Have a spiritual discussion with The Bearded Mystic
Aug. 7, 2022

Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 4: Verse 39 - Verse 42)

The player is loading ...
The Bearded Mystic Podcast

Send us a text

In this episode, The Bearded Mystic Podcast discusses the 4th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, specifically verses 39 - 42.  Sri Krishna guides us on the importance of having shraddha and giving our complete focus on this Gyan and that is how we balance ourselves in this most Supreme Brahman - the Ultimate Self. To be in contentment in this life and the next, we need to go beyond the superficial purpose of living and enter a deeper understanding that pervades all of existence.  See yourself as the Atman - this Brahman and watch every action of yours be based on humanity and they are ethical. This chapter is brought to a beautiful end as Sri Krishna gives us the lesson we need to understand and the natural result of its practice. We are nothing but the True Self - this Atman. 

Translation used: The Bhagavad Gita Comes Alive: A Radical Translation by Jeffrey Armstrong Available here on Amazon

I hope you enjoyed listening to the 37th episode of the Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita and if you are interested in listening to more episodes like this on further chapters and verses, or on Non-Duality, or you want to learn more about the wisdom of the Mystics please follow/subscribe to this Podcast.

Support The Bearded Mystic Podcast and get extra content
https://www.patreon.com/thebeardedmysticpodcast

Listen to this episode ad-free on Apple Subscriptions and Patreon.

Please rate and write a review for this Podcast on https://www.thebeardedmysticpodcast.com/reviews/new/ it will be greatly appreciated.

New episodes will be available every Sunday.

If you would like to attend a free weekly meditation with me, join my Whatsapp group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/DcdnuDMeRnW53E0seVp28b

Subscribe to the free monthly The Bearded Mystic Newsletter: http://thebeardedmysticpodcast.substack.com

You can find links to Live Streams, Podcast, Videos etc: https://linktr.ee/thebeardedmysticpodcast

You can follow me and contact me on social media:
Website: https://www.thebeardedmysticpodcast.com/
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMdk3HPJh/
Discord: https://discord.gg/4DbureZw8y
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeardedmysticpodcast/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBeardedMysticPodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bearded_mystic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Bearded-Mystic-Podcast

Support the show

Chapters

01:08 - Recap of Chapter 4: Verses 34 - 38

02:36 - Chapter 4: Verse 39

13:42 - Chapter 4: Verse 40

22:34 - Chapter 4: Verse 41

27:21 - Chapter 4: Verse 42

30:13 - Support The Podcast

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:09.599
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Bearded Mystic Podcast and I'm your host, Rahul N Singh.

00:00:09.769 --> 00:00:14.990
Thank you for taking out the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode.

00:00:15.067 --> 00:00:19.974
Today, we will be continuing on with my thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita.

00:00:20.224 --> 00:00:27.820
And before we do start, if you would like to support the Bearded Mystic Podcast, do sign up to the podcast Patreon.

00:00:27.867 --> 00:00:31.774
You can find the details in these show notes and video description below.

00:00:31.897 --> 00:00:45.668
Also, if you're listening to this on apple podcasts, to get ad free and bonus episodes, you can sign up to the monthly subscription that is available and you'll find that on your app itself.

00:00:45.918 --> 00:00:51.890
Also every Saturday, there is a free meditation session that occurs on zoom.

00:00:51.944 --> 00:00:57.404
If you would like to join, please find the details in the show notes and video description below.

00:00:57.704 --> 00:01:08.284
This is really good for you, if you really want to practice what we've been learning in these Bhagavad Gita episodes and also with the wisdom of the mystics.

00:01:08.290 --> 00:01:12.939
In the last episode we looked at chapter 4, verses 34 to 38.

00:01:13.064 --> 00:01:19.727
Sri Krishna guides Arjuna to give his utmost respect to the sages and rishis who know Brahman.

00:01:19.763 --> 00:01:20.900
He must serve them.

00:01:20.986 --> 00:01:28.049
Ask sincere questions, share this wisdom with all so that this Gyana can be taught to him.

00:01:28.170 --> 00:01:32.829
What others can't see, these rishis and gurus do see.

00:01:33.010 --> 00:01:35.599
That's why they called Tattva Darshins.

00:01:35.686 --> 00:01:40.706
Arjuna can never be deluded or confused again, as long as he keeps remembering this knowledge.

00:01:40.956 --> 00:01:45.063
He will see that all beings, himself and Krishna now are all one.

00:01:45.096 --> 00:01:47.615
They are the Supreme Brahman itself.

00:01:47.865 --> 00:01:57.926
It doesn't matter what you think of yourself or what you think your past was or how bad your past was or what you are now or how you are now.

00:01:58.176 --> 00:02:02.786
This wisdom will always carry you to the safety of your True Self.

00:02:02.843 --> 00:02:07.052
Sri Krishna also explains how the Gyana burns away all our Karma.

00:02:07.075 --> 00:02:22.150
So therefore immerse yourself and get deeper into your Atman and unite every action in the remembrance of this Supreme Brahman, give every thought and action as a sacred offering to the Devas and be fulfilled.

00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:26.060
And if better, offer it to Brahman itself.

00:02:26.310 --> 00:02:36.509
Today we will be looking at chapter 4 verse 39 to verse 42 and this will actually be the end of chapter four.

00:02:36.533 --> 00:02:56.703
Let's start with verse 39, One who with shraddha ' directly sees, remains focused upon and trusts that life is pervaded by divine purpose and constantly remains focused upon that knowledge, valuing it above all else, quickly attains the ultimate state of balanced knowing of Parama Brahman.

00:02:56.953 --> 00:03:09.709
We'll break this up . So one who with shraddha so directly sees, remains focused upon and trusts that life is pervaded by divine purpose, and constantly remains focused upon that knowledge.

00:03:09.959 --> 00:03:11.098
What does that mean?

00:03:11.145 --> 00:03:14.876
Having shraddha here means that you directly perceive this Brahman.

00:03:14.876 --> 00:03:20.371
So you see this Brahman as clear as you see this screen that you're looking at right now.

00:03:20.477 --> 00:03:26.817
Or say you wear glasses, the moment you put your glasses on, your vision becomes very clear and precise.

00:03:26.941 --> 00:03:36.709
Likewise, the same way when you apply this Gyana into your life and you have the faith that this Gyana is true through your own experience.

00:03:36.959 --> 00:03:43.218
You will have that shraddha, you will have that process of seeing this truth directly.

00:03:43.278 --> 00:03:47.808
And therefore, if you can see it directly, that means you can easily remain focused upon it.

00:03:48.058 --> 00:03:52.079
If you can't see something directly, you're not gonna keep your attention to it.

00:03:52.121 --> 00:04:00.050
You can remain directly focused upon this Brahman and you trust that life's whole purpose is to realize your own divine nature.

00:04:00.116 --> 00:04:12.394
You know, that life's divine purpose is so you can know who you really are and know what you really are, to realize that actually your whole nature is divine.

00:04:12.394 --> 00:04:14.253
It's not just this body and mind.

00:04:14.533 --> 00:04:19.774
This body and mind are things that will help you to understand your divine nature.

00:04:19.954 --> 00:04:21.874
It's not against a divine nature.

00:04:22.124 --> 00:04:26.413
It is a part of your divine nature, but it's not all of your divine nature.

00:04:26.663 --> 00:04:31.004
In fact, the divine nature houses this body and mind.

00:04:31.064 --> 00:04:35.144
So we understand that the whole purpose is to understand our divine nature.

00:04:35.473 --> 00:04:36.163
That's all.

00:04:36.237 --> 00:04:46.545
It's to understand that this Atman is Supreme and this Atman is the one that allows this body and mind to function and realize its true potential.

00:04:46.795 --> 00:04:49.880
And then you constantly contemplate upon this Gyana.

00:04:50.031 --> 00:04:52.531
There's nothing more you want to contemplate upon.

00:04:52.781 --> 00:04:55.235
In fact, this Gyana is everything.

00:04:55.326 --> 00:05:02.725
So whenever there's a moment free, you want to spend focusing upon this Gyana and that knowledge is everything.

00:05:02.725 --> 00:05:04.196
That knowledge is Supreme.

00:05:04.218 --> 00:05:06.351
You absolutely trust in this knowledge.

00:05:06.351 --> 00:05:13.641
That's also a part of having shraddha, having that reverence, you understand that this knowledge is what's going to take you forward.

00:05:13.755 --> 00:05:21.915
The knowledge of understanding that you are Brahman, Tat Tvam Asi - You Are That and that's what you solidify your understanding in.

00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:31.471
Yes, you may use tools of nature, of existence, but you'll understand that existence is there to help you realize your true nature.

00:05:31.711 --> 00:05:40.081
Instead of condemning existence, we look to befriend existence, so it can help us because everything is made of this divinity.

00:05:40.331 --> 00:05:44.110
Therefore, why should we make the world an enemy?

00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:50.545
True tyaga, true renunciation is that of the ego, not of the world.

00:05:50.795 --> 00:05:57.406
The ego meaning the false identification of the body and mind, that you think'I am the body and mind'.

00:05:57.619 --> 00:05:59.608
That's the only thing, you need to renounce.

00:05:59.613 --> 00:06:00.538
Nothing else.

00:06:01.165 --> 00:06:02.836
Life is there for you to enjoy.

00:06:02.951 --> 00:06:05.951
You honor this Gyana, you respect this Gyana.

00:06:06.201 --> 00:06:07.372
It's your everything.

00:06:07.622 --> 00:06:11.882
And I have felt this within my own life, that this Gyana is everything.

00:06:12.132 --> 00:06:17.252
All of my life has been dedicated towards this Gyana, devoted towards this Gyana.

00:06:17.358 --> 00:06:21.048
I function life through this Gyana to the best of my ability.

00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:27.478
Not saying that I can do it every day and or every moment and I'm able to be successful.

00:06:27.538 --> 00:06:31.499
No, but whenever I can remember this Gyana, I will.

00:06:31.769 --> 00:06:34.918
Whenever I can remember this Formless Awareness, I will.

00:06:35.098 --> 00:06:39.598
Whenever I can connect and immerse myself in this Formless Awareness, I will.

00:06:39.848 --> 00:06:42.199
And that is my purpose.

00:06:42.449 --> 00:06:44.399
That's what I have found to be my purpose.

00:06:44.608 --> 00:06:46.408
Everyone will have their own purpose.

00:06:46.559 --> 00:06:51.569
What's mine may not be yours and neither am I here to convince you of otherwise.

00:06:51.838 --> 00:07:05.172
But all I can share with you is what's helped me and what helps me is that whenever I get a moment spare, I will remember this true nature, this Supreme Brahman, which is none other than what you are.

00:07:05.422 --> 00:07:12.105
I cannot deny that it is the only existence That's what I attempt to practice each and every day.

00:07:12.177 --> 00:07:17.923
I wake up in the morning with the intention to remember this Formless Awareness as much as possible.

00:07:18.173 --> 00:07:18.473
Yes.

00:07:18.473 --> 00:07:35.043
It may be that when I'm working and I'm answering an email or I'm doing some work, I may not be able to remember this Formless Awareness, but I am aware that this Formless Awareness is ever present because we've been learning about this in these Bhagavad Gita episodes.

00:07:35.074 --> 00:07:43.524
And not only that, but we've been practicing this in our meditation sessions every Saturday, that this Formless Awareness is always there.

00:07:43.774 --> 00:07:57.324
And this is what we must do when we have that shraddha, when we build up that reverence and you can say it's a bit like devotion, you are devoted to this Gyana, you're devoted towards this knowledge.

00:07:57.524 --> 00:07:59.033
This knowledge is everything.

00:07:59.283 --> 00:08:01.653
And the knowledge of THAT is everything.

00:08:01.774 --> 00:08:03.004
THAT is everything.

00:08:03.004 --> 00:08:04.684
Meaning Brahman is everything.

00:08:04.934 --> 00:08:07.334
You don't need anything else but Brahman.

00:08:07.584 --> 00:08:16.603
Even to the point and I will say this, that the Guru may show you Brahman, but you must also let go of the Guru eventually.

00:08:16.853 --> 00:08:19.403
That does not mean that you have to disrespect the Guru.

00:08:19.454 --> 00:08:19.923
No.

00:08:20.173 --> 00:08:33.769
You still respect the Guru because they've shown you this Brahman and they have highlighted to you and presented to you what your Ultimate Nature is, but to go from Saguna to Nirguna, you have to let go of Saguna.

00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:41.009
Eventually you will realize that in a Nirguna aspect, the Saguna aspect is ultimately unreal.

00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:43.129
It has no place in the Nirguna.

00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:48.619
But while we are in this body and mind, this Saguna has a very important part to play.

00:08:48.918 --> 00:08:54.292
And we may go over this again later on, but the thing is, I just want us to be clear on this.

00:08:54.292 --> 00:09:00.121
So have that shraddha, have that devotion and remain focused upon that knowledge as much as possible.

00:09:00.371 --> 00:09:21.239
As I always mention, if you're listening to this podcast, it's the least I expect from you is to be at least attempting, taking those baby steps to understand and live in that knowledge, because that's the whole purpose, for this podcast to grow, for us to grow together, we all have to be on the same page and that's what we need to do.

00:09:21.489 --> 00:09:29.399
And the great thing about the meditation sessions we do is we uplift each other, we grow together and that's the whole purpose.

00:09:29.649 --> 00:09:39.559
So the next part of that line is valuing it above all else, quickly attains the Ultimate state of balanced knowing of Parama Brahman.

00:09:39.653 --> 00:09:51.833
This is very, very important to understand, because if you value this knowledge, this wisdom, this yoga above everything else, nothing else can beat it.

00:09:52.014 --> 00:09:54.984
And everything else will aid you to get to it.

00:09:55.193 --> 00:09:58.224
This Maya will become your friend and will support you.

00:09:58.403 --> 00:09:59.903
Instead of being your enemy.

00:10:00.083 --> 00:10:02.663
A lot of people see Maya as the enemy.

00:10:02.913 --> 00:10:17.394
Maya is what shrouds our judgment or clouds our intellect, but instead of letting it cloud your intellect because you have that discernment, that viveka, you can actually utilize Maya to help you.

00:10:17.644 --> 00:10:21.897
So what you can do is you can say to Maya, you know what?

00:10:22.147 --> 00:10:33.447
You are there to help me understand this Parama Brahman and to be in the balanced knowing of this Parama Brahman, this Ultimate Brahman, the Highest, the most Supreme.

00:10:33.697 --> 00:10:45.927
Or if you can bypass Maya, which is even better, then you know that this Brahman is the most Supreme, nothing can even come to a close second to It.

00:10:46.177 --> 00:10:46.807
And it's true.

00:10:46.812 --> 00:10:56.206
Once you have the taste of this Brahman, understanding this Sat-Chit-Ananda, by truly understanding it, you will never want to be away from that fragrance.

00:10:56.417 --> 00:10:58.726
You want to keep tasting more and more of it.

00:10:58.937 --> 00:11:01.937
You don't want to live a moment without it.

00:11:02.187 --> 00:11:04.647
In fact, it will become everything.

00:11:04.897 --> 00:11:09.167
And this is what Sri Krishna is saying is that you value it above everything else.

00:11:09.407 --> 00:11:13.106
That doesn't mean that everything else has no value.

00:11:13.386 --> 00:11:15.817
No, this is not what we are saying here.

00:11:16.057 --> 00:11:21.047
What we are saying is you understand that each and everything has a higher or lower value.

00:11:21.256 --> 00:11:34.017
And the higher value is the one where you can be in the most Supreme, Parama Brahman and the lower values are the things that we need to survive in life, to live a comfortable life.

00:11:34.317 --> 00:11:42.451
Those things are of lower value, but remember we are to live a balanced knowing, therefore we are not to say these are bad and we do not want it.

00:11:42.631 --> 00:11:44.371
That's not the way we are going to do it.

00:11:44.621 --> 00:11:52.351
And we are going to keep moving forward, understanding that this Brahman is the most Supreme and that's what we value more.

00:11:52.601 --> 00:11:56.424
Knowing this Brahman being in this Brahman is the most valuable thing for you.

00:11:56.674 --> 00:11:58.663
For me, that is very true.

00:11:58.711 --> 00:12:04.284
Like I mentioned earlier, I look for any moment to be in This and that's the way it should be.

00:12:04.534 --> 00:12:11.684
Until you totally become it, that you don't have to look for time to be in it, where you can just simply rest and be in it.

00:12:11.934 --> 00:12:13.044
That's the goal.

00:12:13.294 --> 00:12:14.721
And some of us are there.

00:12:14.741 --> 00:12:17.089
Some of us are on the journey to get there.

00:12:17.214 --> 00:12:28.193
Once you have this level of trust, faith and reverence and love for the truth, you become established in this Brahman and you know it to be your Essential Self, the only Being in Existence.

00:12:28.193 --> 00:12:33.234
So when we say that this Brahman is omnipresent, it is the only one present.

00:12:33.726 --> 00:12:40.163
There is no such thing as name and forms when we are completely immersed in this, then it's a different way of living.

00:12:40.403 --> 00:12:42.203
Then we see Brahman in everything.

00:12:42.474 --> 00:12:47.573
And therefore, if you see Brahman as a whole of existence, we naturally have reverence towards it.

00:12:47.578 --> 00:12:50.274
We naturally have trust towards it, faith towards it.

00:12:50.350 --> 00:12:54.868
Once we establish that, we are all good and that's the whole purpose of this verse.

00:12:54.868 --> 00:13:04.057
The context of the whole verse is that Sri Krishna is guiding us on the importance of having shraddha and giving our complete focus on this Gyana.

00:13:04.398 --> 00:13:08.628
And that is how we will balance ourself in the most Supreme Brahman, the Ultimate Self.

00:13:08.628 --> 00:13:42.405
Just to add to that, this balanced knowing means that whatever raga and dvesha you may have attractions or repulsions, whatever pair of opposites that may be like pain and pleasure, hot and cold, all these pairs of opposites, what we will be in is this balanced knowing that there's only Brahman, there's only this Parama Brahman and everything else is something I have to rise above and transcend above through the practice of being in this knowledge as much as possible and that's the purpose.

00:13:42.655 --> 00:13:43.796
Verse 40.

00:13:44.046 --> 00:14:03.166
One who is ajna 'ignorant', who does not have shraddha, 'the ability to directly perceive the intelligence and purpose that pervades all of existence' and thus even doubts that life has a deeper meaning will not be able to achieve sukha and fulfillment on this loka'plane of reality' or the next.

00:14:03.219 --> 00:14:05.019
Let's look at the first part.

00:14:05.206 --> 00:14:14.936
One who is ajna 'ignorant', who does not have shraddha 'the ability to directly perceive the intelligence and purpose that pervades all of existence'.

00:14:15.028 --> 00:14:27.753
So what is an ignorant person is something that Sri Krishna is explaining here and that ignorant person does not have shraddha ' the ability to directly perceive the intelligence, they do not want to directly perceive it.

00:14:27.825 --> 00:14:31.424
They rather go here there and everywhere in order to perceive it.

00:14:31.448 --> 00:14:34.688
Therefore they don't know the purpose that pervades all of existence.

00:14:34.719 --> 00:14:36.818
They don't understand the leela behind it all.

00:14:37.068 --> 00:14:40.619
They lack the ability to perceive the intelligence in the Gyana.

00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:49.211
So they may receive the Gyana, but they may not be able to understand its subtlety and they may not have the intellect that is able to receive this wisdom.

00:14:49.461 --> 00:14:57.621
Their intellect may be hazy, cloudy and they're not able to see this Brahman as clearly as one should.

00:14:57.678 --> 00:15:00.731
In fact, Brahman is so clear that it can be missed.

00:15:00.777 --> 00:15:12.381
Sometimes have you ever noticed that you see these videos, where there maybe a French door and, it's so clean that someone can just walk into it and not realize that the door is there.

00:15:12.381 --> 00:15:16.669
That glass is there and that's how clear this Brahman can become.

00:15:16.697 --> 00:15:21.609
Even though there is this glass of Brahman and behind it is Maya.

00:15:21.859 --> 00:15:27.068
Before you can even go into Maya, you come face to face with Brahman.

00:15:27.318 --> 00:15:41.976
Remember the whole point is to have your intellect sharpened, which is why we went through chapter two and three is to really guide us to get there, to understand how to do this and that we have to understand what is Real and unreal, Sat and asat.

00:15:42.226 --> 00:15:49.797
The purpose that pervades all of existence is the realization of Brahman itself, but the ignorant person doesn't see that.

00:15:50.067 --> 00:15:57.333
For them, the purpose is to live these four days of existence and waste it on material pleasures alone.

00:15:57.573 --> 00:16:04.923
So, you know, they say char din ki zindagi hai, and these four years represent the four time periods that we may have.

00:16:05.173 --> 00:16:15.374
You have your youthful days, the days of studies, you have the days of being a householder, days of being a grandparent and then taking sannyas.

00:16:15.653 --> 00:16:17.604
Those are the four periods of life.

00:16:17.884 --> 00:16:26.125
The whole purpose is to live those four periods of life, but not waste it on material pleasures alone, but to focus it upon Brahman.

00:16:26.365 --> 00:16:31.346
We are not there to take sannyas in order to gain material benefits in heaven.

00:16:31.676 --> 00:16:37.686
We are there to understand that there is only oneness with Brahman and that's the ultimate goal.

00:16:37.811 --> 00:16:42.380
The purpose that pervades, all of existence is the realization of Brahman.

00:16:42.660 --> 00:16:53.350
The next part is, and thus even doubts that life has a deeper meaning will not be able to achieve sukha and fulfillment on this loka'plane of reality' or the next.

00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:59.510
If someone is not able to have that shraddha, able to directly perceive this Brahman.

00:16:59.760 --> 00:17:05.634
They will lack that basic understanding, and they will not be able to understand the deeper meaning of life.

00:17:05.903 --> 00:17:08.723
They'll be looking here and there for the purpose of life.

00:17:09.023 --> 00:17:10.433
They will never be fulfilled.

00:17:10.477 --> 00:17:17.676
In fact, they may think that life is khao piyo aish karo or as they say eat, drink and live merrily.

00:17:17.926 --> 00:17:19.936
That's not just what life is about.

00:17:20.186 --> 00:17:21.567
That's a part of life.

00:17:21.777 --> 00:17:26.967
That's not to deny that that is not a part of life, but that is not all of life.

00:17:27.217 --> 00:17:43.818
When we live in the remembrance of this Formless Awareness, when we immerse ourself in this Formless Awareness and we eat, drink, sleep, read, talk, walk, do all our actions in this awareness that is a life that is worth living.

00:17:44.068 --> 00:17:47.308
That person will not be able to see that deeper meaning.

00:17:47.558 --> 00:17:51.538
That person will only think of eating, drinking and living merry.

00:17:51.558 --> 00:17:55.788
That's all life is about, is to enjoy life right here right now.

00:17:56.038 --> 00:17:58.499
But they will not see the larger picture of life.

00:17:58.625 --> 00:18:09.405
They may harm themselves through bad eating habits or bad drinking habits or not resting enough, living a life where it's just about work and there's no work life balance.

00:18:09.655 --> 00:18:12.776
Those are the things that may impact somebody.

00:18:13.026 --> 00:18:20.028
So an ignorant person will always be doing too much of one thing and not living a balance of everything.

00:18:20.278 --> 00:18:25.719
For example, even a spiritual person, you cannot focus 24/7 on spirituality.

00:18:25.929 --> 00:18:34.766
You can live a 24/7 spiritual life, but you must also live a life in this world and enjoy the aspects of existence too.

00:18:34.865 --> 00:18:37.445
This aspect of existence is you.

00:18:37.715 --> 00:18:39.516
So why condemn it?

00:18:39.766 --> 00:18:44.296
The difference is the ignorant person cannot see how it's all connected.

00:18:44.546 --> 00:18:47.365
The realized person can see how it is connected.

00:18:47.635 --> 00:19:01.521
Therefore it will never condemn anything, you know, in my opinion, the tantriks have it right, where they embrace everything of life because when you do this, you can keep a more level headed mind.

00:19:01.637 --> 00:19:03.857
If you practice this, you will see what I mean.

00:19:03.919 --> 00:19:13.804
I practice it and that's why I can say there's value in this, but if we end up just thinking that there's no spirituality, gaining spirituality has no purpose.

00:19:13.983 --> 00:19:15.626
Why do I need to know who I am?

00:19:15.626 --> 00:19:19.000
Those people will never be satisfied with life.

00:19:19.148 --> 00:19:23.348
Somehow yes, they will eat and drink, but then they'll look forward to the next hit.

00:19:23.598 --> 00:19:29.919
But someone who is balanced will be content, regardless of whether they get that hit or not.

00:19:30.169 --> 00:19:32.479
That dopamine hit is what I'm talking about.

00:19:32.729 --> 00:19:39.009
The other thing to think about is that when you die, what will you have to show for this life that you've lived?

00:19:39.259 --> 00:19:40.969
You gotta think about your legacy.

00:19:41.219 --> 00:19:52.614
That is your legacy one where people in your own home have been inspired by the life that you've lived or do they look at you as some gluttonous fool that they do not want to be like.

00:19:52.864 --> 00:19:55.173
So this is a thing that we need to think about.

00:19:55.423 --> 00:20:03.173
You know, I often say this and I really mean it, that if you cannot be spiritual in your own home, you will not be spiritual outside.

00:20:03.473 --> 00:20:10.743
You can put a facade outside but the real deal is when you are at home and you're spiritual.

00:20:10.993 --> 00:20:12.794
That is the main thing to achieve.

00:20:12.891 --> 00:20:16.471
And without that, there is no joy in being spiritual.

00:20:16.721 --> 00:20:22.490
Yes, your family members may test you completely, but it's in that testing that you grow.

00:20:22.740 --> 00:20:26.740
It's in those challenges that you grow and therefore do not condemn that.

00:20:26.990 --> 00:20:39.443
So those people that just think about eating, drinking, and being merry, they just devour things without understanding that life can be lived in the understanding of being Brahman and enjoying the pleasures of the world as I mentioned before.

00:20:39.851 --> 00:20:46.086
Those people will not achieve any sukha meaning contentment or comfort in life for that you need peace of mind.

00:20:46.296 --> 00:20:47.855
And how do we get peace of mind?

00:20:47.855 --> 00:20:52.576
By connecting to That which is the existence of Peace, which is Brahman.

00:20:52.711 --> 00:20:56.942
But how can the mind be at peace if it's at the mercy of the senses?

00:20:57.192 --> 00:21:00.820
What I mean here is that you don't need to get rid of the senses.

00:21:01.121 --> 00:21:03.580
You do not have to condemn the senses.

00:21:03.830 --> 00:21:10.530
All you need to do is show the senses who is the boss and who the senses is working for.

00:21:10.683 --> 00:21:17.538
The senses is working for the body and mind and the body and mind are the name and forms of this Formless Awareness.

00:21:17.788 --> 00:21:24.826
So you see it in that way, rather than seeing the senses as something to be condemned and think about it.

00:21:25.155 --> 00:21:32.465
Without the senses, you will not be able to live life, even to meditate, to remove the senses, you have to utilize the senses.

00:21:32.715 --> 00:21:38.455
Letting go of them is letting go of the identification that is formed from them.

00:21:38.705 --> 00:21:47.523
Instead your identification is formed from Brahman, rather than these senses and what they perceive and the information they give to the mind.

00:21:47.713 --> 00:21:51.503
Therefore the mind will then influence the body in that way.

00:21:51.753 --> 00:21:53.548
That's the way to understand this.

00:21:53.798 --> 00:21:58.516
These people, they will not have any fulfillment because nothing can appease them.

00:21:58.816 --> 00:22:02.385
Therefore, this life is wasted and so is the next.

00:22:02.655 --> 00:22:10.355
Not only do they lose the purpose in this life, but they may even lose a purpose in their next life and say they do achieve heaven.

00:22:10.536 --> 00:22:12.125
That is still not mukti.

00:22:12.365 --> 00:22:19.786
That is still not achieving the highest purpose, which is to be liberated whilst alive in this life.

00:22:20.036 --> 00:22:34.250
The context of the whole verse is to be in contentment in this life and the next, we need to go beyond the superficial purpose of living and enter a deeper understanding of that, which pervades all of existence.

00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:54.191
Verse 41, O Arjuna, one who is immune to the karmas of their actions through the practice of yoga and whose doubts have been cut away by the sharp blade of Divine Gyana always sees the immortal Atman as their True Self and thus their actions no longer cause them bondage.

00:22:54.259 --> 00:22:55.490
Let's look at the first part.

00:22:55.740 --> 00:23:01.690
O Arjuna one who is immune to the karmas of their actions through the practice of Yoga.

00:23:01.940 --> 00:23:17.319
We know that the practice of Karma Yoga is that every action should be done without any doership and it should be done as a sacred offering to the devas, to life and to nature, or if we can to this Brahman.

00:23:17.559 --> 00:23:24.720
So we understand that to be immune to these karmas of our actions is to understand how to do it.

00:23:24.970 --> 00:23:29.920
So now Krishna is talking about the opposite person to the verse 40.

00:23:30.170 --> 00:23:35.289
And the next part he says, and whose doubts have been cut away by the sharp blade of divine Gyana.

00:23:35.490 --> 00:23:39.059
That person, one is immune to the karmas of their action.

00:23:39.065 --> 00:23:43.529
So when he says immune, he always also meaning that they are not affected.

00:23:43.704 --> 00:23:52.498
They do not get infected by the fruits of those actions, whether the fruits are positive or negative, they do not get influenced by them.

00:23:52.601 --> 00:23:56.711
Also their doubts have been cut away by the sharp blade of Divine Gyana.

00:23:56.891 --> 00:23:59.750
How do we create this sharp blade of Divine Gyana?

00:23:59.951 --> 00:24:01.631
Is by asking questions.

00:24:01.881 --> 00:24:08.330
The more we ask questions, the more clear our understanding gets, the sharper this blade of Divine Gyana is.

00:24:08.580 --> 00:24:14.141
So our doubts continuously get cut away, the sharper this blade becomes.

00:24:14.221 --> 00:24:22.240
Our intellect has been sharpened then with this knowledge of what is Real and unreal, what is changeless and changing.

00:24:22.361 --> 00:24:25.871
Only this Gyana itself can take away our doubts.

00:24:26.121 --> 00:24:33.290
And by self-reflection and contemplation on the Gyana, we then discover our inherent oneness.

00:24:33.540 --> 00:24:38.351
All the wisdom of the rishis are found within, and they all live within us.

00:24:38.381 --> 00:24:42.340
Every rishi that has been on this existence, their atoms are within us.

00:24:42.550 --> 00:24:45.530
Therefore we carry their memory within us.

00:24:45.575 --> 00:24:54.244
If we are able to quieten our mind and become absolutely still, we will be able to hear that very teaching that they could hear.

00:24:54.494 --> 00:25:06.448
So Krishna, we have to understand lives within us, is us and this Divine Gyana will make them appear within us and we will see that they are nothing but us.

00:25:06.698 --> 00:25:12.228
They are the Ground of Being and that's what we understand about this Divine Gyana.

00:25:12.478 --> 00:25:22.295
And then Sri Krishna in the next part says, always sees the Immortal Atman as their True Self and thus their actions no longer cause them bondage.

00:25:22.545 --> 00:25:27.189
Remember, he starts off with the immunity to the karmas of our actions.

00:25:27.288 --> 00:25:31.009
And here he says the actions no longer cause them bondage.

00:25:31.189 --> 00:25:33.378
They no longer bind us to this earth.

00:25:33.635 --> 00:25:35.915
They no longer bind us to live another life.

00:25:36.215 --> 00:25:38.596
We can then be free and liberated.

00:25:38.846 --> 00:25:44.919
This is really the key and pinnacle of the Gyana to see the Immortal Atman as the True Self.

00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:53.493
To remember that this is the only True Self, this Immortal Atman, this Purusha, this Witness Consciousness, this Formless Awareness is everything.

00:25:53.743 --> 00:25:55.544
This is the only reality.

00:25:55.637 --> 00:26:17.611
Everything else is changing and transactional, is based on an exchange, but we have no control over that, but we do have control over understanding what is Real and unreal and therefore going towards the Real, we do have that control and due to our Jiva identifying as the Atman, all our actions and its reactions are burned away.

00:26:17.861 --> 00:26:22.935
Therefore we may get the ashes, but the impact will be reduced.

00:26:23.185 --> 00:26:29.046
Instead of something hitting us in a very gross level of form, it will be a very subtle level.

00:26:29.236 --> 00:26:37.219
We will feel only a breeze rather than the hurricane of the karma of our actions or the results of our actions.

00:26:37.469 --> 00:26:45.855
These actions can never hold us, but like a spring breeze, they may appear and leave without leaving a trace of its presence.

00:26:46.105 --> 00:27:00.304
That is the understanding of Karma Yoga here and that's only if we truly understand that we are the Immortal Atman, that that is our True Self, that is who we really are and what we really are.

00:27:00.478 --> 00:27:21.107
The context of the whole verse is to really see yourself as this Atman, this Brahman, and to watch every action of yours be based in humanity and they have the basic ethics required to live a more harmonious life and they cause harmony on this earth and that's the main purpose.

00:27:21.357 --> 00:27:22.030
Verse 42.

00:27:22.634 --> 00:27:36.010
Therefore, with the sword of Divine Knowledge and the skills of yoga, cut away the bonds of ignorance and the doubts that have occupied your heart Uttishta 'stand up' O Arjuna, stand strong as your True Self-the Atman.

00:27:36.154 --> 00:27:37.998
Let's look at the whole verse together.

00:27:38.028 --> 00:27:45.498
This is a time for us to utilize the Gyana, gather our skills from practicing this yoga and cut away the bonds of ignorance.

00:27:45.748 --> 00:27:49.567
The main ones that are 'I am the body' and 'I am the mind'.

00:27:49.567 --> 00:27:57.670
We are to cut away that ignorance and understand we are nothing but this Immortal Atman and that is our True Self.

00:27:57.767 --> 00:28:14.333
All the doubts about the Real, this Sat will be cut away as we discern between the Real and the unreal, when we establish ourself more in the Changeless, we then see that this changing world is false and therefore what ignorance can remain.

00:28:14.583 --> 00:28:22.198
Here Arjuna is instructed clearly to arise, stand up and stand strong as his True Self, this Atman.

00:28:22.448 --> 00:28:25.983
And this is not just for Arjuna, this is also for us.

00:28:26.074 --> 00:28:43.622
So the context of the whole verse is that this chapter is brought to a beautiful end as Sri Krishna gives us the lesson that we need to understand, and the natural result of its practice, that we are nothing but the True Self, this Atman and that ends chapter four.

00:28:43.872 --> 00:28:53.038
The one thing I wanna mention and emphasize that we are nothing but this Non-dual Self, this Non-dual Brahman.

00:28:53.288 --> 00:28:55.298
This Atman is indivisible.

00:28:55.548 --> 00:28:57.229
It is Formless Awareness.

00:28:57.558 --> 00:28:59.269
It is oneness itself.

00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:01.064
That is what we really are.

00:29:01.314 --> 00:29:08.624
The whole purpose of this battle within that we are facing is a battle between ignorance and awareness.

00:29:08.874 --> 00:29:20.953
When we understand that this knowledge, this awareness is everything and that ignorance actually has no existence because there is only Sat, there is only this Changeless Truth.

00:29:21.203 --> 00:29:28.614
Then we transcend the peaks and valleys of this earth, the ups and downs of this life.

00:29:28.864 --> 00:29:31.770
And we understand that static balance.

00:29:32.020 --> 00:29:33.340
That is always there.

00:29:33.590 --> 00:29:41.240
Although appearing static yet moves faster than the speed of light and that is this Brahman itself.

00:29:41.490 --> 00:29:44.334
As we end this chapter, I pray to Sri Krishna.

00:29:44.338 --> 00:29:53.436
I pray to all the Devas of this material existence that may they aid us into understanding our True Self.

00:29:53.686 --> 00:30:02.227
That may we establish ourselves as this Formless Awareness and immerse ourselves as much as possible as this Formless Awareness.

00:30:02.477 --> 00:30:10.394
Until we get to the understanding that there is only this oneness and this oneness is what I Am.

00:30:10.644 --> 00:30:13.557
So that will be the end of the episode.

00:30:13.807 --> 00:30:18.614
Please do share this podcast with your friends and family who may enjoy this content.

00:30:18.733 --> 00:30:30.740
Do follow me on social media to keep getting updates, subscribe to the monthly Bearded Mystic Newsletter and you can join the Bearded Mystic Discord Server and the details are in the show notes and video description below.

00:30:30.990 --> 00:30:46.191
If you would like to support the Bearded Mystic podcast, you can check out the podcast's Patreon account and the details again are in the show notes and video description below, or you can subscribe to the monthly subscription on apple podcasts.

00:30:46.441 --> 00:30:59.391
Do rate and review the podcast on our website www.thebeardedmysticpodcast.com If you're watching this on YouTube, please do like, and comment on this video and do subscribe to the channel.

00:30:59.641 --> 00:31:10.151
If you are listening to this on your podcast streaming app, please do subscribe or follow, this channel so you can keep getting updated on the new episodes.

00:31:10.401 --> 00:31:15.653
Thank you very much for listening and we'll end with the Shanti mantra as always.

00:31:15.711 --> 00:31:19.011
Aum Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

00:31:19.261 --> 00:31:23.001
Aum, Peace, Peace, Peace.

00:31:24.662 --> 00:31:25.172
Namaste