Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 6: Verse 1 - Verse 6)

Hello and welcome to the Bearded Mystic Podcast, and I'm your host, Rahul N Singh. Thank you for taking out the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode. Today we will be continuing on with my thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita. So before we do start, there's a few important announcements that I would like to present. If you would like to support The Bearded Mystic Podcast, do sign up to the Podcast's Patreon page and you can get ad free and bonus episodes on there. The details are in the show notes, and video description below. Also, you can get the same ad free and bonus episodes on the Apple subscriptions that is on the Apple Podcasts app itself. Every Saturday, there is a free meditation session that is followed by discussion and Q&A session. You can find the details in the show notes and video description below to join that session. If you would like to have a one-on-one meeting with me as a friend to discuss your spirituality, you can also find the details to sign up for that in the show notes and video description below. Now let's do a recap of the last episode. We discussed the fifth chapter of The Bhagavad Gita, specifically verse 25 to 29, which ended the chapter five for us. Now Sri Krishna highlights, the luminous nature of Brahman is shown in the Sage that sees no matter this material, this Maya as their own and they go beyond the trap of duality so they don't get possessed by possessions. Sri Krishna explains how yogi's experience eternal happiness by removing all duality in between the mind and Brahman. Arjuna is then also given a technique for meditation. Sri Krishna gives us the path of true renunciation that we can complete as a householder ourselves. By turning within in the midst of activity, we can attain freedom. So Sri Krishna instructs that we must find that Brahman is everywhere and everything, every action is in Brahman. Every thought and intention is in Brahman. Therefore, wherever there is Brahman, there is peace and harmony. Wherever there is peace and harmony, joy and prosperity always follow. And the prayer is always this, that may every spiritual seeker get peace, joy, and prosperity in their journey. Just to go back a little bit on the technique that Sri Krishna gave to Arjuna in the last episode, remember it was about concentrating, at the point between the eyebrows and also slowing down the breath, the inhalation and the exhalation. And by shutting off all the sense projections that can occur. And this was something that we learned in that episode. Today we'll be looking at chapter 6 verses 1 to 6. Verse one. Sri Bhagavan spoke. The person who performs the karmas that are appropriate to their own nature and stage of life , without attachment to the results of those actions, is a true yogi and a sannyasi. But one who simply gives up all actions and responsibilities is neither a sannyasi nor a yogi. A very interesting verse, and we're gonna break this up. In the first part, Sri Bhagavan spoke: The person who performs the karmas that are appropriate to their own nature and stage of life, without attachment to the results of those actions, is a true yogi and a sannyasi. This is important because you must perform actions that are right for your own nature. Whatever your nature calls for you to do, you should do. Now, for example, if you're an entrepreneur, you should seek to do those things that an entrepreneur would do. If you are someone that loves to do a podcast, you should seek to do that. If you love to help others and would like to do that medically, you become a doctor. So whatever your nature is, you must pursue that. Simply, you must never go against what your nature is. If you are meant to be a monk, then you be a monk. If you are meant to be a householder and perform the actions of a Karma yogi, then you be a householder that performs Karma Yoga. Sri Krishna makes it very clear that either you are a sannyasi, a monk, who will renounce life, or you will be someone that will be a householder and you will perform the actions according to Karma Yoga. Now, the interesting thing is here is that both have to give up action because even for the yogi who does Karma yoga has to give up all their actions to this Brahman to awareness, so they let go of the doership. Both are letting go of the doership of every action. The sannyasi is saying they don't want to do any action. The yogi is saying, even though it appears that they perform action, really every action is a sacred offering to the Divine and the Divine is the one that is doing things, not them. Both are renouncing actions and both are renouncing the fruits of those actions too. That's the main thing. According to your stage of life, you must perform actions. As a young child, you must go to school. As a young person you go in a relationship with a partner or spouse and enjoy the joys of that and so on, unless you decide to take the monastic vow and become a monk. Now, if you go according to this, according to your nature, according to the stage of life that you're in, you are a true renunciant and yogi, that's established here. Then Sri Krishna in the second part of that verse says, But one who simply gives up all actions and responsibilities is neither a sannyasi nor a Yogi. Now this is to address when Arjuna wanted to leave the battlefield, remember that he wanted to go and be like, "You know what? I'd rather give up everything and become a monk and beg and go and ask for alms and beg at every door. He was willing to do that, and Sri Krishna is really addressing that issue. Now, if you are a householder and if you leave your home with a young family, then no matter how noble your intention, you just cannot become a renunciant. Now think about it. Your responsibility was to look after your spouse and your child, and you ended up leaving those responsibilities. How noble is that? Is that even a good thing to do? And so shirking away from responsibilities is not what Sri Krishna wants us to do here. In fact, he wants us to fulfill our responsibilities but be a karma yogi. If we want to become a monk or a yogi, we need to make sure we do it at the right time. So for example, if you want to be a monk, it'd be best not to marry but if you're married and you have a spouse and you have children, try to find how you can adapt to the teachings of Karma yoga, because that will make it easier for the other types of yoga, like Raja Yoga, which is meditation. Bhakti yoga, which is devotion. And Gyana yoga, which is knowledge and wisdom. Karma Yog is the best place because we have to perform actions. And you can do this with the chores that you do at home. Most of us look for a reaction or a response when we do chores. But when we do things out of a clear heart, just to help our family even with the sincere thing to serve our family, and that's why we will clean the kitchen or make the food today, anything that is the action of a karma yogi. Sri Krishna says that we are not to give up all our actions and responsibilities because no matter what, even if a monk say they give up their actions and responsibilities, it's very difficult to do so. If you have aging parents, even though they say with the monk you are meant to die for the world, I don't think that's really a noble thing to do because if you have aging parents, it's important that you're there for them, or at least are available to be there for them when they need you. And yes, why not do that with the knowledge you have, but each to their own whatever makes people more happy and more content. Sri Krishna in this whole verse really guides Arjuna that you must not renounce what is in your nature neither should you renounce your responsibilities in life. Again, this is more to address with Arjuna's specific question. Now there is a question that may come into our mind, and this may be stemming from that, that someone may ask the question that, is it better to be a renunciant or is it better to be a Yogi? Which path is better, the path of action or the path of renouncing action and going into Gyana Yoga and just studying the scriptures. So one may ask that question. And this is why in verse two, Sri Krishna says what is called sannyas which is 'casting off all selfish desire for the results of action within matter, within this world' is exactly the same state of being as is practiced in yoga. Without taking a vow to give up all attachment to the results of material actions within matter, one cannot be a Yogi. We're gonna break this up. The first part says what is called sannyas casting off all selfish desire for the results of action within matter is exactly the same state of being as his practice in yoga. Here we may be wondering what is the best thing to do? Is it to be a renunciant, to be a monk, or is it to be a householder and practice yoga? Now, a sannyasi will be someone who renounces all selfish desires for the results of their actions within this world. So no matter what action they do, they have to renounce the response to that, the reactions to that. So if somebody gives them money, if somebody gives them food, they should take it with thankfulness as a nourishment, but they don't own the food. They cannot say, can I have some more? Whatever they get, they should accept. So that's why being a monk is a bit more challenging. Now, a yogi can perform actions, but they can do it as a yajna as a sacred offering to the divine. Therefore, it's always going to be a sacred offering to the Lord. The yogi is also guided to let go of the fruits of their actions and perform them as an observer. Either way, they both have to let go of the fruits of the actions. So if the renunciant helps somebody, they're not to expect anything in return. Now, if a householder does something they're not meant to expect anything in return. So both have the same practice in the long run. Now, the main thing is as a Yogi, you can perform the actions as an observer. Remember the Witness Consciousness is performing actions in Prakriti. So there's the witness Consciousness, and what that is doing is watching matter, the material, perform actions in the world. Therefore, whatever happens in prakriti it stays within Prakriti. It doesn't affect the Purusha, it doesn't affect the Witness Consciousness. Essentially the main point I wanna bring across is that the sannyasi and the Yogi will reach the same goal, and in the end it's the same thing. They both have to let go and renounce the fruits of their actions. The sannyasi will concentrate on Brahman alone. They will just study the scriptures and they will keep meditating until they get to their goal of just becoming the observer. They will do that also by removing all notions of name and form of the personal self. Hence, a lot of people will renounce their previous name and attain a new name, when they take their monastic vows. No other action is done. They do not desire any wealth or any family or property or anything like that. That is a sanyasi. Now, a yogi will also concentrate on Brahman, but they will realize that Brahman is their essential nature. It is their Essential Self. They are the ground of existence. Therefore, whatever actions they do, they need to let go of, they need to get rid of any doership. So if they perform an action, they let go and they never say, "I did this, I did that." Yeah, they remove any notion of that. Now, if they receive a fruit of that action, which is, you know, part of the natural laws of existence, they will give that up, they will not feel overly proud about it, nor will they feel upset about it. They will remain in that stillness. So both technically get to the same place and both should do things without desiring anything. Even for the yogi, for the householder, even they shouldn't be desiring a better car if they serve others or get a better home. If they serve other people, if they do sewa (selfless service). We perform actions not for the results. We perform actions only for the action's sake, using our discernment of what is right and what is established in the real, in Sat. The yogi will enter the space of the observer and they will never see themselves as the doer. So both are the same in the end. They're both are getting rid of doership. The Sannyasi will say there is only Brahman. And even with the yogi, they will say, the body and mind, the name and form is performing actions. But I am that observer, that witness Consciousness, that Ultimate Reality and therefore I am not the doer. Now the second part is, without taking a vow to give up all attachment to the results of material actions within matter, one cannot be a yogi. In the end, one has to give all actions to the results of material actions. We have to take that vow. Once we say we are going to be a karma yogi and we're going to basically devote every action to the Lord, we are going to renounce doership, and we're going to remain as the observer. Until we do that, we cannot be called a yogi. That means that everything we're doing is for the supremacy of name and form. That cannot be called a yogi. If we're doing everything for name and form, if we're doing things to get better in life, to get a higher status in life, to gain more money, to do this and that, that is not a karma yogi. A karma yogi is no matter what result is given, they are to remove themselves from that. If they are not the doers of any action, how can they have attachment to the results of those actions. They don't get attached, they do not get into suffering due to the result of the action. Neither do they get overly excited because of the result of an action. For example, say a yogi completes a lottery ticket and by chance they win the lottery. Now the yogi, because they had, firstly, they do not see themselves as a doer of the action. Therefore, if they win that money, they understand that prakriti won the money, but not the yogi, not the true self. They don't become overly excited. That's not saying they won't cash in. Of course they will, but they won't be like, Oh yes, I won millions of dollars and I'm the best and I have achieved this. I've got this. Look at me. Let me buy this. Let me buy that. That's not the way they're going to be. They're going to be calm, measured and you probably wouldn't even know that they have won that money. That's the unique aspect of Yogi. We offer all the results to the Lord and allow nature to work out the results, and we do not interfere, nor do we stress about the results that will occur. So the context of the whole verse here is that both renunciation and the path of yoga for the householder reached the same destination, which is to renounce the fruits of one's actions. Now, verse three. For one who is just learning the practice of the eight-limbed ashtangha yoga, disciplined action within matter is the recommended means of perfecting oneself. For one who has achieved perfection In this yoga, the best course of action is to remain detached and balanced in all material situations. Now we're going to look at the whole verse here. Disciplined action means we utilize our viveka our discernment, and we give up all the outcomes of any action we perform. We become very disciplined in that. We remain very focused in that. We are determined in that. We do not move away from that. So every time we perform an action, we must use our viveka. That's the number one thing. If we are beginning on this journey, we may forget. Let's go back a step. How do we utilize our discernment? How do we invoke our discernment? How do we understand it even more? Our viveka can tell the difference between the Real and the unreal. Any action that we do, we know that it is essentially unreal because it belongs to time and time is not eternal. Time is very limited. Therefore, whatever changes is unreal. We know this about our actions. Now what we do know is that the Witness Consciousness is Real because it's changeless. The Atman is real, because it's changeless. It does not change according to our actions. It doesn't change according to our emotions, to our intentions, regardless of what one does, whether one uses their discernment or not. the Atman remains the same. The viveka, the discernment is this, that the action that somebody does, they have the foresight to see how their action plays out. Now they perform their actions, even knowing that it's unreal on the Ultimate level, then therefore back into the Atman and they know that the Atman is not going to get the results of those actions. And the Atman has not done the action. Only the body and the mind has performed the action, what we can say the jiva has performed the action or will receive the results of that action. And remember, the jiva is clouded in ignorance of what it truly is, which is this Brahman. Remember brahma satyam jagat mithya jivo brahmaiva naparah. Brahman alone is Real, this world is neither real nor unreal. It's mithya, depending on the level of reality that we have fully assimilated to. And jivo brahmaiva naparah. This jiva and Brahman is one and the same. That's when we understand the Ultimate Level of Truth. Our discernment can understand the limited nature of action and the limited nature of results. Therefore, we do not need to focus on that, but we perform that action, which causes the least amount of harm. That's something that we can adhere to. We let go of any desire of a particular result or outcome. We don't do something because this will happen for us. We do this because this is the best action to perform that will cause the least amount of harm for everybody and ourself, for existence. Our vision is different. It's not for any selfish reasons. If we get success, we offer it to the Lord. If we get failure, we offer it to the Lord. No matter what happens, we offer it to Brahman. We say let the success dissolve, let the failure dissolve. We are to remain in the Atman as the witness, as the observer. We shouldn't have any personal desire even of perfecting oneself. We just perform the action. We just remain as the observer without any wanting of result. This is the most challenging thing because everybody wants to be enlightened. Probably that's why we're even listening to this, and why I'm even talking about this is because essentially there is a feeling within me that wants to be enlightened. Now I have to get rid of this personal desire and say, You know what what's more important is that I remain as the observer. I remain as the eternal witness. I remain as that Formless Awareness and that's it. The more I can keep coming back to this Formless Awareness, the better. I don't wanna do it just because I want enlightenment. Enlightenment should be the byproduct of just doing this. That's the key here. So perfecting oneself or completing oneself in true understanding should be a byproduct of the practice, as I mentioned. Therefore, we must remain as the observer and be as detached as possible to the situations in life. This is the most challenging thing. If anything happens to anybody that we love, we automatically feel pain and suffering. But now what should happen is because we understand that everybody's our own. Remember in the last episode we established this. We see everyone as our friends and family. Therefore, we should feel the same. Whoever gets hurt, whoever feels pain. As long as we know people are genuinely in pain. People are so clever that they can even create a narrative where they are in suffering. If somebody is doing that, even then we are to feel the pain that they are in that ignorance. Maybe help them to try and get out of that ignorance. Maybe just listening to them will be enough. It's very easy to get caught up, but say somebody close to you gets hurt. Yes, you're going to feel that pain. But remember, as soon as you feel that pain, as soon as it touches your mind and you see it trying to turn into suffering, go back to the Formless Awareness. That's the key practice here. That's something we can do, something we can achieve. Life situations will spiral us into this feeling of participating and feeling attached to everything that happens. We may become invested and we take everything personally, we become so invested in it that we can't think of anything else. And that's what causes stress. That's what causes anxiety in this world. That becomes addictive behavior. But this yoga detaches us completely. Whatever happens in life, we are balanced. We take no sides as a person, but we go according to our viveka or discernment. Now, why do I say this? Say somebody's gossiping about you. Say somebody has said hurtful things about you, talked about you behind your back. Now what you can do is neither condemn the person that's gossiped about you, nor feel pain that you've been gossiped about. Just think you're living rent free in someone's mind. When they could be remembering Brahman, they're remembering you. So you should feel honored about that. But jokes aside, now the question is how do you address the person that is gossiping about you? Do you confront them and say, "I heard you say this about me." Or when you hear about it, do you observe the pain that you feel? Do you observe the thoughts that you feel? Do you observe the thoughts that you're having? Do you observe the feelings and the emotions that you're going through? That gut feeling of how could someone do this to me? And who are they gossiping about? Someone asat, someone who is unreal is chatting about the idea of you that it's unreal and we are getting hurt by that. So a yogi will see it as that, that what foolish person is gossiping about me. Gossiping about another fool. How foolish. So if we get hurt and we go into that suffering of why me? Why are people chatting about me? How dare they? We are also falling under the trap of foolishness. Our viveka, our discernment will be that this is all asat. I want nothing to do with it. You want to gossip about me? You go ahead. It doesn't matter. At the end of the day, anybody that wants the truth will know the truth. They will ask you yourself, but if somebody spreads it to another person because they heard it from one person, that is also foolish. The reason why I use this gossiping example is because I see it happen all the time. You know, the one thing that people come to me about is 'ahh people are talking about me.' So what? Good. You know what? Instead of them looking on social media, they find your life more interesting. They have stopped looking at keeping up with the Kardashians, they find you more interesting. Good. That is a reality show that is scripted. At least your reality is your reality, it's not as scripted as that show. Let me know, do you agree with me actually? Do you think we should confront someone? We can have this discussion here, Join my WhatsApp community. We can even talk about it there too. The context of this whole verse is that Sri Krishna guides us to be an observer and to remain balanced by keeping our mind in peace, in check, in contentment. Verse four. When a yogi does not cling to the actions within matter or to the objects of the senses, and gives up all results, detaching their self from all material goals. Then with single-minded purpose that Yogi becomes yoga arudha flies free from the bondage of matter upon the wings of yoga.' Let's break this up. When a yogi does not clinging to their actions within matter or to the objects of the senses and gives up all results, detaching their self from all material goals. This is an interesting one. So a yogi, remember, a karma yogi is us, householders, people like Arjuna. A yogi will not cling to their actions and keep remembering, 'I did this and I did that.' They will stop doing that. Or 'I did this for you and I did that for you.' Nor would the yogi cling onto the objects of the senses. Whatever is observed to the perception, they let go of that. They don't keep holding onto it. For example, you see that scrumptious chocolate cake. You don't keep thinking about it, and that it takes over your mind. You see the cake. You ask yourself, 'are you hungry? Do you want a slice?' Then you take it. But we don't cling onto the objects of the senses.. We don't keep clinging on that chocolate cake. We don't then go to sleep at night thinking about the chocolate cake and dreaming about the chocolate cake. It's the last thought we have before we sleep. It's the thoughts we have during the sleep, it's the images, it's a story, the narrative that's created in the dream. Then even when we wake up, we think 'Oh, I wish I had that chocolate cake from yesterday.' That's not something we do. The yogi will give up all the results. Remember, success or failure. This is something to keep note of. Now, this part is interesting. Detaching the self from all material goals. Now, this one may not be liked by many because many of us want to be successful in life. Everybody is hustling. The one thing you find in social media today is how can you hustle to get more money, to be better. Everybody thinks that if they work hard, they sleep for four hours. They do this, they do that, they will achieve all these material goals. They will be successful, those other people that make it in the world. But I say that's not completely true. You know, there's a lot of other determining factors that get someone to be in that position. And sometimes what we see, what we are told is not exactly what happened. Or they don't tell us the complete picture. But say the likes of one of us. How do we detach ourselves from all material goals? We want a bigger house. We want a better car. We want to earn a million dollars or pounds. We want to go on that great vacation. We want all those things. We want the best branded clothes. We want to have the best upgraded technology in our home. And self-help that industry's all about you manifesting your best life. Now you know my views about manifestation and my views are very simple. It's all good, but what is it going to bring you? Yes, you manifest a life you apparently want. Then what? Will that make you feel complete? Or will that get you into the cycle of wanting to achieve more and more bigger and better things? Therefore, contentment is not something that will occur in your life. And here's Sri Krishna is saying to detach yourself from material goals. The exact opposite of self-help, the exact opposite of the new age manifestation movement or law of attraction, The exact opposite because all these manifestation goals are all material. They're never spiritual. If they were, why don't these people manifest world peace? Why don't they manifest peace between Ukraine and Russia? Why can't they do that? Why can't they manifest cheaper oil prices? So we don't pay so much? Why don't they manifest perfect governments? Because they know they're taking you for a ride. They know! And is this really allowing nature to work through you? Letting nature work through you as Sri Krishna really is saying when we perform actions. And then doing the law of attraction is two different things. With the law of attraction, you are desiring an outcome. Sri Krishna is saying let nature work through you. Whatever nature allows you to do, just perform those actions. That's the unique perspective that is given. It's a very interesting one. One that I think people would debate with me on. But why not have that debate? Why not have that discussion? Because this will actually help us. And in dharma I am sorry to say, if you are part of Sanatana Dharma, self-help shouldn't be appealing. In fact, I understand it's appeal in the beginning. Let me just say that first. But for example, if you're listening to me on this podcast, and then you are following the law of attraction, they are two completely different things. I'm not saying you can't listen to both and learn from both. You can. What I would say is it's better to fully be in the law of attraction path first. Exhaust that then come onto what I talk about. I think that is better than trying to balance both things. But if you've listened to this and you know that my way works, I guarantee you that nature will look after you. Nature will never put you at disservice. If nature wants you to suffer, there is a reason for that, and nature will get you outta the suffering too. It will never keep you in suffering because nature wants to be happy, because nature's nature is happiness. I may have contradicted what I said because I wanted to show you the larger picture and sometimes you have to give a contradiction to get there. I acknowledge my contradiction. We just need to understand this, that we are to detach from the results of material goals. We can have them and we can achieve them. That's fine. You may have a goal to get a better home, a better car, more money in the bank, more money in the savings, a better retirement package. Yes, have that, but do not be attached to them. Write down your goals. Do the steps you need, the habits that you need to accumulate to reach those goals. Do that but do not get attached. The reason for this is that anything material will bring you suffering if you don't understand its limitation. If you think that this goal or if you achieve this, you'll get eternal happiness. That's what brings about suffering. So Sri Krishna wants to avoid that. That's what he says for you to use your discernment. Then the other thing to remember is that our main purpose in life is mukti, is liberation while we are alive, not when we die, when we are alive. So that's something to note. And anybody listening to this podcast, that is what we are looking for. That's what we have the community for, is to help each other get to that point of liberation while we are alive. That's the purpose, whilst enjoying life too. Yeah, that's the caveat. The next part of the verse. 'Then with single-minded purpose, that yogi becomes yoga arudha. Which means flies free from the bondage of matter upon the wings of yoga.' Beautiful imagery used. This has to be the only purpose for the yogi. It needs to be single-minded, no other purpose should be in the mind except for this truth, for this mukti, for this liberation to be free. Then if we achieve that, we have to become yoga arudha, which means we fly free from the bondage of the world, from this matter, from this universe upon the wings of yoga. Yoga will lift us up. Yoga will get us from attachment to detachment to this world. That's what yoga will do because we will automatically go to the observer. The observer has no beginning, no end, does not belong to time. It does not change or modify. Therefore, this Formless Awareness is eternal and real. Automatically detachment occurs. The practice brings about detachment. So many of us think about how can we become detached, yet we will not do the practice to get there. When we want something in the world, when we want that extra zeros in our salary or the extra zeros in our profits, or we want that car, that house, do we ever question how we're going to get there? First time we will, then we'll perform actions. We'll do all our best to get there. We will even sacrifice sleep, sacrifice our family to get there. But why is it that when it comes to spirituality, we ask the how and then ignore the practice and then say, it never happened. I've done this. I've done this in my own life. I, I am not innocent of this. I am just as guilty. And this is why I realized, and my teacher, my Guru told me this, I have to practice. I have no other option. I must practice this teaching. So one has to practice observing. Observing our mind, observing our actions. Whenever something appears as a result, we become the observer. We say thank you. We offer it to either Ishvara or our Guru or God or Brahman. We dissolve all attachment to the results. So we must utilize the tools of yoga, of renouncing, our actions, following the niyamas, doing all that we need to do. Strengthening our viveka and then we can fly free. A bird never leaves its trail in the sky likewise, the yogi never leaves a trail of its Karma, and that's when we become more of the observer. Hence, if we fly on the wings of yoga, we become the observer. We become the Formless Awareness. We understand That is what we always were, are and will always be. It doesn't belong to time, space, or any of that. It just makes life that little bit more interesting. The context of the whole verse is Sri Krishna simply instructs us to not cling to any action within this world nor to our senses, and we are to give up the personal doership of that action. We are not to take it personally. We are not to get bound by the world. We are to be free of the world, and that's by flying high in yoga. Verse five. One should use the divine strength of their atma to uplift their own atma and should not use their power to degrade the atma. The atma is the atma's own best friend, and only the atma can become the atma's own worst enemy. Interesting verse. We're gonna look at this as a whole verse. The divine strength of the atma, of Formless Awareness must lift their own self, it must lift their own mind. We must always go back to that Formless Awareness. They should never use this power that we have of the Formless Awareness, which is so powerful. It's the one thing that is allowing existence to be. That's how powerful this atma is. Therefore, don't use the power for self sabotage. Yeah, you must see for what it is, which is this Formless Awareness and be this Formless Awareness. There's no need to see the Atman as name and form as the body of mind, very simple. Our best friend is this Formless Awareness and only this Formless Awareness can become our worst enemy if we do not understand true nature. What I'm going to do is a bit of a distinction. Our best friend is this Formless Awareness, our atma or our mind. And only this mind or atma in this sense, atma is seen as the mind can become our own worst enemy. We need to use the mind to get to the Formless Awareness. Instead of letting the mind go crazy with the senses, we go crazy with Formless Awareness and therefore we go crazy with Nirguna Brahman. And if we do that, our mind will be pleasant, our mind will be free in bliss, in ananda. It'll feel fulfilled, complete, but it can become our worst enemy if we ignore what it is. If we direct it to the senses, it will end up going into suffering and waves of happiness and then discontentment. That's something we can avoid. That's how it becomes our worst enemy. We get landed in situations we never wanted to be in, and that's what happens. It's our friend because it's our true nature. Now it's our enemy because the more it is covered by maya by our ignorance, by avidya, the more it calls out to us as it enters a deeper plunge into suffering. So once it enters the stresses of the mind into suffering, it will be calling out for us. It be crying, it be upset, it be disturbed. The context of the whole verse here is it shows us the power of the Atman and therefore it is up to us on how we want to use it. It's a very interesting verse, but remember that only the Formless Awareness has the power to become the atma's own worst enemy. Yeah. Only the Formless. Awareness has that ability. Otherwise, no one can be the enemy of the Atman. Nobody. Not one power in this world can be an enemy to the Atman. Not even ignorance, because ignorance is asat. This is something we can understand. I didn't really wanna tell the higher truth. I didn't wanna get there, but I want us to understand that. But let me know what you think also about this. This is an interesting concept and maybe if we have questions about it, you can ask in the comment section in this video, or if you're listening to this on Goodpods, you can ask me on there or ask in the WhatsApp group. Verse six. For one, who has controlled their atma with their Atman, the atma acts as their atma's best friend. But for one who has not been able to discipline the atma, the atma remains their own worst enemy. Now in this sense, what is being discussed is the mind and yoga is used to help the mind, to control the mind. Hence we do yoga. Now we're gonna look at the whole verse by itself. For one who has controlled their atma with their atma So there's two ways of seeing this. One, if you've controlled your mind with Formless Awareness, and you've established yourself in Formless Awareness, then that Formless Awareness will keep you stable in it. It'll keep you focused in it, still in it, immovable in it. Nothing can flinch you away, nothing can move you an inch! Nothing can, so then the atma is your best friend. The other way to see it is, you use the Formless Awareness to control the mind so slowly the mind understands that it's not the boss, Formless Awareness is, the observer is. Then the atma acts as the atma's best friend. Then the mind will act as your best friend, your True Self. Now, if you've not been able to discipline your mind, if you've not been able to control it, then your mind will be your own worst enemy. And trust me, it will create such havoc, you will not believe. There's something that Osho said, which was very interesting. That the mind is a beautiful servant, but a terrible master. And this is exactly what Sri Krishna is talking about. Those that do not realize their True Self, that they are the Formless Awareness, that they are Nirguna Brahman, they become their own worst enemy. They start believing in the name and form. They end up entertaining ignorance. They end up becoming ignorant and they never know that they are in ignorance. Hence, they are their own worst enemy. That's why people ask, 'why should I become spiritual? Why should I be spiritual now? I look for it later on down the road.' But who knows when life will end? Who can guarantee that tomorrow you will live? Nobody can guarantee it. The best doctor in the world will not guarantee because we cannot determine these things. We are not in control of these things, but the mind will keep delaying. If you've not disciplined this mind, this mind will continuously delay. You see, the more you become the observer, the more you become the Formless, Awareness, Nirguna Brahman, the more you go to that background of awareness, the more you find joy, the more you find fulfillment, the more you start realizing that ignorance is dissipating away, is dissolving away. But until one does that, until one becomes more of the observer, observing the thoughts in the mind, the emotions in the mind, the actions we do, the intentions we have, the more we observe, the better. Therefore, then we become the best friend. Why do we have best friends in life? Because they make us feel good. We get along with them. Can you imagine one day that you get along with your own mind? This is a gift that the Bhagavad Gita gives to us, that Sri Krishna gives to us, that you can make your mind your very best friend. Now, I would love for that to happen for me, and I know that you would love for that to happen for you too. So think about it. The context really of this whole verse is that we must discipline our mind to make it our best friend and how do we do that? Is disciplining it with the Formless Awareness, with Nirguna Brahman. That in the midst of activity of life, it's in the background. But when we have that time and we make sure we create that time, whether it's reading about Nirguna Brahman, or whether it's meditating on Nirguna Brahman, we must do this every day for at least one or two hours minimum. This is something we must always do, and when I say focus, you can read about it, watch something about it, meditate about it, whatever. But the focus should be on Nirguna Brahman, on Formless Awareness and that is the way you will be able to discipline and control your mind and make your best friend. That is the end of the episode. Please do share this podcast with your friends and family who may enjoy this content. Do follow me on social media to keep getting updates. Subscribe to the monthly The Bearded Mystic newsletter and join the Bearded Mystic Podcast, WhatsApp group. All the details are in the show notes and video description below. If you would like to support The Bearded Mystic Podcast, check out the podcast's Patreon page, details are in the show notes and video description below. Or support the podcast through Apple podcast subscriptions, which you can find on the Apple Podcast app itself. If you would like to have a one-on-one meeting with me as a friend to discuss your spirituality, you can find the details in the show notes and video description below on how to sign up for that. 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