Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

The 16th chapter discusses human characteristics by dividing them into two groups. The first group is called Daivi Sampat – those who have divine spiritual characteristics and are naturally inclined to do good. The second group is called Asuri Sampat – those who have a natural instinct for the opposite qualities.For example, there are some who live in the world, do their normal jobs, but follow the principle of modesty, honesty and self-restraint. They acquire these good qualities through good actions in their previous life. They follow the path of dharma, in their pursuit of artha and kama. Such people are endowed with daivi sampat.Kama means desire. Artha refers to the means to acquire material comforts and fulfill desires. Both artha and kama are regulated by dharma, a self-regulating mechanism and a sense of self-restraint.Those endowed with asuri sampat, follow the path of material comforts without self-restraint.In this chapter, Lord Krishna talks about 26 characteristics of those endowed with daivi sampat and 6 characteristics of those endowed with asuri sampat.Shankaracharya says in the second chapter that the qualities of a spiritually enlightened person are listed as they show the path to us to become spiritually enlightened. All these characteristics have two stages. In the first stage, one reads and practices. In the second stage, the person is naturally established in the higher quality.The 1st verse lists the following characteristics of a person endowed with daivi sampat:He is fearless. He is not afraid of anyone and no one is afraid of him.He has purity of mind. His mind, thoughts, words and actions agree on the same thing. His mind is devoid of unspiritual tendencies.He is established in Jnanam. He understands the impermanent nature of the world and that only the divine reality is permanent. He follows the teachings of ancient masters who recorded their spiritual experience.He has a natural, instinct desire to engage in charitable activities (danam).He has self-control (dama). The mind has a natural tendency to go towards sense objects. Such a person is able to divert his mind away from objects of enjoyment.He performs yajna – spiritual rituals. Rituals, when performed with a sense of sanctity, create shraddha, and help elevate our mind to a higher level.He listens to scriptures, practices austerities and is straightforward in his interaction.The 2nd verse lists the following characteristics of a person endowed with daivi sampat:He practices ahimsa (non-violence) in thoughts, words and deeds. Gita says that any conscious or deliberate thought/word/deed to cause harm to others should be avoided.He is truthful.There is an absence of anger in him. The difference between the anger of a spiritually evolved person and an ordinary person is this: The anger of a spiritually evolved person is for a higher cause and does not affect his mind. For example, the anger of a mother and teacher would be of this kind. An ordinary person gets identified with his anger, which comes from a desire to do harm to others - it inflicts pain on his mind.He is established in Tyaga (a sense of renunciation). There is an absence of tendency in him to possess material things.Per Sri Ramakrishna, householders do not need to have external renunciation. They should do their duties with an inner sense of renunciation, without an extreme sense of possessiveness.He has Shanti (a sense of inner peace).He has no crookedness.He is compassionate towards all beings, including human beings, animals, and nature. It is an instinctive quality in him with a total incapacity to be cruel towards others.He has an attitude of non-covetousness. He is gentle. He is modest.There is an absence of fickleness in his mind. A strong, stable mind is needed to preserve and take care of one’s goodness.Holy association is important, especially for a beginner. They help develop these qualities and reinforce them.The doctrine of rebirth and karma is not pre-determinism. Per these doctrines, we can build our own future. We can begin a new life at any moment by beginning to do noble deeds, which increase the balance of good samskaras.We need role models from history to demonstrate these good qualities, so that they can go deep into the human psyche. Otherwise, they are just ideas like floating clouds. Imagine what mindfulness would be without Buddha’s example from history.

15th Chapter: Verses 8, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20The 15th chapter discusses the idea of immanence, transcendence and omnipresence of the Absolute Reality. The Absolute Reality is beyond verbalization and description – it can only be experienced.15th verse: “This divine principle is present as the indweller in every living being in this world. It manifests as memory, knowledge, ignorance, and forgetfulness. It is the one that is described and explored in all scriptures. It is the one to be known.”16th verse: “There are two kinds of beings in this world: First, is ksharah, which is the perishable. Second, is aksharah, which is imperishable. Ksharah is this phenomenal world, which comes and goes. Aksharah is the jivatma, present as the indweller in all beings, and is imperishable.”The anvil is installed on the ground and does not move. On top of it, metal pieces are hammered and shaped. Metal pieces undergo change – the anvil doesn’t. The jivatma is like the anvil and does not change – it assumes new bodies from birth to birth.The 8th verse of the 15th chapter discusses transmigration of the soul. It says: “When this body is destroyed, the soul within is not destroyed. It leaves the body behind and acquires a new body taking with it the senses and the mind, just like the wind carries the scent away with it.”We are born with the baggage of past samskaras (tendencies) – we cannot disown them. We collect these tendencies in our Antahkarana through actions involving the senses and the mind. When the body is cremated, the physical senses are gone, but the Antahkarana is retained. It accompanies the jivatma when it takes a new body.We come out of the wheel of samsara – birth, old age, death, rebirth – when we dehypnotize ourselves into knowing that we are not this body, and we realize our true identity as Atman.17th verse: “Purushottama is the supreme divine truth that is immanent, omnipresent and transcendental. It is distinct and different from both the phenomenal world and the jivatma.”The jivatma is the supreme Atman manifesting through this body, in combination with the Antahkarana and past samskaras. When we remove the samskaras and the antahkarana from the jivatma, what remains is Purushottama – the supreme divine truth. To get back into our true identity is to realize that we are Purushottama.In the Ashtavakra Samhita, there is a verse: “In the ocean, there are so many waves. Without any effort, by the characteristics of the ocean, waves come and go. They emerge by their own nature and then they disappear. The ocean is not distinct from the waves. The waves cannot exist without the ocean. But the ocean can exist without the waves.”Similarly, in this Purushottama, the entire phenomenon of creation, dissolution and re-emergence of the world happens. Purushottama is like the ocean, and the phenomenal world is like the waves.Purushottama is all pervading and is immanent in everything. It is present in all three states of consciousness – waking, dream sleep and deep sleep states. At the same time, it is transcendental.The 17th verse emphasizes the spiritual oneness of existence. The whole creation is one spiritual family. We should maintain the harmony of nature and not deviate from the principles of Satyam, Ritm and Dharma.Satyam means truth. A person will not deviate from the path of harmony if he practices truthfulness and feels content.Ritm is the central principle of inherent harmony that exists in nature.Dharma refers to the ethical and moral principles through which one practices Satyam. For example, it is immoral to pollute the earth and therefore against Dharma.18th verse: “I am the Absolute Reality, the Purushottama, which is present everywhere.”19th verse: “A person who is free from delusion, who has understood this supreme divine truth through spiritual practices, he becomes the knower of everything - he knows the essence of all knowledge.”Shankaracharya explains this verse by reminding us of the inverted Ashvattha tree from the first verse. Roots represent the origin or the source. If the branches declare their independence from the root, the tree collapses. Similarly, a person who thinks that he is the body-mind-complex and forgets his connection to the Atman, he is deluded. The one who is not deluded, maintains his connection to the root – he understands that whatever he does, is powered by the Atman. Every action is an act of worship for him. For him, the line of demarcation between secular and spiritual disappears.To him, his entire life is a divine act. He lives his life like the mantra in Rigveda which means: “Let every thought become a meditation, let every word become a mantra, let every action become an act of worship, let every travel become a pilgrimage, let every movement become a circumambulation around the deity, and let the whole life become an offering to God.”20th verse: “I have now talked to you about this secret knowledge, which requires higher intuitive power to grasp.”To summarize, the purpose of the 15th chapter is to understand the true nature of Purushottama, and the impermanence of this material world.

Title: Expressions of the Divine15th Chapter: Verses 12, 13, 14, 1512th12th verse: “There is one all-pervading, immanent, omnipresent, and supreme divine reality which is the Atman. This Atman is the divine light that is present in every being. The light that is in the sun, in the moon and in the fire – that light is nothing but the light of the Atman.”Our creativity and our ability to think and work are all expressions of this divine principle. Just as electricity manifests in different ways depending on the gadget it powers, similarly, our skills are like outer shells that manifest this divine principle.In whatever profession one may be, if that person reaches a level of human excellence – that perfection is a spark of the divinity within him.Wherever we find a super abundance of serenity, spiritual wisdom, intuitive power and human qualities such as sacrifice – all these are expressions of the divine.We can manifest this divinity through spiritual practices such as Yama and Niyama in Vedanta or Ashtanga Yoga in Buddhism. Then our mind becomes pure and reflects this divinity in more effulgence like a pure mirror.Lord Krishna says: “This light comes from Me.” “Me” here does not refer to Lord Krishna as a human being. It refers to Atman.13th verse: “This divine principle, which enters the earth, enlivens everything. When we look around in nature, we see trees, mountains, valleys, water, plants, food grains – these are all expressions of the divine.”Nature is not meant for our exploitation. We are all visitors on this mother earth. Vedic mantras emphasize harmony and balance of nature. Let the earth, clouds, skies, plants, trees and the entire cosmos remain pure, undisturbed, and in perpetual peace and harmony.Satyam means truth. A person will not deviate from the path of harmony if he practices truthfulness and feels content.Ritm is the central principle of inherent harmony that exists in nature.Dharma refers to the ethical and moral principles through which one practices Satyam. For example, it is immoral to pollute the earth and therefore against Dharma.14th verse: “It is this divine principle that resides in every being, eats and digests the food, and nourishes the body.”There are four types of food referred to in this verse – food that we chew, that we drink, that we swallow and foods such as ice-cream that belong to the first three categories. The divine principle manifests as the digestive faculty in the human body.Even the act of preparing and eating food is divine. Every secular activity can be given a spiritual orientation – as we evolve spiritually, the line of demarcation between secular and spiritual disappears.We can think of our entire life as a divine act. There is a mantra in Rigveda which means: “Let every thought become a meditation, let every word become a mantra, let every action become an act of worship, let every travel become a pilgrimage, let every movement become a circumambulation around the deity, and let the whole life become an offering to God.”15th verse: “This divine principle is present as the indweller in every living being in this world. It manifests as memory, knowledge, ignorance and forgetfulness.”The ability to forget and to be blissfully unaware in ignorance is also a gift from God. Without the ability to forget no one can live in this world.The highest advaitic experience cannot be explained. It can only be experienced. The mahavakya “Aham Brahmasmi” – as an expression is not non-dualistic; it represents only the penultimate state; in its experience dimension it is non-dualistic.The language of duality is verbosity; the language of the infinite non-dual experience is silence. The role of the scriptures is to remove the wrong notions that are in our mind.

Title: Atman – The Light of all Lights15th Chapter: Verses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 1510th verse: “In this body, there are physical senses. There is a perceiver who uses these senses to perceive sense objects. Those who are deluded equate that perceiver to the body-mind complex. Those who are enlightened see him as separate and as the real perceiver.”Those who identify with the physical body continue with the transmigratory cycle of birth, old age, death and rebirth. The 10th verse should be understood in the context of the law of karma and the law of incarnation. According to the law of karma, our actions produce two types of results – one that is visible and immediate, another that is invisible. For example, if we help a person, the other person benefits (visible result). But we ourselves feel “I did something sensible” – this is the invisible result, which is stored in our Antahkarana as samskara. We collect these tendencies in our Antahkarana through actions involving the senses and the mind. We are born with the baggage of past samskaras (tendencies) – we cannot disown them.There are two ways of looking upon our experiences. The first is a worldly view where we think: “I (body-mind-complex) is doing this.” Second, a spiritually evolved view, where we think: “There is something within me for whom this body-mind-complex is an instrument.” The soul continues its transmigratory cycle until the wrong notion is gone.Those who are enlightened understand that the soul (the primary and the owner) has a body. Those who are not enlightened, their understanding is that the body (the primary and the owner) has a soul.11th verse: “Those who are not endowed with the power of discerning wisdom identify with the physical body and empirical experiences. They enjoy and suffer. They deceive themselves by wanting a continuing succession of happy experiences. Those endowed with spiritual wisdom look upon happiness and unhappiness with the same equanimity of mind.”We cannot have continuous happiness. For example, when our profits go down, we compare to the previous profit level and become unhappy – so decreasing happiness can make us unhappy. The way to be happy is to stop the pursuit of happiness all the time.12th verse: “There is one all-pervading, immanent, omnipresent and supreme reality which is the Atman. This Atman is the divine light that is present in every being. The light that is in the sun, in the moon and in the fire – that light is nothing but the light of the Atman.”Everything - living beings and non-living things such as stones - are all pervaded by this light. Living beings have an antahkarana which acts as the reflecting medium for this light to manifest. Non-living things do not have an antahkarana.By doing good actions, we can manifest this light. The degree of manifestation of this eternal reality depends on the purity of the person’s mind. Swami Vivekananda said that the difference between an amoeba and a Buddha is only of degrees, not of kind. Buddha is like the clean mirror, in whom the presence of the lord manifests in His full effulgence.The 12th verse compares this divine presence to light. The idea of light comes from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad where King Janaka asked Sage Yajnavalkya: “Endowed with what light does a person live in this world”. The first answer was sunlight. As each option provided in previous answers was eliminated, subsequent answers were moonlight, agni, and sound. When all four of these options were eliminated, the final answer was Atma-Jyoti, which is in all of us and that is self-revealing. It is the light of all lights - that enables all other lights, such as sunlight, moonlight, agni to function.Lord Krishna says: “This light comes from Me.” “Me” here does not refer to Lord Krishna as a human being. It refers to Atman. A person becomes spiritually enlightened when this light manifests in its full effulgence. This is what happened to Buddha. In his journey, 543 previous life cycles were replayed – he de-identified with all life cycles. He realized his real essence is the Atman.13th verse: “This light, which enters the earth, enlivens everything.”When we sow a seed in fertile soil, it sprouts, then becomes a plant and then a tree. It is the gradual evolution of this light which is already present in the seed.14th verse: “It is this light that resides in every being, eats and digests the food, and nourishes the body.”15th verse: “This light is present as the indweller in every living being in this world. It manifests as memory, knowledge, ignorance and forgetfulness.”Everything in this world – good, bad, indifference – all come from the same source, this divine light. Just as electricity manifests in different ways depending on the gadget it powers, similarly, everything in this world is a different manifestation of the same divine light.The human body should be cared for – it acts as an instrument to undertake spiritual practices, manifest this light, and take us beyond the body.

15th Chapter: Verses 8, 9, 10In the 15th chapter, the whole world is compared to the Ashvattha tree – the tree of life. Its roots are above and the branches are below. Roots represent the origin or the source which is the Atman. From this Atman, the empirical world, which is represented by the branches and leaves, evolves and moves downward. Only the Atman is eternal – the empirical world is non-eternal.The branches and leaves represent the continuous flow of samsara (empirical world) through human desires, actions and results. One can get out of the entanglement of samsara with the strong weapon of non-attachment.The Atman, as the source, is the root. Without it, the tree collapses. So, in the midst of our daily activities, we should remember the Atman, the source of everything.The purpose of this metaphor is to emphasize that the phenomenal world is unreal in the absolute sense. It is real only in the relative sense. Vedanta defines something as real if (1) it remains without change in the past, present and future (2) It is beyond time, space and causation and (3) it remains without change in waking, dream and deep sleep states.In an ocean, waves come and go, but the ocean remains the same. The waves are not unreal, but they are not permanent. They go back to the ocean and they are non-different from the ocean. Atman is like the ocean (permanent) and the phenomenal world is like the wave (impermanent and non-different from Atman).The idea that everything in the empirical world is impermanent translates into a matured outlook and level-headedness. We don’t have to get anxious when bad news comes our way because we won’t assign permanence to that impermanent event. The 15th chapter attempts to translate what we intellectually know into spiritual common sense.Gita ends with the verse: “Wherever the ideals of action and contemplation are present, there will be victory, prosperity, success and stability of life.” It emphasizes that we should do our actions with the efficiency of a king but combine it with the calmness and far-sightedness of a sage.In Gita, there is an evolution of the karma ideal from the 1st to the 18th chapter. Gita starts with Arjuna’s predicament towards a duty that he is expected to do, but that is unpleasant to him. Such conflict is only faced by an evolved soul. Conflict doesn’t exist for people in two categories: (1) Who become like Buddha (2) Who are spiritually no different than an animal. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that he is in self-delusion. If he runs away from his duties, his duties will chase him. In strong language, he calls him a hypocrite. He says that a person who is not willing to do his duty and takes refuge in higher philosophy as a pretext for not doing his duty - he's a hypocrite.Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna the ladder of evolution in Karma-Yoga. The first instruction is: do your work, whatever may be that work. It is better to do the work with a selfish motive than to remain inactive. At the next level, we begin to do the duty with spiritual values such as unselfishness, looking beyond tangible rewards. At the highest level, it becomes natural for us to do the duty with unselfishness. In the highest state, whatever we do, we do as an offering to God or for the good of others, with a sense of sanctity and sacredness – we are then able to combine action and contemplation in our life.When we do our work this way, we can put our whole mind to the work and our energy and concentration is not dissipated worrying about results.Karma theory is not fatalism. It is the opposite of fatalism. It says that we can modify our future by doing good actions. The divine is present in all of us. By doing good actions, we can manifest this divinity.The degree of manifestation of this eternal reality depends on the purity of the person’s mind. Swami Vivekananda said that the difference between an amoeba and a Buddha is only of degrees, not of kind. Buddha is like the clean mirror, in whom the presence of the lord manifests in His full effulgence.The central thesis of Swami Vivekananda’s teaching is: “For the good of the world and for one’s own spiritual enlightenment.” We should learn Sri Ramakrishna teachings through Swami Vivekananda. Whatever Swami Vivekananda taught came from Sri Ramakrishna.The 8th verse discusses transmigration of the soul. It says: “When this body is destroyed, the soul within is not destroyed. It leaves the body behind and acquires a new body taking with it the senses and the mind, just like the wind carries the scent away with it.”We are born with the baggage of past samskaras (tendencies) – we cannot disown them. We collect these tendencies in our Antahkarana through actions involving the senses and the mind. When the body is cremated, the physical senses are gone, but the Antahkarana is retained. It accompanies the soul when it takes a new body.The 9th and 10th verses say: “In this body, there are physical senses. There is a perceiver who uses these senses to perceive sense objects. Those who are deluded equate that perceiver to the body-mind complex. Those who are enlightened see him as separate and as the real perceiver.”

Title: The Weapon of Non-Attachment15th Chapter: Verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8In the first verse, the whole world is compared to the Ashvattha tree – the tree of life. Its roots are above and the branches are below. Roots represent the origin or the source which is the Atman. From this Atman, the empirical world, which is represented by the branches and leaves, evolves and moves downward. Only the Atman is eternal – the empirical world is non-eternal.The branches and leaves represent the continuous flow of samsara (empirical world) through human desires, actions and results. The Atman, as the source, is the root. Without it, the tree collapses. So, in the midst of our daily activities, we should remember the Atman, the source of everything.The 3rd verse states that no one knows the true nature of this tree. It has no beginning and no end. One can get out of the entanglement of samsara with the strong weapon of non-attachment (asaṅga-śhastreṇa).When we do our actions without being attached, then our life becomes enjoyable. We are no longer imprisoned by the results of our actions. Mahatma Gandhi practiced Anasakti-Yoga. He led a life of action, but he was not attached to results.The 4th verse says that those who are spiritually evolved develop an inquiry into something higher – they go in the search for the transcendental. It gives them a higher purpose in life. The moment we develop this higher goal, we begin our journey to get out of the wheel of samsara. Upon reaching the goal, the transmigratory cycle comes to an end – we become one with the divine. This should be understood in the context of the law of karma and the law of incarnation.The realization of the imperfections of worldly enjoyments brings about the pursuit of something higher and transcendental. This divine discontent is called Parinama Dukha, and it is the springboard of spiritual wisdom.The ultimate purpose of human life is to transcend the empirical world and realize our true identity as the Atman. Kathopanishad explains the evolution of this quest for the transcendental with Nachiketa’s story. Nachiketa asks Yama for three boons: (1) Let my father not scold me when I return (2) Teach me rituals to get to heaven and (3) Teach me the reality beyond death. Yama then teaches Nachiketa how to transcend our physical identity and realize our true nature as the Atman.The 5th verse explains the weapon of non-attachment. Essentially it says that we should do our duty with full focus but not be enslaved by desires. “Those who are detached, who are free from entanglement of worldly objects, who have a higher ideal in life, who are free from desires – they are liberated and dwell in the awareness that they are not the physical body.”To understand the 5th, 6th and 7th verse, it is important to understand the 8th verse. It says: “When this body is destroyed, the soul within is not destroyed. It leaves the body behind and acquires a new body taking with it the senses and the mind, just like the wind carries the scent away with it.”We are born with the baggage of past samskaras (tendencies) – we cannot disown them. We collect these tendencies in our Antahkarana through actions involving the senses and the mind. When the body is cremated, the physical senses are gone, but the Antahkarana is retained. It accompanies the soul when it takes a new body. In spiritual life, we are all individual travelers. Just like someone traveling in a train meets other travelers – similarly, it is an accidental meeting with our near and dear ones in this life. Our journey comes to an end when we experience and realize our true identity as the Atman.6th verse: “This Atman is neither understood nor perceived as we perceive empirical objects. It is not illuminated by the sun, the moon or the fire. It is to be realized as our own true self by turning our inquiry inward. Then we realize that we are not the physical body which comes and goes.”7th verse: “A portion of the eternal reality lives in every living being, from the amoeba to the Buddha.” The spiritual oneness of existence is emphasized in this verse.The degree of manifestation of this eternal reality depends on the purity of the person’s mind. Swami Vivekananda said that the difference between an amoeba and a Buddha is only of degrees, not of kind. Buddha is like the clean mirror, in whom the presence of the lord manifests in His full effulgence.

Title: The Nature of the Empirical World15th Chapter: Verses 1, 2In previous chapters of Gita, various methods of spiritual practices are discussed, such as the path of bhakti, the path of karma yoga, the path of dhyana yoga, the path of jnanam, and the path of transcending the three gunas. One essential characteristic in all these paths is that the seeker should develop detachment towards worldly enjoyments. For that, it is important to understand what constitutes the world.Matter, energy, mind and time constitute the empirical world. This empirical world is explained by imagery in the 1st verse.In the first verse, the whole world is compared to the Ashvattha tree – the tree of life. Its roots are above and the branches are below. Roots represent the origin or the source which is the Atman. From this Atman, the empirical world, which is represented by the branches and leaves, evolves and moves downward. Only the Atman is eternal – the empirical world is non-eternal.The verse says that the leaves are the ritualistic portion of the vedas, where one performs rituals with the purpose of some empirical gain. Leaves represent the continuous flow of samsara (empirical world) through human desires, actions and results.Vedanta defines something as real if (1) it remains without change in the past, present and future (2) It is beyond time, space and causation and (3) it remains without change in waking, dream and deep sleep states.According to the commentary on the 3rd verse, this world is non-eternal – it is something that you see now, and which is gone the next moment (drashta-nashta). What we see in a dream seems real in the dream – we realize it is not real when we come out of the dream. Similarly, worldly enjoyments seem real at the empirical plane, but are unreal from the view of absolute reality in Vedanta.Various examples are cited in Vedanta to illustrate the mithya nature of this world. In a desert, from a distance, we see a pool of water. We realize later, that in reality, it is a continuous expansion of sand. The water was only an imagination. Small children may imagine a city in the celestial regions or a flower garden in the sky. Their father tells them that it is not real. Similarly, from the absolute point of view, this world is not real.Maya really does not exist. The wrong notion, that Maya exists, disappears when we realize that Atman is the absolute reality. In the rope snake analogy, the snake exists only as an idea, and it goes away when light is brought to the room.If we keep in mind that everything that we seek in this world, including human relations, are not eternal – it gives us transcendental wisdom and level headedness.The whole Gita is about how to live in this world without being worldly minded. Gita starts with Arjuna’s predicament towards a duty that he is expected to do, but that is unpleasant to him. The same Arjuna says in the 73rd verse of the 18th chapter: “By your grace, all my doubts are gone. I shall act according to your instructions.”2nd verse: “The branches, leaves and fruits are below the root in this imagery of the tree. They are nurtured by the three gunas – sattva guna, rajo guna and tamo guna – which constitute our worldly life. They drive human emotional drives and activities.”The Atman, as the source, is the root. Without it, the tree collapses. So, in the midst of our daily activities, we should remember the Atman, the source of everything. This can be done with spiritual practices such as yamas and niyamas. When we undertake these practices, we can detach from our desires and remember the root (Atman).Every action which is done other than as yajna binds us to this world. The practical message of Gita is about doing our duty as swadharma, as yajna. Then our actions do not bind us, they liberate us.When we carry a heavy weight on our head, we feel it. However, if a one-millimeter gap is created between the head and the weight, we do not feel it at all. When we perform actions as yajna, it is like creating the one-millimeter gap, where we are detached from the results of the actions. We do the actions with a sense of sanctity and sacredness and for the good of others. Mahatma Gandhi led a life of action, but he was not attached to results.

Title: Characteristics of a Guṇātita14th Chapter: Verses 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27Our temperaments are determined by a combination of the three gunas – sattva guna, rajo guna and tamo guna. Sattva guna is the highest and most sublime. It manifests itself as wisdom and serenity. Rajo guna manifests itself as dynamism and ambition. Tamo guna manifests itself as laziness and delusion.Highest spiritual evolution happens when we transcend the three gunas. Such a person is called Guṇātita. This is a state similar to Nirvana in Buddhism and that of Stitha-prajna in the 2nd chapter of the Gita.Being established in sattva guna is not enough as there is a risk of descending down to rajo guna by the force of circumstances. Guṇātita is a state where there is no birth, no old age or sickness, and no death. He realizes his true identity as the Atman.In the 21st verse, Arjuna asks: “What are the characteristics and signs of this Guṇātita, the one who has transcended the three gunas? How does such a person act and behave? How does one understand that he has gone beyond the three gunas?In the 22nd to 25th verses, Lord Krishna gives a list of the essential characteristics of a Guṇātita. He lives in the world, is active and does all his duties, but remains serene and detached. He does not identify himself as involved in the action. He is established in the state of witness to his own actions. He remains in a state of perfect equanimity – not overjoyed when things are going well and not disturbed in unpleasant situations. He remains the same when talking to a friend or enemy and whether is honored or dishonored. He transcends the pairs of opposites.Shankaracharya says that in spiritual literature, whenever a list of characteristics of a spiritually enlightened person is provided, there is only one purpose. These characteristics constitute the road by which we should travel to reach the goal that the enlightened person has reached. Any spiritual practice that we undertake to travel this road is never lost as described in the 6th chapter.In the 6th chapter, Arjuna asks: “Suppose a person is making an earnest effort in spiritual practices but fails to attain perfection. What happens to such a person?” In answer to Arjuna’s questions, Lord Krishna says that the spiritual effort is never lost. It is like a seed that has been sowed and will sprout in a future life cycle. The person will be born again with the positive samskaras and these samskaras will force him to continue his spiritual journey in next life.26th verse: “Those who practice this devotion to God with concentration, they transcend the three gunas and become one with Brahman.”Spiritual progress requires both human effort and God’s grace. The latter is of no value until one is ready. The soil should be fertile for the seed to sprout. When we do noble activities or try to practice the characteristics of a spiritually enlightened person, we are making ourselves ready for God’s grace. We should first read about great ideas and contemplate on them (jnanam). Then we should imbibe them and make them part of our lives (vijnanam).27th verse: “Those who with full one-pointed concentration attain the Atman, which is eternal and immortal, they attain eternal happiness and bliss. They become established in śhāśhvatasya dharmasya, eternal spiritual values.”śhāśhvatasya dharmasya is a set of great spiritual qualities as described in the characteristics of a bhakta in the 12th chapter and as described in daivi-sampat in the 16th chapter. In Gita, there are various references to the characteristics of the person who has reached the highest state of spiritual evolution, such as Yogi, Guṇātita, Bhakta, Jnani. These characteristics are of the same personality, who has reached the highest level evolving through different channels. In the 12th chapter, Lord Krishna describes eleven characteristics of an ideal devotee who is dear to him: (1) He does not have animosity or ill-feeling towards anyone (2) He is a friend of everyone (3) He is sympathetic towards everyone (4) He is free from ideas of possession (5) He looks upon happiness and unhappiness with equanimity of mind (6) He is forgiving (7) He is contented (8) He is always connected with the divine (9) He is self-controlled (10) He is strong-willed in pursuing his ideal (11) His mind and intellect are fixed on God. These are examples of śhāśhvatasya dharmasya – eternal spiritual values.On friendliness, there is a discussion in one of the scriptures on who is one’s best friend. Two options are given: (1) One who is compassionate and helpful in need (2) Second, who is happy when you are happy and when you don’t need his help. The scripture says that the second is a truer friend. There is a possibility that the first one may not be happy in your happiness as he may begin to enjoy your dependence on him.In the 16th chapter, Lord Krishna provides 26 characteristics of people endowed with divine wealth (daivi-sampat). Examples of such characteristics are fearlessness, purity, steadfastness, control of senses, interest in scriptures, practice of non-violence, compassion, modesty and absence of pride. These are examples of śhāśhvatasya dharmasya – eternal spiritual values.In the Bhagavata Purana, there is a dialog between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The one who sees the presence of God in all beings, and who sees the presence of all beings in God. “

14th Chapter: Verses 20, 21, 22Our temperaments are determined by a combination of the three gunas – sattva guna, rajo guna and tamo guna. Sattva guna is the highest and most sublime. It manifests itself as wisdom and serenity. Rajo guna manifests itself as dynamism and ambition. Tamo guna manifests itself as laziness and delusion.20th verse: “Highest spiritual evolution happens when we transcend the three gunas. Such a person is called Guṇātita. He reaches a state where there is no birth, no old age or sickness, and no death. He realizes his true identity as the Atman, which is never born, which never dies, which is not subjected to changes and which is all-pervading. He attains immortality (amṛitam).”Those who are endowed with sattva guna, they will be able to realize that human beings are not just a body-mind complex. There is something beyond that. Our real identity is as Atman. When we realize this true identity, we can transcend the three gunas. Then the gunas will be tools in our hands, not vice versa.Gita asks us to strive to transcend all the three gunas. Being established in sattva guna is not enough as there is a risk of descending down to rajo guna by the force of circumstances. To transcend the three gunas, we have to get established in sattva guna which promotes physical and emotional well-being and helps us make proper use of rajo guna.The difference between a Guṇātita and the one established in sattva guna is this. The one with sattva guna has the risk of descending down to a level where rajo guna becomes predominant. The Guṇātita may come down to the level of sattva guna, but never to the level to rajo guna or tamo guna.We attain immortality, not in the physical sense, but by realizing our true nature. One cannot transcend death at the physical level. When we realize our true nature and its immortal dimension, we transcend death. We realize that the body is just a cage or instrument for the Atman to manifest. We realize that everything at the empirical level is non-eternal, there is something beyond that is eternal. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has a profound dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi on the topic of immortality.In the 21st verse, Arjuna asks: “What are the characteristics and signs of this Guṇātita, the one who has transcended the three gunas? How does such a person act and behave? How does one understand that he has gone beyond the three gunas?”Gunas are not visible and cannot be physically verified. We can infer which guna is predominant in a person by observing his external temperament. For example, if a person is active but with a sense of serenity and wisdom, we can infer that he is endowed with sattva guna.We can transform our own personality. We have to understand where we stand and start climbing the ladder from tamo guna to rajo guna to sattva guna. If we are lazy, we should first become active to develop rajo guna. If we are active, we should listen to higher ideas or do noble actions which generate sattva guna.In Gita, there are various references to the characteristics of the person who has reached the highest state of spiritual evolution, such as Yogi, Guṇātita, Bhakta, Jnani. These characteristics are of the same personality, who has reached the highest level evolving through different channels. Guṇātita has a number of faculties, he is very efficient, but he is absolutely calm. A bhakta thinks that whatever he does is God’s will, so he remains calm. A Yogi does all his actions as duty without any selfish ambitions, so he remains calm.In the 22nd verse, Lord Krishna says that the person who has transcended the three gunas (Guṇātita), he may be active but remains serene and detached. Even when active he thinks, “My body and senses are involved in the activity. As Atman, which is my true self, I am detached from the activity.”Mahatma Gandhi led a life of action, but he was not attached to results. He considered Gita as his mother.If our true nature is that of a mukta, why be in the pursuit of being a jivan-mukta? Yes, it is true that our true nature is that we are mukta. Due to Maya, we superimpose the body mind complex on our true nature. However, just by reading a statement such as Tat-tvam-asi we do not become Jivan mukta. We have to start the journey from where we stand and undertake spiritual practices to become liberated.In Vedantic philosophy, there are two approaches that explain how this liberation actually takes place. According to one school, if one is spiritually fit, and his mind is fully ready to realize the identity with Brahman, a simple statement such as Tat-tvam-asi from the teacher is enough. Upon hearing this expression, immediately he will realize its true meaning and his identity with Brahman (Shabda-aparoksha-vada). Others will take more time for such realization and will have to pursue spiritual practices.Vedanta prescribes four-fold spiritual disciplines called sadhana chatusthaya to become fit for spiritual enquiry. The four disciplines are: (1) a proper understanding of what is real and what isn't real (2) a sincere renunciation of worldly desires (3) self-restraint and control of the senses and mind (4) a strong urge for spiritual liberation. Nitya anitya vastu viveka Ihāmutra phala bhoga virāga Śamādi ṣatka sampatti Mumukṣutvam. And after one becomes desirous of spiritual pursuit, there are three additional disciplines he should pursue. He should listen to spiritual instructions, focus on their meaning and finally he should meditate and realize their meaning. It is called Sravana, Manana, Nididhyāsana.Maya manifests in two ways. Vidya-Maya, which creates the desire to do good deeds and liberates us. Avidya-Maya, which creates the desire for selfish deeds and binds us.

14th Chapter: Verses 18, 19, 20Our temperaments are determined by a combination of the three gunas – sattva guna, rajo guna and tamo guna. Sattva guna is the highest and most sublime. It manifests itself as wisdom and serenity. Rajo guna manifests itself as dynamism and ambition. Tamo guna manifests itself as laziness and delusion.Gunas are not visible and cannot be physically verified. We can infer which guna is predominant in a person by observing his external temperament.Of these three gunas, Sattva guna is the most refined. If a person has dynamism combined with a sense of serenity and wisdom, he is endowed with sattva guna. He can concentrate, and direct his time and skills in one direction. Sattva guna manifests as strength combined with humility, richness combined with generosity and so on.A person endowed with sattva guna does his work as swadharma, as a way to properly stay active. Swadharma is our natural way of work that we feel perfect harmony with. When we do our work as Swadharma, we derive inner contentment and do not feel tired from the work.A person endowed with sattva guna is active, but for the good of others and with no attachment. He is not opposed to rajo guna, but he is not bound by rajo guna. Spiritual giants such as Shankaracharya, St. Teresa of Avila, Buddha and Christ were endowed with sattva guna and were always active. They worked only for the good of others.One drawback of sattva guna is that it can lead to spiritual pride. There is also the risk of descending down to a level where rajo guna becomes predominant. This can be remedied by staying detached and doing the work as swadharma.Greed, craving, hyper activism, and restlessness prevail in a person predominated by rajo guna. A person endowed with rajo guna always has a new desire and he directs his actions towards realization of that desire. Such desires have no end. Such a person can also have delusions of grandeur – a consequence of the person having a high opinion of himself.The predominance of rajo guna in humans and civilizations can lead to great creativity and commerce. However, it can also lead to bad outcomes such as colonization.Rajo guna is necessary, but it should be guided and restrained by sattva guna, as was done by Rajarshis (philosopher kings). Human civilization will not survive if there was only rajo guna without sattva guna.In a rajarshi (philosopher king) – the philosopher/sage aspect comes sattva guna and the kingly aspect comes from rajo guna. As a king, he has power, wealth and status. As a sage, he can see far into things - he understands both the merits and limitations of power, wealth and status.Ignorance, laziness, negligence and delusion prevail in a person predominated by tamo guna. Such a person is deluded and interprets the right as wrong and wrong as right. Political anarchism prevailed in some countries due to such inversion of ideas.Gita asks us to strive to transcend all the three gunas. Being established in sattva guna is not enough as there is a risk of descending down to rajo guna by the force of circumstances. To transcend the three gunas, we have to get established in sattva guna which promotes physical and emotional well-being and helps us make proper use of rajo guna.18th verse: “Those with sattva guna evolve upwards – they go to the realm of angels and devas. Those with rajo guna remain in the same state. Those with tamo guna descend to lower levels. “19th and 20th verse: “Those who are endowed with sattva guna, they will be able to realize that human being is not a just a body mind complex. There is something beyond that. The three gunas are linked to all our actions and thoughts. Our real identity is as Atman. When we realize this true identity, we can transcend the three gunas. Then the gunas will be tools in our hands, not vice versa.”We will then be able to attain immortality, not in the physical sense, but by realizing our true nature. One cannot transcend death at the physical level. When we realize our true nature and its immortal dimension, we transcend death. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has a profound dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi on the topic of immortality.In the 20th verse, Lord Krishna says that when we transcend the three gunas, we reach a state where there is no birth, no old age or sickness, and no death. We realize that we are the Atman, which is never born, which never dies, which is not subjected to changes and which is all-pervading. This is what is meant by attaining immortality.The concept of the three gunas can also be applied to food. Food that agitates the mind is rajasic. Food that gives us serenity is sattvic. And food that makes us sleep and creates confusion is tamasic.