared Being?

00:08:46.597 --> 00:08:56.227
And it could be also maybe that the Rishis or the devas have not actually reached full enlightenment yet.

00:08:56.809 --> 00:09:01.400
Hence, they're not jivan-mukt, so they're not really going to understand it all.

00:09:03.035 --> 00:09:05.885
And as I mentioned, the source of all existence is Brahman.

00:09:05.946 --> 00:09:11.946
Brahman is the source of everything and we really need to understand that element.

00:09:12.525 --> 00:09:16.426
So he says, for I am the source of the devas and the maharishis.

00:09:16.905 --> 00:09:20.066
The maharishis are searching for that which is already within them.

00:09:20.686 --> 00:09:26.535
I am that existence that they're looking for and their existence is my existence.

00:09:27.076 --> 00:09:28.410
They think it's different.

00:09:29.010 --> 00:09:33.971
Sri Krishna is weaving in a bit of oneness here too, if we really think about it.

00:09:35.711 --> 00:09:43.061
Then there is also another element that someone may say, well, if I become a rishi or great rishi or maharishi, I'll be amazing.

00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:44.971
Or if I become a deva, that's amazing.

00:09:45.311 --> 00:09:51.400
You know, I will have powers over things, and rishis can feel like they can curse or bless people.

00:09:51.400 --> 00:09:56.533
It can create a bit of a power trip . So that's why Sri Krishna says, You know what?

00:09:56.594 --> 00:10:05.744
It's this existence that does everything, this Saguna Brahman, this Isvara, this Shared Being not what you think it is.

00:10:06.494 --> 00:10:06.943
Yeah.

00:10:07.244 --> 00:10:09.653
Not this not you, the deva.

00:10:09.884 --> 00:10:11.043
It's not you Agni.

00:10:11.089 --> 00:10:13.744
It's not you Vayu, it's not you Ganga.

00:10:13.774 --> 00:10:15.734
It's none of these elements.

00:10:16.264 --> 00:10:22.979
It's only Nirguna Brahman that is doing everything, that is the source of the Shared Being.

00:10:22.979 --> 00:10:27.418
The Shared Being is the manifestation of this existence.

00:10:27.599 --> 00:10:29.099
Simply that is what it is.

00:10:29.428 --> 00:10:35.578
Now, what we understand here is that it's this Isvara that does all, is this Nirguna Brahman that does all.

00:10:35.583 --> 00:10:39.119
Therefore, we are not in any conflict.

00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:56.474
So to understand this very deeply is the source of all these devas, and maharishis that we worship is the Shared Being, or on the higher level it is Nirguna Brahman, Formless Awareness.

00:10:56.903 --> 00:10:57.833
Verse three.

00:10:58.644 --> 00:11:15.219
One who knows Me as the Loka Maha Ishvara 'the greatest being who is the ruler of all the realms, who realizes that I am unborn and without beginning, goes beyond the delusions, limitations, and confusions of ordinary human knowledge.

00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:22.448
That person, although still living among mortals, is completely released from all paap.

00:11:23.673 --> 00:11:26.283
Let's look at the first part of this verse.

00:11:26.943 --> 00:11:42.433
One who knows Me as the Loka Maha Ishvara 'the greatest being, who is the ruler of all the realms', who realizes that I am unborn and without beginning, goes beyond the delusions, limitations, and confusions of ordinary human knowledge.

00:11:44.134 --> 00:11:58.894
We have to understand here that Sri Krishna is referring to himself, referring to his own being as Saguna Brahman, or the Shared Being to make it easy for us, the Loka Maha Ishvara 'the greatest being who is the ruler of all realms.

00:12:00.033 --> 00:12:05.494
Now remember in the previous verse he says he's the source of all being, so he's the creative principle.

00:12:05.734 --> 00:12:11.313
Now he's the sustaining principle who rules all the realms in existence.

00:12:11.841 --> 00:12:16.250
Once we understand what Saguna Brahman is, then we understand what Nirguna Brahman is.

00:12:16.461 --> 00:12:20.400
So first, understand the Shared Being to go to Formless Awareness.

00:12:21.171 --> 00:12:23.630
This is the process that needs to be taken place.

00:12:23.630 --> 00:12:26.270
So we are having a steady growth.

00:12:26.451 --> 00:12:33.400
But that growth, even though steady, it is more firm and more rooted in true wisdom.

00:12:35.571 --> 00:12:45.530
Once we realize that this Brahman is uncreated, so it's unborn, beyond death, self existent.

00:12:46.341 --> 00:12:50.240
It doesn't have any beginning, therefore it doesn't have an end.

00:12:51.561 --> 00:12:54.265
You know, many can go searching for the beginning of existence.

00:12:54.735 --> 00:13:12.975
Many can try searching for the end of this existence, but then ultimately when they reach an apparent end, they realize that this was just an appearance against my own awareness, which is even beyond this existence of the Loka Maha Ishvara.

00:13:14.615 --> 00:13:15.765
It is unborn.

00:13:15.826 --> 00:13:18.586
He's saying, so don't think that I have been given a birth.

00:13:18.596 --> 00:13:24.135
This Saguna Brahman is Nirguna Brahman therefore it's unborn and it's without a beginning.

00:13:24.676 --> 00:13:25.816
Try looking for it.

00:13:26.115 --> 00:13:32.296
You'll find that it's beyond even the periphery or beyond the boundary of existence.

00:13:32.649 --> 00:13:38.559
One goes beyond all delusions because there is only Brahman and we are not deluded by name and form.

00:13:38.710 --> 00:13:43.779
The ultimate delusion that we have is that we think we are this body and mind.

00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:50.200
So first of all, if we think we are this body, we are attached to everything that is attached to the body.

00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:53.802
So that can be food, drink people, possessions.

00:13:54.577 --> 00:13:55.628
All those things.

00:13:56.077 --> 00:14:03.717
And then with our thought, it can be to desires, it can be attachment to thoughts, emotions.

00:14:03.967 --> 00:14:06.347
We look for particular states.

00:14:06.768 --> 00:14:18.918
So all those things kind of subdue our intellect and they suppress the intellect to think that it is just a body and mind.

00:14:20.057 --> 00:14:23.883
Therefore it is beyond these delusions.

00:14:23.883 --> 00:14:25.743
So it's beyond the name and form.

00:14:26.192 --> 00:14:28.143
This is the ultimate understanding here.

00:14:28.427 --> 00:14:37.037
What limitations can our true nature have when we are this infinite Brahman, this Shared Being, this existence is infinite in nature.

00:14:37.996 --> 00:14:40.307
Remember, It has no beginning and It has no end.

00:14:40.981 --> 00:14:43.111
And no word can capture us.

00:14:43.116 --> 00:14:46.861
No label can define us, and no form can contain us.

00:14:46.951 --> 00:14:48.782
That's simply what it means.

00:14:49.201 --> 00:14:51.001
It's beyond limitations.

00:14:51.001 --> 00:15:05.711
Whatever that you think limits you, which contains you in a certain way, whether that's society, knowledge, religion, spiritual practice, all those are limitations, or even the limitations of rituals.

00:15:06.192 --> 00:15:08.682
That is just ordinary human knowledge.

00:15:08.861 --> 00:15:10.032
They have some merits.

00:15:10.032 --> 00:15:12.192
I'm not saying they are not without merits.

00:15:12.192 --> 00:15:13.422
They are full of merits.

00:15:13.721 --> 00:15:17.951
But the ultimate understanding is to be free from all those, to be free from that limitation.

00:15:18.398 --> 00:15:24.607
That's what we must understand, and we are not confused by any ordinary human knowledge.

00:15:25.418 --> 00:15:26.707
We are beyond that.

00:15:27.278 --> 00:15:46.778
We find that we can have that basic knowledge because through spiritual practice, we train and exercise the intellect, which is our discernment and our viveka between the Real and the unreal and we remain established in the Real, due to this strong discernment that we have, this strong viveka that we built up.

00:15:48.038 --> 00:15:51.238
We have to continuously train and exercise the intellect.

00:15:52.298 --> 00:15:55.658
And that's how we go beyond the confusion of ordinary human knowledge.

00:15:55.837 --> 00:16:01.298
The other aspect of this is that ordinary human knowledge will be you are definitely this name and form.

00:16:01.477 --> 00:16:03.697
There's only this human body and this mind.

00:16:03.697 --> 00:16:04.268
That's it.

00:16:04.508 --> 00:16:08.168
Once the brain dies, everything ends, Consciousness ends.

00:16:08.437 --> 00:16:15.602
But the rishis have stated, Sri Krishna has stated that the Atman is beyond birth and death.

00:16:15.812 --> 00:16:18.092
Therefore, it cannot belong to the body.

00:16:18.363 --> 00:16:25.253
It is beyond the body and that's why it's beyond the ordinary human knowledge that we have, that we are just this body and mind.

00:16:26.962 --> 00:16:35.033
Then the second part of the verse is that person, although living among mortals, is completely released from all paap.

00:16:35.783 --> 00:16:44.092
This is ultimately jivan-mukti, so they may live among people who are going to be born and they're going to die.

00:16:44.873 --> 00:16:47.393
They are completely released from all paap.

00:16:47.993 --> 00:16:52.133
What we can understand from paap is activities that lead to suffering.

00:16:52.133 --> 00:16:53.753
Actions that lead to suffering.

00:16:55.102 --> 00:17:05.903
What we understand here is that once you understand that you have no limitations, then karma cannot limit you.

00:17:06.923 --> 00:17:07.373
Yeah.

00:17:08.212 --> 00:17:12.532
The action that you do or the actions of others cannot limit you.

00:17:13.103 --> 00:17:15.932
It cannot confuse you in any way.

00:17:16.323 --> 00:17:18.992
It cannot delude you in any way.

00:17:19.413 --> 00:17:20.823
This is the whole point.

00:17:20.942 --> 00:17:23.012
You're completely released from all that paap.

00:17:24.303 --> 00:17:35.577
Those actions that cause suffering are just not experienced anymore from the highest level, the body and mind may still find that it has the effects of those Karma.

00:17:35.928 --> 00:17:39.137
But ultimately your awareness is not touched by them.

00:17:39.137 --> 00:17:41.327
Therefore, you are not in pain due to them.

00:17:41.327 --> 00:17:42.917
You're not suffering because of them.

00:17:43.637 --> 00:17:45.268
So you're free from all paap.

00:17:45.288 --> 00:17:46.817
So we live in the world.

00:17:47.208 --> 00:17:54.288
We consume all the aspects of the world, and yet we are untouched by every activity and experience that we have.

00:17:54.587 --> 00:17:56.897
We are completely free.

00:17:57.438 --> 00:18:03.018
We are no longer affected by the colors of the world.

00:18:03.468 --> 00:18:07.167
In fact, the world is colored by our own awareness.

00:18:07.968 --> 00:18:09.617
That's the way we start seeing things.

00:18:09.617 --> 00:18:13.008
That's the way we start understanding life to be.

00:18:13.511 --> 00:18:16.386
Let's look at verses four and five.

00:18:17.257 --> 00:18:20.406
I'm gonna go over the English translation of the words.

00:18:20.457 --> 00:18:23.336
I'm not gonna say the sanskrit words, I'm just gonna say the English.

00:18:23.826 --> 00:19:02.392
discernment between matter and the atma, knowledge of both prakriti and Brahman, undeluded awareness, patience, truthfulness, control of the senses, equanimity and tranquility, pleasure and pain, the state of embodied being, the state of disembodiment, fear, courage, performance of one's dharma while causing the least harm, sameness, equality with all beings, self contentment, self-improvement by correct practice, circulation of resources in society, fame, and then infamy.

00:19:02.789 --> 00:19:13.182
These 20 qualities and states of existence are present in varying degrees in every living being, and all have their origin within Me.

00:19:14.113 --> 00:19:22.423
What we are going to do is we are gonna go through each quality, and we are gonna find these qualities or these states for existence within our own self.

00:19:22.423 --> 00:19:28.962
And we may find that some of these qualities are no longer present in us, but we know they were there in the past.

00:19:29.502 --> 00:19:35.262
We know that these are actually the qualities of Brahman itself, this Ultimate Formless Awareness.

00:19:36.097 --> 00:19:40.417
But in this regard, we can understand it as being existence itself.

00:19:41.137 --> 00:19:47.505
The following states of existence that we may be in, are present in all beings, but some experience it more than others.

00:19:47.744 --> 00:19:49.214
That's the only difference.

00:19:49.694 --> 00:19:52.924
We must remember that they all originate within Brahman.

00:19:52.944 --> 00:19:55.265
Everything goes within Isvara.

00:19:55.285 --> 00:19:57.894
Everything goes within Formless Awareness.

00:19:58.414 --> 00:20:08.924
Let's look at the first two qualities which is the discernment between matter and the Atman and the knowledge of both prakriti and Brahman.

00:20:09.714 --> 00:20:18.805
As we know, the intellect helps us discern between the real and the unreal, the material nature and the Witness Consciousness, Prakriti and Purusha.

00:20:19.420 --> 00:20:24.069
So this is what we ultimately strengthen when we are reading scriptures like this.

00:20:24.069 --> 00:20:29.109
When we are taking in knowledge like this, when we listen to our Guru, this is what we are capturing.

00:20:29.470 --> 00:20:33.000
We are being able to discern between matter and the atma.

00:20:33.309 --> 00:20:36.319
The atma is this Formless Awareness, this Ultimate Reality.

00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:51.295
And this discernment, this buddhi that we have keeps making sure that we go towards the Ultimate Reality, the Highest Knowledge, and don't get distracted by nonsense that happens within matter.

00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:57.140
Then you have Gyana, which is the knowledge of both prakriti and Brahman.

00:20:57.579 --> 00:21:07.150
So this Gyana is the knowledge that tells us to remove prakriti through neti-neti and to focus on Brahman itself completely on Formless Awareness.

00:21:07.809 --> 00:21:14.109
So in neti-neti we will get rid of existence, but we know that this existence is Brahman itself.

00:21:14.349 --> 00:21:16.119
Therefore it's just an appearance.

00:21:16.420 --> 00:21:19.660
And why would anyone get disturbed by an appearance?

00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:27.700
This is the ultimate understanding that we need to have when it's looking at its true nature as Loka Maha Ishvara.

00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:37.269
Then the next two is asammoha and kshama , which is undeluded awareness and patience.

00:21:38.529 --> 00:21:56.765
When it comes to the undeluded awareness, this awareness, which is free from all delusion, this Formless Awareness that is the witness, an observer that does not get mixed in with the experience of what is going on in the brain as it processes the information around it through the senses.

00:21:57.554 --> 00:22:03.223
So it ultimately never gets deluded into thinking it's only belonging to the body and mind.

00:22:03.913 --> 00:22:07.933
This awareness is established in Formless Awareness itself.

00:22:08.443 --> 00:22:10.453
And then you have patience obviously.

00:22:10.753 --> 00:22:15.294
There's incredible patience in someone who is established as Isvara.

00:22:15.554 --> 00:22:21.358
They never rush towards others and neither do they want certain results quickly.

00:22:21.689 --> 00:22:23.699
They are content with what happens in life.

00:22:23.699 --> 00:22:33.038
They are happy, they are at peace, and that's where we want to be at peace, and always patient and waiting for things.

00:22:33.038 --> 00:22:33.628
We are not impulsive.

00:22:33.919 --> 00:22:41.318
These are the qualities of Isvara that we all have in existence, that are present there in existence that we can grab onto.

00:22:42.278 --> 00:22:52.388
Then Sri Krishna talks about satya, which is truthfulness, dama, which is the control of the senses and shama, which is equanimity and tranquility.

00:22:53.288 --> 00:22:55.479
So one is always established in truthfulness.

00:22:55.479 --> 00:23:05.213
One is always dealing, in the truth with the truth and only the truth itself, nothing else is it attached to.

00:23:05.544 --> 00:23:09.023
In every word and deed, one is established in that truthfulness.

00:23:09.354 --> 00:23:12.084
One is always honest, one is always sincere.

00:23:12.503 --> 00:23:16.074
One is always understanding the pulse of what other people are thinking.

00:23:16.074 --> 00:23:20.874
They read a room really well, and they are honest people.

00:23:20.933 --> 00:23:23.334
That's the main thing you gotta look for truthfulness.

00:23:24.233 --> 00:23:33.733
And I say that even when you're looking to do business with others, it's very important that you have that element of truthfulness and that you look for that quality in the other person.

00:23:35.403 --> 00:23:38.949
Then, he talks about the control of the senses.

00:23:39.358 --> 00:23:42.449
So one who always has control over the senses.

00:23:42.798 --> 00:23:48.689
The senses may go into different directions, but the rein is within our own hands.

00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:53.828
We can choose what and how to perceive the sensory experiences through our buddhi.

00:23:54.088 --> 00:23:59.138
So we don't have to be creating a situation where we just feel good.

00:23:59.679 --> 00:24:05.088
No, what happens is, we choose what and how to perceive these sensory experiences.

00:24:05.419 --> 00:24:08.388
We choose what will help us and what doesn't help us.

00:24:08.388 --> 00:24:10.818
The brain does an amazing job of it already.

00:24:11.778 --> 00:24:20.868
Then one is established in equanimity and is also composed as the Witness Consciousness, regardless of what situation one is in.

00:24:21.648 --> 00:24:25.548
Great or extremely bad, we could be in a great situation.

00:24:25.699 --> 00:24:26.719
We are still the same.

00:24:26.929 --> 00:24:28.818
We are in an extremely bad situation.

00:24:29.058 --> 00:24:29.898
We are the same.

00:24:30.513 --> 00:24:35.134
There is always tranquility in one's heart and one is always calm and collected.

00:24:35.493 --> 00:24:37.624
We look for the betterment of others.

00:24:37.834 --> 00:24:43.539
We look for the true, we are always calm, we have patience.

00:24:43.779 --> 00:24:45.519
We are not rushing to do things.

00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:49.539
We are paying attention to our loved ones when we are all together.

00:24:49.869 --> 00:25:04.204
All of those things are aspects of equanimity and tranquility because we are just looking for that peaceful middle and we don't need it to be too happy, nor do we need it to be too low.

00:25:04.565 --> 00:25:06.045
We need it to be just perfect.

00:25:07.085 --> 00:25:08.759
So that's what Sri Krishna is talking about.

00:25:09.079 --> 00:25:12.305
Then sukha which is joy and dukha, which is pain.

00:25:13.744 --> 00:25:17.839
One is always in a state of joy no matter what is happening in life.

00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:21.440
That's the quality that someone like Isvara does have.

00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:24.650
They are happy, they are content, they're in bliss.

00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:27.410
They're not looking for something to make them happy.

00:25:27.414 --> 00:25:32.119
They're just happy being themselves, and that's what we need to try to do.

00:25:32.579 --> 00:25:42.349
So dukha meaning pain, so one can feel pain, especially for others and it's because we have that basic sense of empathy.

00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:51.019
When we have that sense of empathy, we can care for others, we can love others, we can reduce the pain of others.

00:25:51.259 --> 00:25:53.269
We don't like to harm anyone.

00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:54.940
That's the important thing here.

00:25:57.109 --> 00:26:02.660
Then bhava and abhava, which is the state of embodied being and the state of disembodiment.

00:26:03.049 --> 00:26:06.109
One is an embodied being in terms of having a human form.

00:26:06.109 --> 00:26:08.029
So the jiva has inhabited the body.

00:26:08.299 --> 00:26:11.320
Hence this is state of an embodied being.

00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:24.710
The state of disembodiment is when one is disembodied maybe during meditation or even as Formless Awareness, when we are in that frame of mind, we are then in the state of disembodiment.

00:26:25.490 --> 00:26:31.470
And that's what we need to understand that all of these qualities are within us to some degree.

00:26:33.474 --> 00:26:35.720
Then he talks about fear and courage.

00:26:36.089 --> 00:26:41.849
One does not have any fear because one's awareness can cause fear to anyone's ego, especially our own.

00:26:41.895 --> 00:26:43.905
Everyone has some sort of worldly fear.

00:26:43.911 --> 00:26:46.395
There may be, you know, I fear snakes.

00:26:46.395 --> 00:26:48.526
I, I'm scared, I'm scared of heights.

00:26:49.083 --> 00:26:50.853
I've done a lot to improve that fear.

00:26:51.752 --> 00:26:53.222
But it's part of life.

00:26:53.222 --> 00:26:54.482
You fear some things.

00:26:55.022 --> 00:27:05.792
When you see a spider, your heart may jump a bit because you don't wanna kill the spider, but you have to address that problem because if someone else sees it in the house, you're gonna be called.

00:27:06.873 --> 00:27:08.823
So that's one aspect.

00:27:08.823 --> 00:27:12.153
And also, you know, it keeps one humble.

00:27:12.452 --> 00:27:19.982
If we think that we may cause harm by thinking we are better than others, that they don't know anything.

00:27:19.982 --> 00:27:21.002
We have no ego.

00:27:21.182 --> 00:27:26.972
If we have that mentality, then that will cause fear and especially in our own minds.

00:27:26.972 --> 00:27:29.073
So that's why we are to be free.

00:27:29.667 --> 00:27:35.327
We are always full of courage to fight for the right causes and help those that society has abandoned.

00:27:35.597 --> 00:27:37.397
This is ultimately what life is about.

00:27:37.397 --> 00:27:41.087
We have to look out for others, we have to care for others.

00:27:41.087 --> 00:27:42.857
We have to be there for the people.

00:27:43.097 --> 00:27:54.208
We have to understand their issues and their problems and look to resolve it, not just through programs where we just give money to them, but actually find them a job, help them get a job.

00:27:54.357 --> 00:27:59.607
If they have a criminal record, I think government should look to abolish that now, because you know what?

00:27:59.817 --> 00:28:05.698
Everyone deserves a second chance and you don't know what circumstances in which someone has committed that crime.

00:28:05.902 --> 00:28:19.525
Then Sri Krishna says, ahimsa which is the performance of one's dharma while causing the least amount of harm and samata, which is the sameness, equality with all beings.

00:28:20.095 --> 00:28:41.142
So one conducts one's own dharma, which is to be in ahimsa. And whatever our dharma is, whether it's to be enlightened, whether it's to be a good human being, whether it's to understand that true identity of what it means to be a Hindu or a Sikh or a Buddhist or whatever, we must do that with ahimsa.

00:28:41.172 --> 00:28:45.622
So ahimsa specifically will mean, causing the least amount of harm.

00:28:45.652 --> 00:28:46.912
That's what dharma is.

00:28:47.122 --> 00:28:49.642
Our dharma should not be affecting many people.

00:28:49.971 --> 00:28:54.592
If you have a load of people against you, you know you've done something really wrong.

00:28:55.162 --> 00:29:07.402
So this is what we have to understand here that we must commit to actions with the least amount of harm possible and no action should hurt anyone or harm anyone to the extreme.

00:29:07.761 --> 00:29:10.432
We want to be calm, we want to be at peace.

00:29:10.731 --> 00:29:17.511
We want to be able to understand that everybody is the same.

00:29:17.612 --> 00:29:20.988
At the end of the day, we are all either cremated or buried.

00:29:21.407 --> 00:29:22.907
We all have the same destination.

00:29:23.396 --> 00:29:25.317
There's no get out clause here.

00:29:26.067 --> 00:29:31.287
This is a very subtle point, but a very important point that I think we should all take in.

00:29:32.037 --> 00:29:39.596
Then he says, tushti which is self contentment and tapas which is self-improvement by correct practice.

00:29:39.896 --> 00:29:43.977
So one is always content, just being within themselves they're content.

00:29:44.037 --> 00:29:46.047
They don't need something to be content.

00:29:46.287 --> 00:29:47.936
They don't need their desires to be met.

00:29:48.116 --> 00:29:50.067
They don't need their ego to dissolve away.

00:29:50.297 --> 00:29:52.426
They don't need to even be in Formless Awareness.

00:29:52.576 --> 00:29:57.557
They are automatically in that state because they are self content.

00:29:57.916 --> 00:30:01.547
This Formless does not ask to be in contentment.

00:30:01.547 --> 00:30:02.567
He doesn't pray for it.

00:30:02.567 --> 00:30:07.096
It's automatically present within itself to be content.

00:30:07.349 --> 00:30:13.376
Nothing can add to this and nothing can take us away from the eternal state of awareness.

00:30:13.962 --> 00:30:20.803
Through correct practices like fasting, naam japa, we are constantly improving our human birth.

00:30:21.042 --> 00:30:30.523
This is why we do self-improvement by correct practices, whether that's mindful meditation, whether that's meditation itself, whether it's mantra jaap, whatever it may be.

00:30:31.893 --> 00:30:35.442
It is there to improve this quality of life that we have.

00:30:35.833 --> 00:30:38.383
Quality of life is not just about the money you have.

00:30:38.563 --> 00:30:41.772
More importantly, it's about how you are as a human being.

00:30:41.803 --> 00:30:42.673
That's what matters more.

00:30:44.127 --> 00:30:47.637
Then dana, which is the circulation of resources in society.

00:30:47.637 --> 00:31:01.407
Sometimes it's translated as charity, but we need to ensure that we give to those that really need it, that are really suffering, that are homeless, that do not have money to eat, that do not have any desires to get up for work.

00:31:02.067 --> 00:31:06.837
We have to be there for those people, to build them up and to make them better.

00:31:07.468 --> 00:31:11.337
It's not always going to be successful, but this is the aim.

00:31:11.833 --> 00:31:19.363
We should actually look at the root cause of the problem rather than looking at the symptoms of the problem and thinking the underlying cause is not important.

00:31:19.813 --> 00:31:25.813
This is very, very, a clear instruction that we must circulate the resources we have.

00:31:25.813 --> 00:31:36.373
So anyone that's keeping too much money, who's hoarding that much money, you can consider that they could give that money out to people, to charity, and help this world become a better place.

00:31:36.549 --> 00:31:39.819
Our hearts should encompass all of society.

00:31:39.819 --> 00:31:44.319
So it's not like, oh, where I go for my religious upbringing or spiritual upbringing.

00:31:44.589 --> 00:31:52.630
Only there am I going to give donations or wealth or any other reasons why we do these things.

00:31:52.900 --> 00:31:54.670
We do it for the whole of society.

00:31:54.670 --> 00:31:56.200
We do it for their blessings.

00:31:56.200 --> 00:31:57.430
Nothing more, nothing less.

00:31:58.087 --> 00:32:02.468
Then yasha and ayasha which is fame and infamy.

00:32:03.038 --> 00:32:12.698
There is so much fame for that person that knows what this ish fellow truly is on their practical level, and even on the ultimate level.

00:32:13.211 --> 00:32:19.092
This Brahman is established and we understand that this jiva is Brahman itself.

00:32:19.332 --> 00:32:20.922
Therefore, that's how it gets fame.

00:32:21.791 --> 00:32:28.997
That person is famous because they know who Brahman is and they know that they are established in Brahman no matter what happens.

00:32:29.797 --> 00:32:34.241
And then ayasha infamy, there's no essence of infamy as Formless Awareness.

00:32:34.241 --> 00:32:41.582
But one may have a bad quality or deed in human existence, and we must embrace it, look at it, change it, make ourselves better.

00:32:42.001 --> 00:32:42.932
That's infamy.

00:32:43.412 --> 00:32:44.491
Then verse six.

00:32:45.531 --> 00:32:58.142
The Vedas say that in ancient times there were seven great rishis and four great manus who were the source of various lokas in the universe and who were responsible for populating these planets with human beings.

00:32:58.412 --> 00:33:02.672
Those rishis and manus were created from my imagination.

00:33:02.791 --> 00:33:10.826
So Krishna here saying as Isvara, as this Shared Being, I can tell you what the Vedas have been saying.

00:33:11.307 --> 00:33:21.477
And there are these seven great rishis, the saptarishis and four great manus who are the source of the various lokas in the universe.

00:33:21.596 --> 00:33:25.336
This whole world that we see today is because of the knowledge of the Vedas.

00:33:25.392 --> 00:33:34.211
These seven rishis were the source of those various lokas in the universe and who were responsible for populating those planets with human beings.

00:33:34.481 --> 00:33:38.771
Now, what's interesting here is I would like to know how they did this.

00:33:38.922 --> 00:33:40.602
Is it through telepathy?

00:33:40.902 --> 00:33:48.025
What tools were they using for them to communicate with other people that what the source of all this existence is?

00:33:48.207 --> 00:33:57.207
If we say that these manus and saptarishis were imagination, then what are we, if not imagination ourselves.

00:33:57.517 --> 00:34:02.586
Somewhere somehow someone raised that question and that's why this answer is given.

00:34:02.866 --> 00:34:05.777
To populate those planets with human beings.

00:34:06.261 --> 00:34:10.351
The seven rishis and the four great amnus got together to make that happen.

00:34:10.717 --> 00:34:13.657
Then verse seven, which is the final verse of the day.

00:34:14.047 --> 00:34:25.507
All this universal beauty, glory, and power is merely Vibhuti yoga 'the wonders manifested by Me through My unlimited and inconceivable powers of yoga'.

00:34:25.898 --> 00:34:33.128
One who fully understands this becomes forever united with me by means of the unwavering connection of their yoga.

00:34:33.847 --> 00:34:35.588
Let's break this verse up a bit.

00:34:36.007 --> 00:34:47.918
So all this universal beauty, glory, and power is merely vibhuti yoga, which is the wonders manifested by Me and through My unlimited and inconceivable powers of yoga.

00:34:48.518 --> 00:34:56.407
So all this universal beauty that we see when we look at this universe, this existence, when we look at the night sky and we see the the stars glistening.

00:34:56.737 --> 00:35:12.802
When we look at this nature, when we look at trees, mountains, we see all this beauty in existence and we say what beautiful existence, and that's why we have reverence for all of existence, for all of creation because we see it as a limb of the Formless.

00:35:13.793 --> 00:35:26.052
So because of that beauty, we are always in glory of this, this as its own power, to operate this existence, to create itself, to destroy itself.

00:35:27.032 --> 00:35:40.293
It's full of glories, it's full of happiness, and that's another aspect that we must understand that this is nothing but the wonders or a manifestation that is done by Brahman.

00:35:40.842 --> 00:35:45.213
Brahman is behind it all, and this manifestation is unlimited.

00:35:45.213 --> 00:35:46.873
It's absolutely limitless.

00:35:46.873 --> 00:35:47.833
There's no end to it.

00:35:47.833 --> 00:35:48.972
There's no beginning to it.

00:35:49.242 --> 00:35:55.280
We've established this before and it's inconceivable and we cannot grasp it's total glory and excellency.

00:35:55.550 --> 00:36:08.360
We may try our best to show our gratitude by praising this Brahman, but we will not be able to, we will not be able to explain the Shared Being because it's so unlimited and inconceivable.

00:36:08.989 --> 00:36:11.570
The more we know, the less we feel we know.

00:36:11.869 --> 00:36:13.519
That's exactly what happens.

00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:16.280
And we experience this when we are with our Guru for sure.

00:36:16.559 --> 00:36:23.329
That's one way we can do and we cannot even imagine the powers of this sacred union.

00:36:24.829 --> 00:36:29.150
Obviously this union with Brahman, this union, with this Formless Awareness.

00:36:29.420 --> 00:36:31.550
That's the ultimate point of view to have.

00:36:31.733 --> 00:36:34.822
This sacred union is everything that we need to have.

00:36:35.092 --> 00:36:42.293
This sacred union is what takes us to jivan-mukti, is what takes us to that place where we go beyond paap itself.

00:36:42.652 --> 00:36:52.873
Then the second part of the verse is one who fully understands this becomes forever united with Me by means of their unwavering connection of their yoga.

00:36:52.972 --> 00:36:58.132
Once we understand these simple truths, we are forever united with Brahman.

00:36:58.432 --> 00:37:04.652
We understand how it operates as a Shared Being, but then we understand that behind it is this vast awareness.

00:37:06.092 --> 00:37:16.152
Once we attach ourselves to that vast awareness, this Formless Awareness, we automatically understand that we are always being one with Brahman.

00:37:16.172 --> 00:37:17.853
There's never been a separation.

00:37:17.853 --> 00:37:19.273
There's never been a you and a me.

00:37:19.293 --> 00:37:20.402
There's only this.

00:37:21.873 --> 00:37:25.532
We have an unfluctuating unwavering connection with the divinity.

00:37:25.893 --> 00:37:28.382
We do not look for it to move anywhere.

00:37:28.713 --> 00:37:34.353
We are absolutely in that stillness of wonder.

00:37:34.757 --> 00:37:36.498
We just experience that wonder.

00:37:36.498 --> 00:37:39.557
We stay in that wonder and we feel at peace with that wonder.

00:37:40.007 --> 00:37:41.958
That's ultimately what happens.

00:37:42.467 --> 00:37:45.108
This connection does not waiver at all.

00:37:45.112 --> 00:37:47.507
It does not change in any way.

00:37:48.527 --> 00:38:01.952
It remains as it is, and this union will never end, and is eternal, and we have to fully understand that this Maya is manifested by Brahman and we are to enjoy it like a manifestation.

00:38:02.132 --> 00:38:05.103
So see this Isvara as a manifestation.

00:38:05.163 --> 00:38:08.237
This Shared Being as this existence as Sat.

00:38:08.947 --> 00:38:14.827
And when we do this, we automatically have deep respect and reverence for those around us.

00:38:15.277 --> 00:38:24.592
We have a deep understanding that although this all looks like Maya, really they're all me.

00:38:24.771 --> 00:38:25.612
They're all one.

00:38:26.121 --> 00:38:27.652
They're all this one Shared Being.

00:38:27.652 --> 00:38:33.592
If we are entertaining duality for a moment, so that's what we need to understand.

00:38:33.641 --> 00:38:41.862
We need to understand that this vibhuti yoga is the wonders manifested by me through my unlimited and inconceivable powers of yoga.

00:38:42.581 --> 00:38:52.362
We have to understand that the sacred union that we have with Brahman is what allows us to experience that limitless and inconceivable power that this union brings.

00:38:52.661 --> 00:39:04.077
And when we are totally at one in this union, when we are completely focused and stabilized, you watch how your connection to this Formless is unwavering.

00:39:04.226 --> 00:39:05.036
It doesn't move.

00:39:05.041 --> 00:39:06.686
It doesn't change at all.

00:39:06.927 --> 00:39:09.836
It gets stronger and stronger and stronger.

00:39:10.077 --> 00:39:12.056
You'll never get weaker at all.

00:39:12.387 --> 00:39:16.646
This is what happens when we truly unite with that Formless Awareness.

00:39:16.817 --> 00:39:28.097

Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 10: Verse 1 - Verse 7)

Follow:

Featured Episodes

Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita Episodes

Recent Episodes

Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita Episodes

Wisdom of the Mystics Episodes

General Spirituality Episodes

Advaita Vedanta Episodes

Guided Meditation Episodes

Conversations with The Bearded Mystic Episodes

Thoughts on The Upanishads Episodes

Direct and Unfiltered Episodes

Oneness Conversations Episodes

Bearded Mystic Reacts Episodes

Browse episodes by category

New to The Bearded Mystic Podcast?