Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 8: Verse 1

Transcript

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Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Bearded.

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Mystic Podcast and I'm your host, Rahul N.

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Singh.

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Thank you for taking out the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode.

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Today, we will be continuing on with my thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita and before we do begin, there's a few announcements I would like to let you know about.

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Today we will be beginning with chapter eight and we'll be looking at verses 1 to verse 7.

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I'm gonna read the first two verses together.

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Verse one.

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O Purusha Uttama ‘Ultimate Person.’ What is Brahman?

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What is adhyatma?

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What is karma?

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What is adhibhuta?

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What is adhidaiva?

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Who is Adhiyajna?

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Where does Adhiyajna reside within the body?

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How is a dedicated yogi to meditate upon Adhiyajna at the moment of the death of their body?

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These are some questions that Arjuna has for Sri Krishna to answer, and the next couple of verses are to answer those questions.

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Let's discover the answers that Sri Krishna gives.

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Verse three.

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The Immortal, Imperishable and always brilliant Supreme Reality from which everything arises and within which it exists is called Brahman.

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That immortal being who resides in the body is known as Adhyatma.

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Karma is the reaction generated by the atma’s use of free will, by which they put in motion the chains of cause and effect that manifest from life to life.

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So let's look at the first part of the verse.

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One, the Immortal imperishable, and always brilliant Supreme Reality from which everything arises and within which it exists is called Brahman.

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So here Sri Krishna is telling Arjuna, what is Brahman?

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Who is Brahman?

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How can we relate to Brahman?

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And this is the ultimate answer.

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Now if you want to understand that what is higher or what is the only thing it would be Brahman.

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Now let's discover this answer a bit more.

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This Brahman is Immortal.

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Why?

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Because it doesn't change.

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It doesn't go through any process of modification.

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Therefore, it's Immortal.

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It's also Immortal because it has no beginning and it has no death.

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This Brahman is Immortal also because it has never been born and will never die.

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It is imperishable because it is Formless.

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It's not made of any substance, therefore, it's beyond being perished.

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It is always brilliant because it's, it's radiance is for eternity.

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The radiant light of Brahman is forever.

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The reason why we have the ability to perceive things is due to Brahman, so that radiance is what allows us to experience all of this beauty.

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This Brahman does not belong to time, hence Immortal.

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It is the most supreme reality, nothing is before it, and there is no second to it.

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It is the ground of existence so of Sat-Chit-Ananda.

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It is the true Sat, that base of existence and the most supreme reality.

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There is no reality beyond this, nor any reality that is secondary to this.

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This is the most supreme reality.

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Maya has its reflection because of Brahman alone.

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Without Brahman, there is no Maya, there is no existence.

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So Consciousness is what gives rise to existence.

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Without us being aware of this existence, this existence wouldn't exist.

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And even if it doesn't exist, we don't need to talk about it because it doesn't exist.

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So we have to understand that this Maya, this reflected Consciousness is there because of Consciousness.

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So this Brahman is within the whole of existence, in a constant state of oneness.

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So don't see Brahman as something separate, but something infused within life, infused within existence.

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Everywhere you look, everything you see, perceive hear, taste, smell, everything is of the essence of Brahman.

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Do not feel that Brahman is something separate to life.

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It literally is life Itself.

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That Immortal being who resides in the body, is known as Adhyatma.

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So some people may recall this as the jiva, but basically this Adhyatma is that Witness Consciousness within us, that Eternal Consciousness within us, that Continuous Observer within us, that observer that does not change.

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And as I mentioned, we may consider this to be the jiva because it's the jiva that goes from one life form to another, but also it's what we are, and this jiva is none other than Brahman.

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Then Sri Krishna answers the question about Karma, so he says, Karma is the reaction generated by the Atman's use of free will, by which they're put in motion the chains of cause and effect that manifests from life to life.

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Sri Krishna here explains Karma very simply.

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There's no complication in this.

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It's very, very simple.

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The reaction of any action we do is generated by the mind's use of free will.

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We are given the free will to act the way we want to.

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In one way, the choices of action may be restricted.

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However, we will choose through our discernment what action to take.

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Hence, it becomes our karma.

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Now, the mind perceives that it has free will.

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So we have to understand this.

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It is the mind that believes that it has free will perceives that it has free will.

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Therefore, it makes the choices.

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Although there is an awareness behind those choices that are made.

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Now due to it thinking that it's the doer, it sets the motion of cause and effect.

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So the moment you think this body and mind is the doer of all actions, that is when you will then accumulate all that Karma.

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But if you say that you are not the doer, and actually the doer is Brahman itself.

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What happens then is the doer changes.

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We become the non doer, the body and mind, and the doer becomes Brahman.

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And that way, what happens is we end up doing selfless service because we do not want anything in return.

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These reactions go from one life to the next.

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It's these actions which carry on from one lifetime to another.

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These are stored up in the jiva or in the adhyatma.

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So whatever we do will have an effect, maybe not in this life, but it may have an effect in the next life.

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And certainly we can observe in our own lives now, certain things that happened to us, which makes no sense, there's no reason for those things to happen.

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In Vedanta, what it says is very simple.

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This has come from the jiva.

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This is karma, from your past life.

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Now you can actually untie that knot and get rid of that karma by just being the observer and not reacting towards it.

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And if there is a reaction, it's a reaction that benefits many rather than becoming a hindrance or becoming suffering for others or for the many.

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Karma, as I mentioned, is generated because we think we are the body and mind.

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The moment we understand that we are the jiva, that we are the Atman, there will be no sticking of doership.

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That doership is not, for example, even though we may say that Brahman does everything, that Brahman does not become the 'I am the doer', even then, because all you do is remain as the Witness Conciousness.

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' So the context of the whole verse is that Sri Krishna is answering the first three questions of what is Brahman, what is adhyatma and what is Karma?

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So remember essentially that Brahman is that supreme ultimate reality that is Immortal.

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That does not change in any way.

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It's within everything that exists.

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And therefore, everywhere we look, everywhere we go, it is an act of worship towards the divine.

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Likewise, we need to know that the Immortal being within the body is the adhyatma, the jiva, and that it is karma that has been created from many lives that is stored up in the Jiva and the Jiva's primary goal is to address those issues and be free from them.

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And that is called jivan-mukti.

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Verse 4.

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Adhibhuta is the totality of prakriti ‘the realm of matter’ functioning as a single cosmic being whose body is the entire universe.

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Adhidaiva is the Supreme Being who is pervading the entire universe.

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Adhiyajna is Me, present in the hridaya ‘heart’ of every living being from where I receive all offerings of love and adoration.

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Let's break this verse up very quickly.

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Adhibhuta is the totality of prakriti ‘the realm of matter’ functioning as a single cosmic being whose body is the entire universe.

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When we see the whole universe or manifestation, we can see as the Shared Being or the Ground of Existence, and that is called Adhibhuta.

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That is the totality of Prakriti, the totality of the universe and that single cosmic being, we can even call that Saguna Brahman or Ishwara , really is up to us how we want to refer that to.

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The important thing here is to see that there is oneness in nature.

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There is not a duality in nature.

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So although there is diversity, there is a single thread of unity within it all.

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That is ultimately the way we are meant to look at this.

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Adhidaiva is the Supreme Being who is pervading the entire universe.

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The subtle energy that pervades the entire universe is the Adhidaiva that is the Supreme Being.

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So again, it's very similar to the Saguna Brahman, or Ishwara or the personal God.

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We can see that as the Adhidaiva, the the First Being, so to speak.

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And Adhiyajna is Me, present in the hridaya ‘heart’ of every living being from where I receive all offerings of love and adoration.

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So Adhiyajna is Brahman that is present in the heart of everyone.

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So remember the Adhyatma is within everyone, the Jiva is within everyone.

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Therefore any offering you give to others, any help you offer to others, any time that you're there for others, that is Adhiyajna.

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When you devote every action to Brahman, that is Adhiyajna.

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When you see Brahman in the heart of everyone automatically that feeling of love and devotion arises where you want to serve others and you are kind.

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You are nice, you are pleasant to be around.

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People want to be around you.

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Nobody has any issues about who you are as a person.

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Your behavior is, you know, completely on par with the scriptures.

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This is the point.

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Remember on our podcast, what we discuss here is how there has to be a synchronicity between the teachings and your life.

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If you are just looking at these as teachings that are just meant to be put up as a poster or something to just memorize and discuss, that is not where it ends.

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The true discussion, the true understanding occurs when we fully implement it into our lives.

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So these these values that are there within each and every one of us, within each and every heart has to be explored, and we have to always be in the remembrance of this One and therefore, we have to understand that our behavior has to reflect this One.

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Now every prayer uttered from the heart goes to the same heart where Brahman is.

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So there's no separation here.

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We are not praying to some other entity.

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You're praying to Brahman itself.

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It's kind of like Brahman, praying to Brahman.

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It literally is that type of thing.

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But what we have to understand here is that we have to have compassion.

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We have to have empathy.

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This is the number one thing to understand from these verses.

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And this Adhiyajna is always available, always present.

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Therefore, always offer whatever you can to the divine.

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Well, what I mean by that is not money or material things, I am on about your feelings, your remembrance, your thinking, devote as much as possible towards Brahman.

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The context of the whole verse is that Sri Krishna guides how Brahman is infused within nature, yet, it is all one cosmic wholeness, one cosmic oneness.

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Then verse 5.

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And at the final moment of leaving the body, anyone who remembers only Me is removed from the process of reincarnation and achieves moksha.

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They are reinstated in their original nature like My own, and come to live in My Brahman abode of this there is no doubt.

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So we are going to look at the whole verse altogether because it's a pretty epic verse.

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First of all, we have to establish here that this requires incredible practice.

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Do not expect it to be easy.

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Do not expect that, oh, just because you've listen to this podcast or you've taken that wisdom of the Divine, that now suddenly you'll be fine.

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No.

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Or you have complete faith even that's not going to be enough because the one thing which we all fear is death.

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Now, how can we conquer that fear is the question.

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So the one thing to do here, especially when we are about to leave the body is to ensure that our viveka is strong, our discernment is strong between the Real and the unreal.

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This has to be concrete.

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This has to be firmly established.

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Do not take my words lightly here.

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You have to be completely strong, completely convinced that the only reality is Brahman, that there is only Formless Awareness.

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You have to be really convinced.

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So our discernment has to be fully utilized, it has to be fully concrete in the Real.

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It is a must that our intellect and instinct have fully immersed themselves into Brahman.

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So our intellect and instinct has to be transcended into that divine intelligence, which is always here, that divine intelligence, which transcends the intellect and instinct.

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Instinct we can say we've transcended.

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How do we transcend the intellect?

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This again is through the discernment of the Real and the unreal of Sat and Asat.

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But another way is when we read the scriptures and instead of just answering it intellectually, we need to get to that point where we exhaust the intellect and have to transcend.

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So this is a must.

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For example, the way to do that is read a Zen koan, read poetry by Kabir ji, or read any text, read a line from the Ashtavakra Gita.

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These things will help you transcend the intellect When it comes to the final breath, what do we remember?

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Our true self or everything related to the body and mind?

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What is it that we need to remember?

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What is it that we need to be in touch with?

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Do we go back to the subject of Consciousness, of Formless Awareness?

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Or do we go back to the objects of Formless Awareness, of Consciousness?

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Sri Krishna is very clear that whoever remembers this Formless Awareness attains moksha, mukti.

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He's guaranteeing it here.

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He says, anyone who remembers only Me, remember that 'Me' means Brahman, Nirguna Brahman.

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The Formless Awareness is removed from the process of reincarnation and achieves moksha.

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So you know all these weird doctrines that have been created by people like ISKCON that say, you will go to Vrindavan.

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This verse debunks all their claims because it's right here that Sri Krishna talks about freedom, moksha, mukti.

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So Sri Krishna is confirming here that they are removed from the process of reincarnation.

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They are not going to come back onto this Earth.

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They're not going to come back into this universe.

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In fact, they understand that their Shared Being is the universe, there has been no separation from the very beginning, if there was the beginning.

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So they've completely removed the ignorance.

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They're no longer see themselves as an object of Consciousness or that they are this body and mind.

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They understand that they are the subject.

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They are Formless Awareness, they are Pure Consciousness.

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They are aware of all this Now, someone may say, well, what about bad people?

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What about if they at the last breath, they remember Brahman?

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What happens to them?

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Are they also going to achieve liberation?

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Are they going to achieve mukti, freedom?

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Will their process of reincarnation end?

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No.

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If you remember, someone's intellect has to be strengthened in this.

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If one is committing acts of suffering, meaning acts that cause suffering, paap, there is no way that person is going to get mukti.

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No way! Will they remember Brahman at the last minute?

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I highly doubt that if it's difficult for people to remember Brahman in the waking state, how are they going to remember Brahman at the final breath?

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The one thing they'd be thinking about is the, the, maybe the issues they've created or what they were not able to achieve because they wanted others to suffer and that, and that suffering never happened.

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these are the things that we have to think about.

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You know, some people try to be smart and say, and say, well, does this mean that if you are an absolute horrible person, you'll get mukti if you think of Brahman at the last minute, I'm saying it's impossible that they would think of Brahman at the last minute.

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It just will not happen.

00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:54.009
Only those people who are good, who have been practicing this message, who have been discerning completely, who have made their viveka strong, only they will attain mukti, and they are reinstated in their original nature, meaning that the Jiva realizes it's Brahman, that ignorance is removed completely, that they are something separate.

00:21:55.099 --> 00:21:56.759
Jivo Brahmaiva naparah.

00:21:57.631 --> 00:21:59.691
Yeah, the Jiva and Brahman is one and the same.

00:22:01.340 --> 00:22:07.161
They enter the same original nature that Sri Krishna is, and they live in that Brahman as that Brahman.

00:22:07.570 --> 00:22:08.961
Remember Sri Krishna is Brahman.

00:22:08.961 --> 00:22:10.530
There's no difference between the two.

00:22:10.530 --> 00:22:11.221
They're One.

00:22:13.723 --> 00:22:18.659
Many people think Krishna is a body and mind, hence, they fail to understand the Bhagavad Gita.

00:22:19.048 --> 00:22:22.898
You understand that Sri Krishna is Formless Awareness, is Nirguna Brahman.

00:22:23.239 --> 00:22:27.118
Hence, you know that you will enter the same original nature.

00:22:27.298 --> 00:22:29.278
Again, this is aligned.

00:22:29.278 --> 00:22:42.843
This is a verse that goes against everything that ISKCON and all the people that believe in that type of philosophy are completely wrong in their interpretation of this.

00:22:46.692 --> 00:22:49.573
Whether that purpose they have serves something.

00:22:49.688 --> 00:22:54.028
I'm not saying the, you know, I'm not, I'm not talking about that.

00:22:54.989 --> 00:23:01.982
I'm just saying that this verse, these lines tells you that you will attain the same original nature as Krishna.

00:23:03.478 --> 00:23:24.545
You are one and the same as Krishna and that you were always living in Brahman as Brahman, but now you understand this completely because you've completely made sure that any time could be your last breath and you are to be in the remembrance of Brahman at all times.

00:23:26.127 --> 00:23:28.377
All you do is think of Brahman.

00:23:28.863 --> 00:23:32.643
You commit to your daily activities, you live a very normal life.

00:23:32.942 --> 00:23:37.742
But in the back of the mind there is a constant remembrance of Brahman.

00:23:38.012 --> 00:23:41.932
In the center of the heart, there is a constant remembrance of Brahman.

00:23:42.300 --> 00:23:43.921
You are always doing this.

00:23:44.967 --> 00:23:47.594
So Sri Krishna states, there is no doubt about this.

00:23:47.691 --> 00:23:48.530
It is certain.

00:23:49.363 --> 00:23:54.643
So do not think that this is 1% chance.

00:23:54.643 --> 00:24:01.692
This is 100% Sri Krishna is giving his guarantee to you, so enjoy that guarantee.

00:24:02.145 --> 00:24:03.435
Take in that guarantee.

00:24:04.914 --> 00:24:14.573
The context of the whole verse is that Sri Krishna guides us on how important it is to train spiritually so that at the time of death we remember Brahman.

00:24:14.823 --> 00:24:18.962
So remember, from now until the last breath, this is our training.

00:24:19.226 --> 00:24:21.605
Remember Brahman as much as possible.

00:24:22.046 --> 00:24:28.685
And if you're in that remembrance, remember your virtues, your deeds will represent that.

00:24:31.016 --> 00:24:34.436
Remember that Verse six.

00:24:34.696 --> 00:24:47.829
Whatever state of being one envisions through smaranam‘remembrance’ at the time of leaving their body, determines their next state of being and the destination to which they will be transported for their next birth.

00:24:48.329 --> 00:24:53.640
So what if somebody does not remember Brahman at the last breath.

00:24:54.539 --> 00:24:58.319
What if somebody has not trained their viveka as much?

00:24:58.319 --> 00:24:59.579
What happens to them?

00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:01.680
This is what Sri Krishna is talking about.

00:25:02.190 --> 00:25:05.220
So whatever state you, you are in, so you become.

00:25:05.220 --> 00:25:07.079
If you remember Brahman, you become Brahman.

00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:10.740
If you remember Formless Awareness, you become Formless Awareness.

00:25:11.817 --> 00:25:15.386
If you think you are the body and mind, you will enter another body and mind.

00:25:16.017 --> 00:25:18.467
If you think you are a deva, you'll enter a deva.

00:25:19.332 --> 00:25:21.582
So whatever state you're in, so you become.

00:25:22.585 --> 00:25:24.634
Whatever you think you are, so you become.

00:25:26.214 --> 00:25:30.265
whatever you worry about, you'll come back to resolve this very issue.

00:25:32.432 --> 00:25:38.882
If you have attachment, you'll come back onto this earth to resolve those attachments.

00:25:40.031 --> 00:25:45.602
Therefore, for a Gyani Bhakt, we have to always be in the remembrance of Formless Awareness.

00:25:45.602 --> 00:25:47.071
We have no other choice.

00:25:47.672 --> 00:25:50.162
On this podcast, that's what we focus on.

00:25:52.984 --> 00:25:58.654
Not everyone will have time to prepare for death, so we have to make Brahman our very own nature.

00:25:58.654 --> 00:26:00.755
We can't make it something else.

00:26:01.055 --> 00:26:02.615
We can't make it as an add-on.

00:26:02.615 --> 00:26:06.085
We have to make it the subject, the complete software.

00:26:06.585 --> 00:26:09.832
So we have to completely embody Brahman.

00:26:11.971 --> 00:26:16.261
Whatever our last thought is will determine the next state of being.

00:26:16.682 --> 00:26:19.031
This is the reaction emanating from Karma.

00:26:19.051 --> 00:26:30.643
So remember that any movement, whether that's thought or through this physical body, remember that will determine everything.

00:26:31.103 --> 00:26:35.123
Make sure our actions are pure, our thoughts are pure.

00:26:35.663 --> 00:26:39.982
We are caring for others, loving towards others, kind towards others.

00:26:40.670 --> 00:26:46.049
We are thinking more doing punya activities rather than paap activities.

00:26:46.170 --> 00:26:48.069
Those are the things we need to consider.

00:26:49.232 --> 00:26:55.182
Or alternatively devote everything as a yajna to the divine.

00:26:55.722 --> 00:26:58.002
Very simple, a simple remembrance to do.

00:26:59.063 --> 00:27:05.751
Be wise and strengthen your intellect as your next life, or your transcendence depends on it.

00:27:06.231 --> 00:27:07.311
And this is very true.

00:27:07.311 --> 00:27:09.261
Now you've listened to this.

00:27:09.801 --> 00:27:11.961
You cannot turn around and say, you've not been told.

00:27:12.862 --> 00:27:14.721
You know what the expectation is.

00:27:14.721 --> 00:27:16.041
You know what you need to do.

00:27:17.071 --> 00:27:22.176
Stabilize yourself in Brahman and remember Brahman at all times.

00:27:23.163 --> 00:27:24.363
That's all you have to do.

00:27:25.019 --> 00:27:26.970
Be completely still in Brahman.

00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:29.950
Be completely connected in Brahman.

00:27:31.022 --> 00:27:36.153
Do not look anywhere else because there is no anywhere else.

00:27:36.153 --> 00:27:37.054
There is only Brahman.

00:27:37.772 --> 00:27:39.333
There's only Formless Awareness.

00:27:40.477 --> 00:27:52.240
So the context of the whole verse is that Sri Krishna instructs us on what to remember at the time of death, and so we must remain in the awareness of Formless Awareness.

00:27:53.807 --> 00:27:55.517
Then verse seven.

00:27:57.707 --> 00:28:00.967
Therefore, always remember Me through yogic smaranam.

00:28:01.497 --> 00:28:09.286
With your manas and buddhi completely focused upon Me, fight on behalf of dharma, acting for the well-being of all.

00:28:09.837 --> 00:28:12.623
In this way, you will come to Me without a doubt.

00:28:13.333 --> 00:28:18.522
So the first part of the verse is, therefore, always remember me through yogic smaranam.

00:28:20.078 --> 00:28:24.226
Yogic Smaranam is basically remaining in awareness of Formless Awareness.

00:28:24.648 --> 00:28:26.388
This we must do at all times.

00:28:26.659 --> 00:28:28.808
This we do not have a choice about.

00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:31.548
As Sri Krishna says'always remember'.

00:28:32.588 --> 00:28:38.374
So there's no condition here of mostly remember, do a bit today, do a bit tomorrow.

00:28:39.044 --> 00:28:39.153
No.

00:28:39.344 --> 00:28:40.163
Always remember.

00:28:40.834 --> 00:28:45.111
Now, what does it mean by yogic smaranam, that union?

00:28:45.201 --> 00:28:46.461
How do we do that?

00:28:46.983 --> 00:28:54.124
Well, every act that you have, every thought that you have, just have that Formless Awareness in the background.

00:28:55.358 --> 00:28:59.701
Do everything you need to do in life but remember Brahman in the background.

00:28:59.911 --> 00:29:00.990
That's all you have to do.

00:29:02.763 --> 00:29:06.923
You have a thought, at the end of having a thought, remember Brahman.

00:29:07.661 --> 00:29:09.221
After you complete an action.

00:29:09.550 --> 00:29:12.768
Remember Brahman, that's all you have to do.

00:29:13.188 --> 00:29:16.218
The last thing you do before you go to bed, remember Brahman.

00:29:16.488 --> 00:29:19.597
First thing you remember when you wake up, remember Brahman.

00:29:20.057 --> 00:29:21.933
That is yogic smaranam.

00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:23.193
That's all.

00:29:23.344 --> 00:29:25.294
Just be in continuous awareness.

00:29:26.772 --> 00:29:37.044
Then the second part of the verse is With your manas and buddhi completely focused upon Me, fight on behalf of dharma, acting for the well-being of all.

00:29:37.554 --> 00:29:40.733
In this way, you will come to Me without a doubt.

00:29:42.023 --> 00:29:46.804
With the mind-heart, with the intellect, we must be completely focused on Brahman.

00:29:47.034 --> 00:29:48.203
So that's understood.

00:29:48.203 --> 00:29:50.814
Formless Awareness has to be the complete focus.

00:29:51.683 --> 00:29:52.913
On behalf of dharma.

00:29:53.114 --> 00:29:54.634
Meaning for am moksha.

00:29:55.084 --> 00:29:59.864
Dharma does not mean fighting for a religion or a religious identity.

00:29:59.923 --> 00:30:02.144
Only fools think that way.

00:30:02.503 --> 00:30:04.594
That's just like one tiny part.

00:30:06.064 --> 00:30:07.124
One tiny part.

00:30:07.373 --> 00:30:15.978
The complete aspect is that every action we do is for our mukti, for our liberation.

00:30:16.743 --> 00:30:18.364
That is the real result.

00:30:21.963 --> 00:30:26.978
If we are still coming back on this earth, that means we've not completed what we are meant to do.

00:30:28.278 --> 00:30:29.678
You want to fight for dharma?

00:30:30.107 --> 00:30:31.887
You want to get rid of hinduphobia?

00:30:32.583 --> 00:30:34.022
Show your liberation.

00:30:34.413 --> 00:30:35.833
Show your jivan-mukti.

00:30:36.722 --> 00:30:37.623
That is the way.

00:30:39.949 --> 00:30:46.699
You want to show that our religion has the way out, through the way in.

00:30:47.538 --> 00:30:48.288
Show them.

00:30:50.202 --> 00:30:54.133
Instead, what we are doing is just talking points.

00:30:55.074 --> 00:31:00.300
going on social media and just talking about all this without doing any of the sadhana.

00:31:07.131 --> 00:31:08.661
So that's what we need to understand.

00:31:08.790 --> 00:31:11.486
Every action we do must be for the wellbeing of all.

00:31:11.643 --> 00:31:13.202
It has to support everyone.

00:31:14.343 --> 00:31:17.823
Think of what we are supporting, think of what we are doing.

00:31:19.479 --> 00:31:20.939
Is it there for everybody?.

00:31:22.624 --> 00:31:31.084
Every action we do, are we thinking about the wellbeing of all or is it just for the wellbeing of our community, of our people?

00:31:32.471 --> 00:31:36.601
Or are we thinking about everybody, even those that dislike us?

00:31:37.105 --> 00:31:38.943
Are we even thinking on that level?

00:31:42.941 --> 00:31:46.683
That's that's the thing we have to think about.

00:31:46.834 --> 00:31:48.453
So it has to support everyone.

00:31:49.308 --> 00:31:50.028
It has to.

00:31:51.367 --> 00:31:56.528
Dharma is not cultural, but the very base of our spiritual understanding.

00:31:57.278 --> 00:31:58.798
Understand this to be Dharma.

00:32:00.104 --> 00:32:03.943
Anyone who is just dharmic by name and form is not dharmic at all.

00:32:06.548 --> 00:32:12.205
when Sri Krishna says, fight on behalf of dharma, fight on the base of your (mukti) freedom.

00:32:14.659 --> 00:32:20.354
If you're fighting based on some identity that you have, you are restricted.

00:32:22.243 --> 00:32:27.223
Your vision is blurry, limited shortsighted.

00:32:30.943 --> 00:32:46.564
Expand your vision, expand the vastness, experience the vastness and understand that Dharma is freedom.

00:32:47.763 --> 00:32:56.238
When you are free from everything that restricts human beings to this prakriti, transcend prakriti.

00:32:57.667 --> 00:33:03.903
So anything you are aware of is prakriti, nature, transcend it.

00:33:07.645 --> 00:33:10.823
Like I said anyone can label themselves.

00:33:10.823 --> 00:33:19.843
Dharmic, show your Dharma through your very being, and nothing can threaten someone who is established in Dharma.

00:33:20.593 --> 00:33:24.432
No one can even move a single hair in their body.

00:33:24.553 --> 00:33:26.173
There is that much conviction.

00:33:27.042 --> 00:33:28.663
There is that much strength.

00:33:30.492 --> 00:33:34.169
That person is undefeatable.

00:33:35.788 --> 00:33:37.538
That person is invincible.

00:33:38.203 --> 00:33:48.824
That person who is always thinking of everyone, who is always for freedom.

00:33:52.394 --> 00:33:57.228
And nor does dharma threaten or fight back unnecessarily.

00:33:58.094 --> 00:34:04.963
If you are in freedom, you will not threaten people, threaten other groups.

00:34:05.733 --> 00:34:07.923
, neither will you fight back unnecessarily.

00:34:07.923 --> 00:34:08.643
Why would you?

00:34:09.423 --> 00:34:10.293
There's no need to.

00:34:11.603 --> 00:34:19.224
So for dharma to win, we have to win over our mind and intellect and establish it in Brahman.

00:34:19.344 --> 00:34:20.333
Simple as that.

00:34:21.923 --> 00:34:23.554
This is the way to moksha.

00:34:23.554 --> 00:34:26.983
This is the way to freedom, to liberation, to jivanmukti.

00:34:28.018 --> 00:34:29.358
This is what we have to do.

00:34:29.358 --> 00:34:30.788
This is the expectation.

00:34:32.552 --> 00:34:46.509
This is what Sri Krishna means when he says, fight for dharma, not some other concocted weird explanation or interpretation to support our ignorance.

00:34:47.469 --> 00:34:51.119
Understand what Sri Krishna is, and then understand his vision.

00:34:52.382 --> 00:34:54.827
So we will be one with Brahman.

00:34:55.068 --> 00:35:23.378
There is no doubt about this, but what we need to do is understand that if there is only Brahman and you are fighting for a limited identity that shows your limitation and that you've not expanded beyond prakriti, you are that witness consciousness, that vast, immense quality of Brahman.

00:35:27.467 --> 00:35:28.487
You are That.

00:35:29.141 --> 00:35:30.371
So be That.

00:35:31.221 --> 00:35:42.228
The context of the whole verse is that Sri Krishna tells us how it is important to have the mind-heart, and intellect established in Awareness as this is the strength of dharma.

00:35:43.128 --> 00:35:45.498
So that is the end of the episode.

00:35:45.693 --> 00:35:50.503
Please share this podcast with your friends and family who may enjoy this content.

00:35:50.864 --> 00:35:53.974
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00:35:54.304 --> 00:36:02.503
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00:36:02.733 --> 00:36:11.159
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00:36:11.342 --> 00:36:22.523
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00:36:22.606 --> 00:36:32.128
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00:36:32.159 --> 00:36:33.746
Thank you very much for listening.

00:36:33.849 --> 00:36:37.268
Let's end this with the Soham and Shanti mantra.

00:36:38.059 --> 00:36:38.849
Soham.

00:36:39.278 --> 00:36:40.059
Soham.

00:36:40.628 --> 00:36:41.498
I am That.

00:36:42.068 --> 00:36:42.969
I am That.

00:36:44.659 --> 00:36:54.851
Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti Aum Peace Peace Peace Namaste

Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 8: Verse 1 - Verse 7)

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