Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

Title: Effects of the Three Gunas14th Chapter: Verses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15; 6th chapter verses 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42Our 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, healthy and good. However, even Sattva guna binds, as the person endowed with sattva guna feels attached to sukha – he has a natural tendency to seek inner serenity and poise.10th verse: “In a person who is serene, detached and contented, sattva guna dominates. Rajo guna and tamo guna are almost non-functional. In such a person, laziness and confusion, which are manifestations of tamo guna, disappear. Similarly, hyperactive nature, manifestation of rajo guna, disappears.”The 11th verse refers to the five senses of perception, five senses of action, mind and intellect as the doors of the body, or the instruments through which one acts. A person endowed with sattva guna is able to restrain all these instruments of action – in him, these doors are illumined by light which represents serenity, wisdom and insight. He has a sense of inner fulfillment and contentment.12th and 13th verses: “Greed, craving, hyper activism, and restlessness prevail in a person predominated by rajo guna. Ignorance, laziness, negligence and delusion prevail in a person predominated by tamo guna.”Vyasa in Patanjali Yoga Sutras classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull) (3) Vikshipta (partially focused) (4) Ekagra (one-pointed) (5) Niruddha (fully focused). The first two are manifestations of tamo guna, viskhipta is manifestation of rajo guna, and ekagra is manifestation of sattva guna. In niruddha state, one transcends all the three gunas.The characteristics describes in the 12th and the 13th verses have parallels to the nine antarayas describes in Patanjali Yoga Sutras. Antaraya means obstacles to spiritual growth. Patanjali refers to the following obstacles, which cause the mind to wander - Disease, mental laziness, doubt, lack of interest, sloth, clinging to sense pleasures, false perception, lack of concentration, and unsteadiness in concentration.14th verse: “If a person dies when sattva guna is predominant, he goes to higher regions and stays with higher beings. Later, he is born in a surrounding where he can continue his spiritual journey.”15th verse: “If a person dies when rajo guna is predominant, he is born among people who are hyper-active. If a person does when tamo guna is predominant, he is born among the lower species.”At death, even though our senses of perception and action are gone, the tendencies that they created are stored in the Antahkarana (mind, intellect, memory and ego). These stored tendencies in the Antahkarana are never lost and are born again.In the 6th chapter, in the 37th, 38th and 39th verse, Arjuna asks: “Suppose a person is endowed with shraddha and is making an earnest effort to control his mind. Yet, he fails to attain perfection. What happens to such a person? “In answer to Arjuna’s questions, Lord Krishna says that the one who is desirous of entering the path of Yoga, will be born in a pure and prosperous family, where his parents are spiritually oriented, and where his unfulfilled desires can be fulfilled. The one who is advanced and has entered the path of spiritual life, will be born in a family that has a tradition of producing great spiritual aspirants.Bhagavata Purana is the story of King Parikshit who has seven days left to live because of a curse. The entire Purana is a response to his question to Sage Suka – “What should a dying man do? How should he live the rest of his life?” Suka says: “One should be able to live life in such a way that he can leave the body with a smile on his face and with holy thought in his mind.” One is able to depart in such a manner only if sattva guna predominates in him.

Title: The Bondage of the Three Gunas 14th Chapter: Verses 6, 7, 8, 9Our 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.The 6th verse of the 14th chapter says: “Of these three gunas, Sattva guna is luminous, healthy and good. However, even Sattva guna binds you. Ultimate supreme goal is to go beyond all three gunas.”Those endowed with sattva guna have a natural tendency to know things. They enjoy the quest for knowledge. A person endowed with sattva guna is active, but for the good of others. He is not opposed to rajo guna, but he is not bound by rajo guna. Along with action, he displays wisdom and level-headedness.In a rajarshi (philosopher king) – the philosophical aspect comes sattva guna and the kingly aspect comes from rajo guna.There is a degree of imperfection even in sattva guna, as it can lead to invisible bondage when one can feel attached to manifestations of this guna such as the quest for knowledge.7th verse: “Rajo guna is of the nature of extreme likes and dislikes, extreme attachment and aversion. It leads to bondage by attachment to action.”Trishna in Buddhism refers to thirst or desire. It is not ordinary desire. When one is thirsty, he may go to any extremes to get water. This attitude is natural for those endowed with rajo guna.While rajo guna is superior to tamo guna, it is not of the highest type. A man endowed with rajo guna will not be able to find fulfillment in his life, as his mind is divided into two extreme thought currents.8th verse: “Tamo guna is caused by ignorance and delusion. It binds one through laziness.” Ignorance here does not mean absence of information. It means ignorance of higher values and our true nature. Along with that comes delusion.Vyasa in Patanjali Yoga Sutras classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull) (3) Vikshipta (partially focused) (4) Ekagra (one-pointed) (5) Niruddha (fully focused).Most beginners are in the third stage, where the mind sways like a pendulum. There are two portions of the mind at play. One portion is friendly and may say: “Let me start meditation or reading a good book with higher ideas.” The other portion is unfriendly and wants to procrastinate. A person with such a mind is endowed with lot of rajo guna. He has some sattva guna as well – that’s why he feels like meditation of learning about higher ideas. When he starts the activity, tamo guna comes into play and procrastinates.In Ekagra state, rajo guna decreases and sattva guna increases. In Niruddha state, one transcends all the three gunas.Spiritual life is about coming face to face with our own mind. When we try to turn the mind away from the pulls of nature, the mind revolts.We should slowly withdraw the mind from conflicting thought currents by directing it towards positive channels, by feeding it good food. We should start by doing some noble, unselfish deeds. Such actions generate spiritual energy that helps the mind evolve and become friendly. The existing storehouse of negative samskaras has to be nullified with a new storehouse of positive samskaras. Then the mind starts becoming friendly. Spiritual growth is achieved by constant practice and by one’s own self effort.9th verse: “A person endowed with sattva guna is bound to higher ideas and happiness. A person endowed with rajo guna is bound to action and ambition. A person endowed with tamo guna is bound to delusion and inaction.”The ultimate goal is to go beyond all three gunas, as they all cause bondage Then we will be guided by sattva guna and we will use rajo guna for the good of others.One has to understand where he stands and start climbing the ladder from tamo guna to rajo guna to sattva guna. If one is lazy, he should first become active with a purpose, even if that purpose is selfish. He would then have boarded the bus that will take him to his destination. The moving bus is rajo guna. Slowly, his selfishness will decrease and he attains sattva guna.

Title: The Secret of Plurality in Human Nature14th Chapter: Verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; 6th chapter 46th verseThe 14th chapter is important because it describes the secret of plurality in this world. There are many common factors such as the divine spark that is present in everyone. The plurality comes from the three gunas – sattva guna, rajo guna and tamo guna – which constitute the entire material world.Our 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.Sri Ramakrishna describes the three gunas with the story of three thieves. Three thieves ambush a traveler in a forest. The thief representing Tamo guna says: “Let’s kill him and take all his belongings.” The second thief representing Rajo guna says: “Let’s give him some blows and bind him to a tree.” The thief representing Sattva guna takes the traveler to the road and shows him the way to the village. He does not accompany him – he knows that he is a thief and can be caught by the police.The 6th verse of the 14th chapter says: “Of these three gunas, Sattva guna is luminous, healthy and good. However, even Sattva guna binds you. Ultimate supreme goal is to go beyond all three gunas.”Shankaracharya says in his commentary on the 6th verse that sattva guna is harmless. It is like a brilliant, stainless crustal. However, even for a man of sattva guna, any kind of ambition that leads to temporary happiness, may lead to invisible bondage. There is a degree of imperfection even in sattva guna. The ultimate goal is to go beyond all three gunas. However, one cannot do so without attaining sattva guna.1st verse: “I am going to discuss the supreme knowledge, which is a proper understanding of what is real and what is unreal, what is eternal and what is non-eternal, and what is matter and what is the ultimate reality.”In our life, we are manipulated by matter - the three gunas - which is not eternal. We should go beyond matter. We should stop looking for happiness all the time. “Perpetual happiness is unrealistic and a delusion.” – Once this becomes a part of our emotional system, it gives us level-headedness.2nd verse: “A proper understanding of what is the body-mind complex and what is the unchanging divine spark, helps us to go beyond the transmigratory cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. Ultimately, it helps us become one with Brahman.”Most of the problems that we face in life are due to our wrong association with the body and the mind. When we can be a witness to our own mind, our own thoughts, then we can objectify our worries; then they cease to be worries. Worry is an unintelligent way of responding to a situation.3rd and 4th verses: “The cosmic mind of emotions, feelings and thoughts – when it gets associated with the divine spark, then creation happens. When the two get disassociated, dissolution happens.”These verses express cosmic evolution and dissolution in a human way by comparing to human birth. The feelings that we experience in our daily lives do not happen by themselves. They become active by association with the divine spark.5th verse: “The three gunas bind us to this world. Our true identity is the divine spark. We get bound because we identify with the three gunas.”One has to understand where he stands and start climbing the ladder from tamo guna to rajo guna to sattva guna. This is the advice Lord Krishna gives to Arjuna in the GIta. He first asks him to become active and evolve from tamo guna to rajo guna.In the Gita, Lord Krishna also says: “Don’t teach karma yoga to a person who is inactive or lazy. He should first become ambitious and active with a purpose. He first has to evolve from tamo guna to rajo guna. Only then, he can get to sattva guna.”A person endowed with sattva guna is active, but for the good of others. He is not opposed to rajo guna, but he is not bound by rajo guna. Spiritual giants such as Buddha, Christ and Swami Vivekananda were endowed with sattva guna and were hyperactive. They worked only for the good of others.In a rajarshi (philosopher king) – the philosophical aspect comes sattva guna and the kingly aspect comes from rajo guna.The three gunas are not linked to the work one does. Rather, it is linked to the attitude with which one does the work. A person with sattva guna does even the most unpopular work with total dedication, humility, and inner contentment.Our ultimate objective is to go beyond all the three gunas. Then we will be guided by sattva guna and we will use rajo guna for the good of others.6th chapter, 46th verse: “This Yogi is superior to the Tapasvi (one who practices extreme asceticism), superior to the Jnani (one who is a mere scholar), and superior to the Karmi (one who follows rituals).”Scriptures, asceticism and rituals have their place in spiritual evolution. However, a seeker should not stop there. He should go beyond. After traveling some distance, he should have genuine inquisitiveness about the higher truth – that’s when his real spiritual journey starts.

Title: Summary of Thirteen ChaptersSummary of earlier chapters of Gita; introduction to 14th chapter55th through 72nd verses of the 2nd chapter of Gita discuss the characteristics of an enlightened person. The 26th chapter of Dhammapada also discusses similar characteristics.Such a person is not worried when there is a problem, and he is not over-joyed when somethingpleasant happens. He has no special admiration for others, nor does he hate anyone. This spiritualstability is an essential characteristic. He is contented, happy within, and has a deep sense of innerfulfillment. He identifies himself with the divinity within and feels oneness with other beings.The 4th chapter of Gita has a description of karma yoga. It describes how we can begin our spiritual journey any moment by bringing an element of spirituality into our everyday life.In the next few chapters, there are discussions of the highest philosophical concepts of Advaita.In the 12th chapter, Lord Krishna describes the characteristics of a devotee of God.In the 8th through 11th verses of the 12th chapter, Lord Krishna describes the spiritual journey of a seeker in descending order of evolution.8th verse: “You fix your mind and intellect on Me. Thereupon, you will always live in Me.”When we identify with a higher ideal, both mentally and intellectually, we live in that ideal and that ideal lives in us. This is the highest state of devotional evolution.For seekers who have not reached this highest state, Lord Krishna provides alternative options in the 9th - 11th verses.9th verse: “If you cannot fix your mind and intellect on Me, then you can reach the higher goal through Abhyasa-Yoga (uniting with God through repeated practice, such as Navadha Bhakti).”10th verse: “If you are incapable of doing Abhyasa-Yoga, then do all your work as My work.”To do Abhyasa-Yoga, we need a friendly mind. A beginner’s mind may not cooperate when he startsspiritual practices. This is due to karmic blocks or accumulated samskaras which make him act in acertain manner. Such a mind should be given healthy food first and turned into a friend. This can bedone by bringing spirituality to all secular work. How? By thinking that everything is God’s work. Then his mind will evolve to a stage where he can practice Abhyasa-Yoga.11th verse: “If you are unable to do your work as My work, then offer the fruits of your actions to Me.”For example, when one returns home after a day’s work, he can mentally say: “Whatever I have done today and its results, I leave it to God.” Slowly his old mind will disappear, and a new mind will take its place, enabling him to do his work as God’s work.In the 13th and 14th verse, Lord Krishna describes eleven characteristics of an ideal devotee. When speaking about the characteristics of a devotee, Lord Krishna does not mention rituals or going to a temple. He essentially says that all genuine devotees are good human beings.He says that the devotee who is dear to Him has the following characteristics. (1) He does not haveanimosity or ill-feeling towards anyone (2) He is a friend of everyone (3) He is sympathetic towardseveryone (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.The 13th chapter says that everything in this world is nothing but a combination of this divine spark and external elements.The 63rd and 67th verses of the 18th chapter of Gita describe the attitude of the teacher of Gita, Lord Krishna.In the 63rd verse, he says: “I have taught you this great spiritual truth. You analyze what I have taught you, use your own reasoning, and do what you want.” This verse emphasizes the importance of spiritual freedom and encourages one to think for oneself. It also indicates that we can only learn from a book or teacher what we deserve to learn, what our mind is ready to learn.In the 67th verse, Lord Krishna says: “Don’t ever discuss this subject with a person who does not have the mental purity, who has not practiced austerity, who is impolite, who is arrogant, who is jealous of his own teacher, and who is not ready to do good to anyone.” This verse emphasizes that to learn spiritual subjects, we must have a sense of sanctity and sacredness.The 14th chapter is important because it describes the secret of plurality in this world. There are many common factors such as the divine spark that is present in everyone. The plurality comes from the three gunas – sattva guna, rajo guna and tamo guna – which constitute the entire material world. Our 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.

Title: Practicing Detachment13th Chapter: Verses 29, 30, 31, 32; Summary of 2nd chapter29th verse: “A spiritual person realizes that all actions of the mind and body (thoughts, words and deeds) take place at the superficial or material level. Our true nature is Atman, which is unchanging and actionless. This Atman when joined with samskaras makes us do things.”30th verse: “A person who understands that the world of plurality that we experience is built upon one single point – he attains the highest realization.”All experiences that we have are expressions of the same divine spark in innumerable forms. Spirituality expands into the realm of everyday life. In the beginning, there is a line of demarcation between the secular and spiritual. As we evolve, the secular becomes spiritualized – the line of demarcation disappears. Work becomes an act of worship.We can start our spiritual journey at any moment in life. Karma Yoga is the art of doing all activities from a spiritual perspective. When we begin to do our actions as karma yoga, we board the bus for our spiritual destination. When Buddha saw old age, disease and death, and the serenity of a monk, he began his spiritual journey.31st verse: “The Atman is beginningless. It neither acts nor is attached.”In the 18th verse of the 4th chapter, Lord Krishna says: “One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is a Yogi.” He is (1) Buddhiman – wise person, who understands Swadharma (2) Yuktaha – a Yogi (3) Krtsna-Karmakrt – does everything with a smile, unattached.We should do our actions with full efficiency but stay detached from the results. Then we won’t have anxiety and mental fatigue from worrying about the results.32nd verse: This verse compares the Atman to space. Space is everywhere but it is not affected by anything. It remains detached but accommodates everything. Similarly, the Atman is present everywhere but remains unaffected.Gita begins with an invocation which in summary means: “O’ Mother Gita, I bow down to you who rain down blessings of the nectar of Advaita.”47th verse of the 2nd chapter says: “You have the right to action, but not to the results thereof. You should not be attached to inaction either.” Gita presents Swadharma as a way to stay properly active. Swadharma is our natural way of work and that we feel perfect harmony with. When we do our Swadharma, we derive inner contentment.Swami Trigunatitananda’s was a traveling monk before coming to the US. In 13 years, he built the old temple, shaped the Vedanta Society, built a printing press, preached across the city and inspired people to renounce. All along, he never felt he was doing anything.Gita ends with the verse: “Wherever the ideals of action and contemplation are present, there will be victory, prosperity, success and stability of life.”

13th Chapter: Verses 26, 27, 28, 2926th verse: “There is one supreme divine reality present in everything and everywhere. Everything in this world is nothing but a combination of this divine spark and external elements.27th verse: “Who is the wise person? The one who sees that there is one unchanging supreme reality in everything in this world, both perishable and imperishable.”When we evolve spiritually, we do not limit the presence of God to the temple. Everywhere, we feel the omnipresence of the divine. It is not a matter of philosophy – it is a matter of inner experience.Spirituality in its highest form is to see the divine everywhere. Its practical application is explained in some verses in the Bhagavata Purana – they emphasize spiritual humanism, and that existence is one from a spiritual perspective. When we understand this, we won’t harm anyone and won’t pollute nature.The verses from Bhagavata Purana are below:“I am present in everything that has come into existence. Anyone who neglects this truth and thinks that I am only present in a book or a place of worship, his worship is fake worship.”“I have built a temple for myself in the hearts of those who are pious, humble and pure, those who are humanistic and have compassion, those who understand that the divine is present everywhere.”“Those who perform elaborate rituals but who do not understand that I am present in everything that has come into existence, who look down upon other beings – their worship is not completely fruitful."28th verse: “The one who sees the same, unchanging, eternal reality present everywhere and in everything - such a person cannot harm anyone and attains the highest level of spiritual evolution.”Ahimsa (non-violence) is the most tangible sign of spirituality. It does not just mean doing anything violent. It means not thinking, speaking, and contemplating anything violent. Being established in Ahimsa is only possible when we see others as non-distinct from ourselves. Ahimsa is one of the ten spiritual disciplines emphasized in yamas and niyamas.You can be a good human being without affirming your faith in God. Swami Vivekananda said: “Live life in a way that even if you do not accept God, God will accept you.”29th verse: “A spiritual person realizes that all actions of the mind and body (thoughts, words and deeds) take place at the superficial or material level. Our true nature is Atman, which is unchanging and actionless. This Atman when joined with samskaras makes us do things.”A true spiritual person performs every action as a noble action. A noble action has two characteristics: First, it is done with full concentration, sanctity, and sacredness. Second, the person does not expect anything in return – he does everything as an act of worship.There is a practical relevance of this teaching. The problems that we face in our lives are due to our false identification with the impermanent psycho-physical mechanism. The moment we understand that we are higher than this psycho-physical mechanism, that our true nature is Atman, we can approach life with wisdom and level-headedness.In modern times, even successful people may suffer from anxiety. Material success alone does not give us happiness. Gita tells us: “you work hard, achieve what you want. But remember, all these things are impermanent.” This gives us a unique kind of level-headedness.Mahatma Gandhi led a life of action, but he was not attached to results. When we are non-attached and work for the good of humanity, our duty is no longer a burden. At the same time, it helps us grow spiritually.

13th Chapter: Verses 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29Verses 19-21 deal with the two fundamental categories of Samkhya philosophy. (1) Purusha, which is self-effulgent, eternal and inactive. (2) Prakriti, which is active, non-effulgent, and impermanent. The entire universe comes from Prakriti and exists in Prakriti.The problems that we face in our lives are due to our false identification with the impermanent psycho-physical mechanism. The moment we understand that we are higher than this psycho-physical mechanism, that our true nature is Purusha, we can approach life with wisdom and level-headedness.28th verse: “A spiritually enlightened person sees the same divine spark in all beings. He looks upon the whole creation as one entity. He recognizes the impermanent as impermanent and goes beyond the happiness and unhappiness equation – he achieves equanimity. Such a person cannot harm anyone.”Sri Ramakrishna felt this sameness, so it was natural for him to accept all faiths. From what standpoint did he see all religions as the same? It was from the realm of spiritual experience, not from the realm of the empirical. True non-violence, as described in the 28th verse, is also only possible at the spiritual level, when we see everyone as the same.Swami Vivekananda said: “The infinite oneness of soul is the only ethical foundation behind all morality, all good actions and thoughts.”Equanimity of mind is a recognizable characteristic of a spiritually enlightened person. His mind is Prasanna – means it is healthy and does not remind of its existence as an unhealthy mind would. The reference to Prasanna comes from this ayurvedic verse: “sama dosha sama agnischa sama dhatu mala kriyaaha| Prasanna atma indriya manaha swastha iti abhidheeyate”. It means that a man is in perfect health when he is physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally healthy. This verse emphasizes that physical health needs to be complemented with a pleasantly disposed and contented mind, senses and spirit.27th verse: “Who is the wise person? The one who sees the same spiritual reality in every being. He understands that the psycho-physical mechanism is perishable and within it is the imperishable divine reality.”Once we understand the 27th and 28th verses, we take on the earlier verses 22-26. They emphasize that the changes we experience only happen at the level of matter (Prakriti), not at the level of spirit (Purusha). The divine spark is present everywhere and activates all these changes. When we look at the world from this angle, we see sameness, as described in the 27th and 28th verses.22nd verse: “Within this psycho-physical mechanism, there is a divine spark, the Purusha, which is the witness – it is eternal and does not change. Our true identity is the Purusha.”23rd verse: “Any spiritual seeker who realizes this infinite oneness, who sees the Purusha behind everything – he goes beyond the transmigratory cycle of birth, death and rebirth.”What happens when we realize that we are the Purusha and not this physical body? We become a witness to our mind, and we are able to watch our own emotions and feelings. We no longer identify with them. We objectify our mind and thereby make it our friend.24th and 25th verses: “Some people practice Dhyana Yoga, some practice Jnana Yoga and some practice Karma Yoga. Still others hear from others and begin to worship the Lord.Karma Yoga is simple. It means we do all our actions to the best of our ability, but at the same time, we understand that everything in this world is impermanent and that we may not attain 100% success from our efforts. Then success and failure won’t bother us. This attitude takes us to equanimity of mind.26th verse: “Everything in this world is nothing but a combination of Kshetra (field) and Kshetrajna (knower of the field). One who realizes this achieves equanimity.”29th verse: “All actions of the mind and body (thoughts, words and deeds) take place at the superficial or material level. The surface is always changing and is constituted by the three gunas. Behind this is the divine spark which is actionless.”Sattva guna manifests itself as wisdom and serenity. Rajo guna manifests itself as dynamism and ambition. Tamo guna manifests itself as laziness.

Title: Purusha and Prakriti13th Chapter: Verses 19, 20, 21, 22These verses deal with the Samkhya school of Indian philosophy. There are two main schools of thoughts in Indian philosophy. (1) Theistic schools which accept Vedic testimony and (2) Atheistic schools, which do care much for Vedic testimony. The six theistic schools were the Mimamsakas of Jaimini, Vedanta (Uttara Mimamsa of Badarayana), the Samkhya philosophy of Kapila, the Yoga of Patanjali, the Nyaya school of Gautama, and the Vaisheshika school of Kanada. The six aetheistic schools include the four schools of Buddhism, the Jaina philosophy, and the Indian materialists, called Charvakas. Samkhya school is silent about God. It talks about evolution. Its original exponent was Kapila. Later, a karika was written by Isvara Krishna.There are two fundamental categories in Samkhya. (1) Purusha, which is self-effulgent, eternal and inactive. (2) Prakriti, which is active but non-effulgent. The evolutes of Prakriti are Mahatattvam or cosmic intelligence, Ahamkara or ego-sense, the mind, the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, the five subtle elements and the five gross elements.Patanjali Yoga Sutras are a practical application of Samkhya. When we practice spiritual disciplines such as Yamas and Niyamas, we start our journey backwards (involution) towards our true spiritual identity as Purusha.The main idea of Samkhya is this - the entire universe comes from Prakriti and exists in Prakriti. The moment we understand that we are higher than this psycho-physical mechanism, that our true nature is Purusha, the evolutionary cycle comes to an end for us.Vedanta accepts ideas of Samkhya, such as the evolutes of Prakriti and its wonderful analysis of the human mind. However, it does not accept the conclusions of Samkhya.19th verse: “Know that Purusha and Prakriti are beginningless. All these evolutes and changes come into existence as a result of evolution in Prakriti.”In Indian philosophy, there are two concepts of evolution and change. (1) Apparent change or Vivartavada refers to apparent change that can go back to its original state, such as a clay becoming a pot (2) Parinamavada refers to changes that are irreversible, such as an oil seed becoming oil. Vedanta says that the absolute reality appears to have become this world – it is only an apparent change.20th verse: “Purusha is the self-effulgent reality. It does not undergo any change. It is the presence of the Purusha that allows us to have experiences in this world. What we experience is the evolution of Prakriti in the form of three gunas.”Sattva guna manifests itself as wisdom and serenity. Rajo guna manifests itself as dynamism and ambition. Tamo guna manifests itself as laziness and jealousy.21st and 22nd verses: “Our body, thoughts, emotions are all parts of evolution from Prakriti. Within this psycho-physical mechanism, there is a divine spark, the Purusha, which is the witness – it is eternal and does not change. Our true identity is the Purusha.”In the Kathopanishad, Yama explains the science of realizing our true identity to Nachiketa. 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 death. He teaches him how to transcend our physical identity and realize our true nature as the Atman, which is deathless, and which is present everywhere and in everything.Kathopanishad also compares human life to a journey on a chariot. Atman is the traveler on the chariot, body is the chariot, intellect is the driver, mind is the reins, senses are the horses, and the sense objects represent the path. Just as horses should not dictate terms to the rider, so also, sense organs should not dictate the terms to the mind.

Kshetra or the phenomenal world is constituted by 24 elements. These are Prakriti, Mahatattvam or cosmic intelligence, Ahamkara or ego-sense, the mind, the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, the five subtle elements and the five gross elements. The sixth verse adds seven other elements to kshetra - desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, body, intelligence and fortitude. With these, we live in this phenomenal world.Within this material world is the divine spark, Kshetrajna. It is immanent in every being. All problems in the world arise because we identify ourselves with the kshetra. The one who identifies himself as kshetrajna, as distinct from the field, he is able to understand the impermanent nature of the world and its problems.In the 13th verse, Lord Krishna says: “I am now going to teach you that supreme truth, which alone is to be known, and which alone is to be realized. By realizing that, you will become immortal and realize your deathless dimension. This supreme truth is anadi (beginningless), param (beyond tools of knowledge), and Brahma (all-pervading). It is beyond existence and non-existence.”Atman is beyond the six changes: birth, existence, growth, evolution, degeneration and death. Atman does not come into existence as a pot comes into existence from clay. It is beyond the state of coming into existence. In fact, it is beyond time, space and causation.Atman is param: it cannot be seen or known by the six tools of epistemology. Pratyaksha is perception. Anumana is inference. Shabda is verbal testimony. Upamana is comparison. Arthāpatti is presumption. Anupalabdi is the non-cognition. These are the six pramanas or tools of knowledge in Vedantic epistemology. Atman is beyond these six pramanas. None of these six instruments of knowledge can explain the Reality.Atman is our own true nature and can only be experienced. The purpose of scriptures is to drive the wrong ideas from our mind, so we can experience this truth. We cannot really explain an experience. Even an empirical experience such as the taste of milk cannot be fully explained.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.To realize this supreme truth, one needs to attain 20 spiritual qualities that are described in verses 7-12. Per Shankaracharya, these characteristics should be acquired by those seeking to strive for spiritual enlightenment However, these same characteristics become second nature for the enlightened person. These characteristics are:(1) Humility – not being too proud of oneself (2) Not pretentious – respects others but does not demand respect from them (3) Non-violence in thoughts, words and deeds, as he instinctively feels spiritual affinity with entire creation (4) Forbearance (5) Uprightness (6) Service mindedness (7) Mental purity (8) Steadiness (9) Self-control – the spiritual energy from his noble actions gives him steadiness and self-control (10) Sense of renunciation towards sense pleasures (11) Absence of egoism (12) Ability to look upon birth, death, sickness and old age as imperfections of this empirical life. (13) Non-attachment (14) Not being obsessively attached to near and dear ones (15) Equanimity of mind in happiness and unhappiness (16) Constant, unwavering devotion to the spiritual ideal (17) Inclination for solitary places (18) Aversion to mundane society (19) Constant reflection of spiritual knowledge (20) Realizing the ultimate purpose of knowledge.When we acquire these spiritual qualities, we transform the whole world into a temple because we see the presence of the divine everywhere. These qualities describe a good human being. The greatness of Gita is that it gives a spiritual dimension to what we normally consider secular.The next few verses describe the all-pervading nature of the divine reality.14th verse: “That Divine Reality has hands, feet, eyes, heads, mouths, ears everywhere.” It is the poet’s language to put in words what cannot be put in words, as the absolute reality is indescribable. The poet uses a metaphor in this verse. The meaning is that the divine reality is present everywhere and in everything.15th verse: “It expresses itself through the senses but is beyond the senses. It is unattached to everything, yet it sustains everything. It is beyond all characteristics.”Whatever we do with our mind, and senses of perception and action, is an expression of the divine spark within us. The physical body and mind are only a tool for its manifestation. The senses are able to function because of the presence of this divine spark. Death is the withdrawal of this unseen divine spark from the body.16th verse: “This Supreme Reality is inside and outside of everything, both moving and unmoving. It is so subtle that it cannot be known. It is very far but also very near.”For those who are lost in worldly pursuits, this attainment of the highest truth is far away. For those pure in heart, it is very near.17th verse: “The divine reality is present everywhere and in everything. It is indivisible but appears to be divided.”The extent to which the divine reality manifests within us depends on our own accumulated samskaras and how ready we are for its manifestation.18th verse: “It is the light of all lights; it is beyond darkness of ignorance; it is knowledge, the object of knowledge and the goal of knowledge; it is present as the divine spark everywhere and in everything.”King Janaka asked Sage Yajnavalkya in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: “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, and agni to function.Light is an important symbol in Vedanta. It symbolizes enlightenment and knowledge. God, as light or atma-jyoti, is already within us. The revealing power of the senses and mind is borrowed from this atma-jyoti. When we do our spiritual practices with sincerity, compassion and looking upon the whole humanity as one – then our mind becomes pure and this divine light within us reveals itself. When a person identifies with this light, he experiences spiritual freedom, happiness within, and illumined within.19th verse: “I have now explained to you Kshetra and Kshetrajna. I have explained the nature of the empirical world, how to live in this world, acquire spiritual qualities, and realize your own deathless dimension. When you realize this, you transcend death.”