Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

Summary:9th chapter: verses 17, 19, 20, 21, 22. 18th chapter: verse 66 17th verse: “I am the father of this world, the mother, the upholder, the origin, and the purifier. I am the one thing to be known. I am omkara and I am the vedas.”“I” here refers to the all-pervading divine reality, which acts as the protecting, nourishing, upholding principle. It is this divine reality that is to be realized.Omkara, as a sound-symbol, represents the totality and oneness of existence, and the essence of the Vedas. It represents the unified universe consisting of the three worlds of existence: below the earth, upon the earth, and celestial level. In monotheistic religions, it corresponds to the unity of all divine personifications – Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshvara. It is the beginning, middle, and end of all human speech. In Patanjali Yoga Sutra, it is described as the name of the Lord.Gayatri mantra has 24 letters and is a very sublime mantra. Om is an integral part of Gayatri mantra. It invokes the effulgent divine reality, that is present everywhere, and it takes one beyond the three levels of existence - towards the transcendental.The 17th verse puts a very high philosophical ideal – oneness and unity of human family – in the language of everyday human relations.19th verse: “As the sun, I am the heat. I withhold and send forth rain. I am immortal and also dead. I am also the being and the non-being.”The 19th verse uses the sublime technique of using language that seems contradictory to point to its transcendental meaning. A poet in Vedantic tradition is one who is able to see far into things and bring out the grandeur of the subject he is writing on.Ramanuja in his commentary on this verse says: “I provide both heat and rain. I am the source of energy that sustains human life. I am the sequence in the seasons. I am the supreme principle behind the harmonious existence of life in this world. I am the immortal principle behind that which is immortal. I am the finite principle behind that which is finite.”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 dialog between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi on the topic of immortality.Both existence and non-existence are non-distinct from the divine reality. Nothing can be excluded from that reality, not even the concept of evil. Vedanta does not define God as the totality of all positive virtues. It replaces the doctrine of evil with the doctrine of ignorance. As we evolve, so called evil is understood to be a stage where we experience something due to our lack of the highest spiritual enlightenment. At the highest level, all secular activities become spiritualized.Swami Vivekananda said: “Worshipping the terrible is a sign of sannyasa (mendicant).” A Mendicant is a person who accepts everything. For him, the totality alone exists – it includes good and bad. But, at a spiritually evolved stage, he automatically accepts only the good – he cannot harm others, as described in the 18th chapter of Bhagavad Gita.In the 66th verse of the 18th chapter, Lord Krishna describes the spiritual psychology of self-surrender. He says to Arjuna: “Give up all distinctions between dharma and adharma. Attach your will to God’s will. Attach your mind and emotions to the divine. Then you will naturally choose the right dharma.”20th and 21st verse: There are those who perform rituals for material prosperity and long life. They are also worshipping the same divine Lord, but not in its most sublime sense. They are at the beginning of spiritual life. They go to heaven, and once their spiritual merits are exhausted, they return to the world. For them, the cycle of birth and death continues.22nd verse: “People who meditate on God as not separate, who worship Him in all beings, who are always engaged in that divine pursuit – for such people, I carry what they lack, and preserve what they already have.”Yoga in this verse means helping you attain what you have not already attained. Kshema in this verse means preserving what you have already attained.Lord Krishna makes a big promise in this verse. “If you do God’s work, God will work for you.” We experience this in our lives. When we do good, noble deeds without selfish motives, then some of our problems are automatically solved. A noble act done for the good of others is an act of worship and generates spiritual energy.The story of Lord Krishna and Sudama illustrates this promise. When Sudama gave parched rice to Lord Krishna, it returned to him as prosperity in an invisible way.”

9th chapter: verses 16, 17, 1816th verse: “I am kratu and yajna (vedic rituals), I am svadha (word symbol uttered in yajna), I am aushadham (medicinal herb offered in yajna), I am the mantra (vedic hymns uttered in yajna), I am ajyam (clarified butter offered in yajna), I am agni (sacrificial fire of yajna), I am hutam (oblation).”“I” here refers to the all-pervading divine reality. In Vedic literature, there is an evolution of Hindu godhead from Pantheism (God is equated with external world) to Panentheism (God is the spirit within the external world) to Polytheism (God is the divine power regulating nature) to monotheism (there is only one God) to monism (non-duality).Kratu refers to sapta-soma-yajna, where soma juice is offered in the sacrificial fire. Yajna, as a vedic ritual, involves offering auspicious things in the fire as an act of renunciation, for the good of the world and to propitiate the devatas (gods). Pancha maha yajnas are sacraments that householders perform to show generosity to others, including human beings, animals and ecosystem. Yajna in Gita also refers to any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others, without selfish motives, and as an offering to God. Lord Krishna is saying that all the vedic rituals are non-distinct from the all-pervading divine reality.Svadha is a sacred word symbol uttered when making offerings to ancestors. Svaha is a sacred word symbol uttered when making offerings to a deity. Mantras are vedic hymns that are uttered with a sense of sanctity and sacredness. Lord Krishna is saying: “I am these word symbols and mantras. By uttering them with sanctity and sacredness, you are honoring Me, and invoking My presence within you.”When we utter sacred mantras, we feel inner purity and fulfillment because we manifest the divine spirit that is already within us. We feel, “I have done what I ought to have done”.Agni is honored with the mantra – “Agneya Idam Na mama”. It means everything belongs to the God of fire – it is not mine. It is an expression of detachment from the momentariness of the empirical. One should live in the world but remember that everything belongs to a higher power. Agni consumes everything. Lord Krishna is saying that the sacrificial fire is also a symbol of the all-pervading divine reality.Vedic rituals emphasize harmony and balance of nature. Ritm is the central principle of inherent harmony that exists in nature, at a cosmic level and at an inner level. When we practice the spiritual principle of the unity of existence, and direct our actions without disturbing Ritm, we achieve inner tranquility.17th verse: “I am the father of this world, the mother, the upholder, the origin, and the purifier. I am the one thing to be known. I am omkara and I am the vedas.”18th verse: “I am the goal, the supporter, the Lord, the witness, the abode, the refuge, the friend, the origin, the dissolution, the storehouse and the seed immutable.”The divine reality, that is present everywhere, acts as the protecting, nourishing, upholding principle. It is this divine reality that is to be realized. It can be realized by any of the four yogas: bhakti yoga, karma yoga, jnana yoga and raja yoga.Omkara, as a sound symbol, represents the totality and oneness of existence, and the essence of the vedas. The highest truth can only be experienced – Omkara and scriptures do not explain this highest truth. Scriptures only help us turn our mind away from the external world and direct it to the right pursuit.

-9th chapter: verses 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. 4th chapter: verse 24-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 1, 2021.-Lord Krishna discusses two types of temperaments in verses 12 and 13. Those who are endowed with daivi-sampat and those endowed with asuri-sampat. As we evolve, we become more endowed with daivi-sampat, and our concept of God evolves.-Daivi-sampat is natural to noble-hearted persons, who are like angels. Daiva means the effulgent one.-12th verse: “Certain people, who do unnecessary, useless things out of vain knowledge, ignorance, haughtiness – they are possessed of the quality of evil-doers (asuri-sampat).-13th verse: “The great souled ones, they are possessed of the divine nature (daivi-sampat). They know Me as the origin and as immutable. They worship Me with a dedicated mind.”-There are three categories of devotees endowed with daivi-sampat – superior, medium and lower. The superior devotee has reached the highest level and sees God in everything and everything in God. This is not a concept, but a fact that the devotee experiences. The medium and lower category devotees are described in the 14th verse:-14th verse: “They have not reached the highest level. They worship Me by engaging in different types of spiritual practices such as reading books, striving with austere vows and singing devotional songs.”-15th verse: “These people of divine qualities, they practice jnana-yajna. Some of them devote their life to the realization and practice of the Advaitic spiritual truth – the unity and oneness of existence. Others practice dualistic philosophy, ritualistically worshipping God as a divine, compassionate being. Both are following the same spiritual path.”-16th verse of 9th chapter reads very similar to 24th verse of 4th chapter. The subject of verse 24 is how to spiritualize our entire life - how every secular activity, every word, deed, thought, emotion can be spiritualized – how we can stop seeing the distinction between the secular and spiritual.-Every thought becomes a meditation, every word becomes a mantra, every action becomes an act of worship, every travel becomes a pilgrimage, every movement becomes a circumambulation around the deity, and the whole life becomes an offering to God.-Verse 24 is uttered with a deep sense of reverence before people eat food. It emphasizes that everything is spiritually one. This truth can be realized by associating all actions with the Divine.-With the imagery of a Vedic ritual (Yajna), this verse says: “the process of offering, what we offer, the one who offers, into what it is offered, the act of performing the ritual, the goal to be reached – everything is Brahman.” Our purpose, our actions, the tools that we use, the mantras that we chant, the Agni (fire) – all are expressions of the same supreme reality. This is natural for the person with highest realization – to him, every act is equally spiritual; there is no distinction between the secular and spiritual.-In 16th verse, Lord Krishna says, “I am kratu”. “I” am yajna. “I” here refers to the all-pervading divine reality. In Vedic literature, there is an evolution of Hindu godhead from Pantheism (God is equated with external world) to Panentheism (God is the spirit within the external world) to Polytheism (God is the divine power regulating nature) to monotheism (there is only one God) to monism (non-duality).-Kratu refers to sapta-soma-yajna, where soma juice is offered in the sacrificial fire. Vedic mantras uttered during the yajna 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.-By equating “I” to many Vedic rituals, Lord Krishna is saying that all the Vedic rituals are non-distinct from the all-pervading divine reality. Every act is an expression of the divine.

-9th chapter: verses 11, 12, 13, 14, 15-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 24, 2021.-11th verse: “People who are not aware of my higher nature, they consider me as a human being. They do not recognize Me in my spiritual dimension as the divine principle in everything.”-Our concept of God depends on our own spiritual evolution. Hinduism doesn’t consider anyone’s view of God as wrong. Among seven billion people of the world, each person’s idea of the highest reality represents that person’s spiritual evolution. At the highest level, God is one divine reality present everywhere and in everything.-Lord Krishna says in the Gita: “Everyone follows his or her own path. Whether they are aware of it or not, every person is approaching Me.”-12th verse: “Certain people, who do unnecessary, useless things out of vain knowledge, ignorance, haughtiness – they are possessed of the quality of evil-doers (asuri-sampat).-13th verse: “The great souled ones, they are possessed of the divine nature (daivi-sampat). They know Me as the origin and as immutable. They worship Me with a dedicated mind.”-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.-None of the gunas can exist alone in anyone. Every human temperament is a combination of these gunas. For example, a person cannot have just sattva-guna. To practice, sattva-guna, he needs intelligence, strength and the ability to see through the game played by others.-Asuri-sampat is natural to asuras. They have a combination of rajo-guna and tamo-guna, with tamo-guna being the dominant. They have no sattva-guna. Their actions are guided by evil motives.-Daivi-sampat is natural to noble-hearted persons. They have a combination of sattva-guna and rajo-guna, with sattva-guna being the dominant. They have no tamo-guna. Their actions are guided by noble motives. They are active but self-restrained.-Verses 1, 2 and 3 of 16th chapter provide the characteristics of people endowed with divine wealth (daivi-sampat). Examples of such characteristics are fearlessness, purity, interest in scriptures, practice of non-violence, boldness and fortitude. Those who possess these virtues have entered the path of manifesting their inner divinity. -Fortitude and boldness are mentioned in the qualities of a sattvic person. They help to protect the good qualities from being hijacked by others. Goodness, to be good, should be combined with spiritual strength. This strength is necessary in spiritual practice to help us raise ourselves and to face obstacles from the external world and from our own mind.-Lord Krishna introduces daivi-sampat and asuri-sampat in the 9th chapter to help us understand the true meaning of spirituality. Sattvic qualities have to be combined with spiritual strength, to practice and defend the high values. Characters in Mahabharata, such as Yudhishthira and Bhishma, show that only sattvic qualities do not make one perfect – it needs to be combined with spiritual strength. In Mahabharata, only Lord Krishna had the sattvic qualities and the strength to implement them.-14th verse: “These great souled persons – they uphold these values and worship Me. They live in this world, do their duties, but are not deluded by the phenomenal world, which is impermanent.”-15th verse: “These people of divine qualities, they practice jnana-yajna. Some of them devote their life to the realization and practice of the Advaitic spiritual truth – the unity and oneness of existence. Others practice dualistic philosophy, ritualistically worshipping God as a divine, compassionate being. Both are following the same spiritual path.”-Yajna in Gita refers to any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others, without selfish motives, and as an offering to God.-One may begin spiritual life at a temple with rituals. As he evolves, his idea of God evolves. At the highest level, he sees God everywhere and in everything.-Shankaracharya gives a way to determine whether one has reached the highest level of seeing the divine present everywhere and in everything. Such a person starts practicing sama (calmness) and dama (self-control).-We can develop dispassion when we understand the limitations of the phenomenal world. Health, wealth, friendships – all are of a fleeting nature. Once we understand it, the natural result is that we look for something higher.-In dualism, God is seen and distinct and different from creation. In non-dualism, the creator is seen as present in creation. Non-dualism is a matter of one’s experience – it is not philosophy. At the mystical level, monotheism becomes non-dual.

-9th chapter: verses 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 25, 2021.-8th verse: “Animating My own prakriti, I project this whole multitude of different beings. Then they exist, but they are helpless and not free.”-So long as we are attached to prakriti, under the influence of the three gunas, we are in a state of helplessness and we are not free – we are slaves in the hands of our own samskaras. We are helpless against old age, sickness and death.-We spend most of our lifetime confronting the problem of death – we may be able to postpone it, but we cannot avoid it. Yaksha posed a question to Yudhishthira – “What is the most mysterious fact of life?” In answer, Yudhishthira said – “Every minute and second, we see so many creatures moving towards the abode of death. Still, we believe that we will not have to join this procession. This is the most mysterious fact of life.”-When a person asks the question - “what is the nature of death?” – that is the beginning of his higher spiritual evolution. Nachiketa’s story and his three boons from Kathopanishad is a good illustration of this spiritual evolution. The three boons that Nachiketa asks are: (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 describes life as a journey for highest spiritual enlightenment.-9th and 10th verses: “I am the one behind this cycle of creation. Presided over by Me, Prakriti brings forth moving and unmoving things. I am there in everything, but I am not part of it. I am the immanent, inherent, divine principle present in everything, and that regulates everything. But I remain uninvolved, unattached.”-Brahman does not have a purpose and remains unaffected. Prakriti produces moving and unmoving things as manifestation from the causal form. Dissolution is effect going back to its causal form.-An iceberg is not a creation – rather, it is just a projection of water. Similarly, in Vedanta, the world is not a creation – rather, it is a projection, and not separate from its causal form.-11th verse: “People who are not aware of my higher nature, they consider me as a human being. They do not recognize Me in my spiritual dimension as the divine principle in everything.”-This idea of God creating the visible world is illustrated through a magician performing the “Indian Rope Trick “in Shankaracharya’s commentary on the Mandukya Karika. When the magician performs his magic, only the magician is real. The magic is delusion. Similarly, God is the magician and real. The whole creation is like magic, which is only relatively real.-In a semi-dark room, we may mistake a rope to be a snake and try to run away. When we bring light, what we formerly misunderstood to be a snake is now recognized as a rope. As a snake, it is unreal. As rope, it is real.-A jivan-mukta realizes the relative nature of the phenomenal world. At the same time, he becomes more humane, showing friendliness, generosity and compassion towards everyone. He does so without being bound.-12th verse: “Certain people, who do unnecessary, useless things out of vain knowledge, ignorance, haughtiness – they are possessed of the quality of evil-doers (asuri-sampat).-13th verse: “The great souled ones, they are possessed of the divine nature (daivi-sampat). They know Me as the origin and as immutable. They worship Me with a dedicated mind.”-Verses 1, 2 and 3 of 16th chapter provide 26 characteristics of people endowed with divine wealth (daivi-sampat). Examples of such characteristics are fearlessness, purity, interest in scriptures and practice of non-violence. Those who possess these virtues have entered the path of manifesting their inner divinity. -Shankaracharya describes the characteristics of a sattvic person. Such a person reads and gets knowledge of higher virtues from scriptures, which are recorded diaries of the path traveled by realized teachers. He then internalizes these teachings and practices them in his life.”-Such a sattvic person is bold, speaks the truth, is forgiving, practices purity, and has no hatred or pride.-Strong will is necessary for spiritual practice to help us raise ourselves and to face obstacles from the external world and from our own mind.-True strength comes when it is devoid of pride and is enriched by a sense of renunciation and non-attachment. Lord Krishna says in the 11th verse of the 7th chapter of the Gita: “Of the strong, I am their strength that is devoid of desire and attachment.”-Saints and mystics, such as Swami Vivekananda, demonstrated strong will to raise themselves in their spiritual life. They were very humble, but behind their humility was great Atma-balam – the inner strength of Atman. The strength of a great person who uses it for the good of others - that transcendental touch is an expression of the divine.-In the concluding verse of each Gita class, we say: “Hari Om Tat Sat. Sri Ramakrishna Arpanam Astu”. It means we offer everything to Vishnu and Sri Ramakrishna. Om is the auspicious word symbol of the essence of the Vedas.

-9th chapter: verses 6, 7, 8-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 18, 2021.-6th verse: “Just as the mighty, strong wind, that is always moving everywhere, rests in the sky, but does not have the ability to make any modifications to the sky – similarly, all beings rest in Me.”-According to the Upanishadic concept of evolution - from Atman, akasa evolves - from akasa, air evolves - from air, fire evolves - from fire, water evolves - from water, earth evolves - from earth, plants evolve - from plants, different living beings evolve.-A tree is pervaded and sustained by its living liquid. If this liquid dries out, nothing can grow from the tree. Similarly, everything is pervaded and sustained by the Divine Reality.-When a spiritual seeker worships an image, he first invokes and projects the all-pervading divine principle in that image. Over time, with spiritual practices, the inner divinity begins to manifest in his nature, which ultimately helps him to connect with his own divine nature.-Yajnavalkya in a reply to Gargi in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that we can use the power of inference to understand this all-pervading divine principle. He says “At the command of that Reality, O Gargi, the sun and moon hold their courses; heaven and earth keep their positions; moments, hours, days and nights, fortnights and months, seasons and years–all follow their paths; rivers issuing from the snowy mountains flow on, some eastward, some westward, others in other directions.”-7th verse: “At the end of a kalpa, all beings go back to My prakriti. At the beginning of the next cycle, manifestation starts again.”-A kalpa is equal to one day and one night in the life of Brahma. An iceberg is not a creation – rather, it is just a projection of water. Similarly, the world is not a creation – rather, it is a projection, and not separate from its causal form. In the day of Brahma, projection starts. In the night, dissolution takes place, and it goes back into its causal form.-Mundaka Upanishad gives three analogies of how creation emerges from Brahman. First, a spider weaves a web using material from its own body. Similarly, Brahman is the origin and dissolution of the universe. To illustrate that Brahman has no purpose behind the creation, the second analogy is provided – plants and trees emerge spontaneously from the Earth, which does not have a purpose. Similarly, Brahman is the essence of creation, with no purpose. To illustrate that Brahman is not an inert entity, the third analogy is provided – in a living, conscious person, hair and nails grow. Similarly, Brahman is the essence of consciousness.-8th verse: “Animating My own prakriti, I project this whole multitude of different beings. Then they exist, but they are helpless and not free.”-So long as we are attached to prakriti, under the influence of the three gunas, we are in a state of helplessness, and we are not free – we are slaves in the hands of our own samskaras. We begin our quest for spiritual freedom when we become aware of this absence of freedom. Buddha started his spiritual quest after becoming aware of the helplessness of all beings against old age, sickness, and death.-When we realize that there is no real freedom at the empirical level, we look for a different, higher form of freedom. Until we realize our true spiritual identity, we are under the control of prakriti.-According to Vedanta, every attempt to solve problems at the empirical level, is only a postponement of the problem. Real answers come when we attain spiritual freedom – we then understand that there is no freedom at the empirical level.-The four mahavakyas are: (1) Tat Tvam Asi, which is an upadesa vakya (2) Prajnanam Brahma, which is a lakshana vakya (3) Ayam Atma Brahma, which is a siddhanta vakya (4) Aham Brahma Asmi, which is an anubhuti vakya. Aham Brahma Asmi is only an approximation of the highest experience of one’s identity with Brahman. In the process of teaching Shvetaketu, Uddalaka utters: "Tat tvam Asi" and repeats it eight more times during his instructions.

-9th chapter: verses 4, 5-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 11, 2021.-4th verse: “All this is pervaded by Me in unmanifest form. All beings exist in Me, but I don’t exist in them.”-The infinite pervades the finite. The finite is not a creation or a product of the infinite. For example, the clay pot is pervaded by clay. Under the dualistic system, the clay pot is a product of clay. In Advaita, the clay pot is clay itself with a different form and name. Before manufacturing, it existed as clay. After it is broken, it is clay. The clay pot is only an apparent creation.-Similarly, the phenomenal world is unreal in the absolute sense. It is real only in the relative sense.-The word “Idam” in this verse refers to the entire phenomenal creation that we perceive with our senses of perception, senses of action, mind and reasoning power. This Idam is finite and is pervaded by Me, which is the infinite, attribute-less, transcendental, all-pervading, indescribable absolute reality.-Just as a thread organizes the flowers in a garland, this absolute reality harmonizes and unifies everything we perceive in this world.-We cannot conceive of a gold ornament without gold. Similarly, we cannot conceive of anything that is devoid of Atman.-The absolute reality does not dwell exclusively in any being. All things together do not exhaust the absolute reality. It is not a numerical totality. Rather, as the essence of everything, it is the essential totality of everything. The absolute reality is infinite and cannot be exhausted in the finiteness of different beings.-For example, pots are made of clay. Thousands of pots together do not equal the totality of clay. Clay is the cause and the pots are the effect. The effects can never be equal to the cause. Cause has the possibility of taking many effects – for example, clay can become a clay pot or a clay jar. The clay pot can never become a clay jar.-When we become a devotee and meditate on God, then the inner divinity begins to manifest in our nature. We become humane, compassionate and broad-minded.-God exists in everything as the inner divine principle. But that does not make the entity itself God. When we worship an image or a statue, we worship a symbol that reminds us of the all-pervading divine principle, and which helps us ultimately to connect with our own divine nature.-When we do something wrong, there is a voice within that reminds us that it is the wrong thing to do. As we become spiritual, this voice becomes more audible and we become more inclined to listen to it.-Those who can connect with this inner divine principle all the time become saints and eventually become non-distinct from this reality. To them, every word becomes sacred, every thought becomes meditation and life itself becomes a pilgrimage.-In Antaryami Brahmana in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajnavalkya provides this instruction: “He who dwells in this earth, water, fire, body mind complex or other gross elements – he regulates them from within, yet he is distinct from them. He knows them, but they don’t know him. He is the eternal self of all.”-5th verse: “In reality, these things do not exist in Me. They all come forth from me, and I support them. But I do not dwell in them and I am not limited by them.”-A jar holds and supports the water within it. God, as the support behind all beings, cannot be equated to such a jar – any such attempt to define God would be limiting the infinite. The infinite cannot be finitized.-There are two schools of thought on cause-effect relationship in Indian philosophy. According to Arambhavada, every effect is a new creation, and the effect does not pre-exist in the cause (Asatkaryavada). For example, a cloth made of threads has a new existence that is different from the threads. According to Vedanta and Bhagavad Gita, the effect pre-exists in the cause (Satkaryavada). For example, the cloth pre-exists in the thread – it just gets a new name and form.-Vedanta accepts Satkaryavada. The infinite appears to be finite when we look at it in association with name and form. At the highest level of experience, the world is seen as non-distinct from Brahman.

-8th chapter: verse 28 9th chapter: verses 1, 2, 3-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 4, 2021.-8th chapter, 28th verse: “The Yogi who understands the full meaning of this supreme truth, he becomes a Jivan mukta. He gets liberated while living in this world, realizes the supreme truth, and gets results that transcend the collective meritorious results of all the ancient Vedic rituals.”-Such a Jivan mukta realizes his true spiritual identity as the Atman. He looks upon life from a higher perspective and is not disturbed by the ups and downs of life, seeing them as part of the relative, momentary experience. He is always in a state of contentment.-Lord Krishna describes contentment as one of the characteristics of a spiritual person. He is contented, practices yoga, has strong will, has restrained his senses and mind, and is devoted completely to the Lord. Contentment transcends happiness and unhappiness.-Om Tat Sat. Thus ends the eight chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, which is a summary of all sublime teachings found in the Vedas, which deals with Brahma Vidya, and describes the three paths to attain it – Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga – and which is in the form of a dialog between Arjuna and Lord Krishna.-9th chapter, 1st verse: “Now I am going to teach you this most profound, highest spiritual truth, ways to realize it, and the art of making use of the realization in doing one’s duty. It is the royal secret.”-Raja vidya refers to the royal spiritual truth that was practiced by enlightened kings. After learning from their teachers, these kings made use of that knowledge when ruling. King Chandragupta Maurya and his preceptor Chanakya are grand examples - the spiritual restraining power through Chanakya and the executive power through Chandragupta.-Power should be given to one who does not want power. Wealth should be given to one who does not want wealth. Such people will make proper use of power and wealth.-2nd verse: “Of all the branches of learning, this supreme truth is the highest (kingly), it is the supreme purifier because it does good to everyone, it pertains to dharma, it can be realized through direct perception, and it is easy to practice.”-Spirituality is in reality, very simple. It tells us that spiritually, the entire existence is one. For a person who is spiritually fit, a simple statement such as Tat-tvam-asi 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.-3rd verse: “Those without shraddha, they won’t be able to think about the higher meaning of life. They do not attain Me, and they continue going the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth.”-Shraddha cannot be translated to a single word in English. It is best understood as what it is not – casual approach, dismissive nature, skepticism, doubt, restlessness – temperaments that make it difficult to focus. Shraddha can be described as a combination of integrity, sincerity, honesty, and desire for something sublime and higher with concentration and focus. To take interest in higher ideas, one needs shraddha.-Hitopadesha says: “Food, sleep, fear, infatuation – these are common to both human beings and animals. What is unique about human beings is their ability to think about dharma and higher values.” The awareness of the need for these higher values gives us shraddha.-It is not easy to be dis-satisfied with worldly life. When we start thinking “what is the meaning of life” – we board the bus of our spiritual journey, and we direct our efforts to come out of the wheel of samsara. When Buddha saw old age, disease and death, he developed shraddha and began his spiritual journey.-When we do not look for higher values, then after death, we may take a descent in evolution. On the other hand, if we are interested in spiritual values, even if we do not succeed, we don’t lose anything – every good action will produce its results.-We should not see a line of demarcation between spiritual and secular activities. Instead, we should spiritualize the secular.

-8th chapter: verses 26, 27, 28-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 28, 2021.-To properly understand the 28th verse, we need to understand the context of the 8th chapter, which starts with seven questions from Arjuna. He asks: “What is Brahman? What is Adhyatma? What is Karma? What is Adhibhuta? What is Adhidaiva? Who and in what way is Adhiyajna present in the human body? How are You known at the time of death by those practicing spiritual disciplines?-In answer, Lord Krishna says: Aksharam(Brahman) - as the imperishable, indestructible, impersonal, unmanifest reality - is the supreme truth. Its presence in every human being is called Adhyatma. The vibration of this potentiality into creative and evolutionary activities is called Karma. What is perishable – comes into existence and later disappears – is Adhibhutam. The reflection of the supreme reality in the human body is Adhidaivam. The supreme reality itself is Adhiyajna, as the cause of evolutionary activity and sustenance of the universe. Those who remember Me alone at the time of death, they attain Me. -Lord Krishna then discusses the two spiritual paths that Yogis take upon departing from this body. -Yogis of the highest type, who lead a pure life and are free from selfish desires, follow the bright path of Shuklagati or Devayana. It is the path of fire, flame, daytime, the bright fortnight, and the six months of the northern passage of the sun - departing by this path the knowers of Brahmanattain Brahman. Bhishma in Mahabharata decided his time of death, to take this path.-Yogis whose spiritual practices are driven by a motive, follow the dark path of Krishnagati or Pitrayana. It is the path of smoke, nighttime, dark fortnight, and the six months of the southern passage of the sun – departing by this path, the Yogi reaches a higher abode, but returns to Samsara.-We find two types of teachings in Hindu scriptures. First type of teaching is linked to belief systems of ancient India – some of them are not easily intelligible in this modern age. Second type of teaching is very universal and rational. It says that there is a divine reality present in all of us. If we live a pure life and practice Yamas and Niyamas and other spiritual disciplines we can manifest this divinity within us.-In the 28th verse, Lord Krishna brings it all together and says that those who know the answers to these seven questions and understand the mystery of the twofold departure paths, they get the transcendental knowledge and they attain the ultimate liberation even while living in this world. -26th verse: “These are two paths - one bright and the other dark. One takes the Yogi beyond the trans migratory cycle. The other keeps him confined to the trans migratory cycle.”-27th verse: “A Yogi who knows the secrets of these two paths, is not deluded. Therefore, we should always be steadfast in Yoga, staying linked to a higher spiritual ideal.”-Even if the Yogi is not in the path of Shuklagati, he does not feel lost. He is not worried about his fate and he feels secured. He knows that he will be reborn in a family where he can continue his spiritual journey.-According to Gita, everyone has a path to liberation. Nothing is ever lost, and we are never late – we can start our spiritual journey right now. Gita puts the responsibility on us and says that we can build our own spiritual destiny.-28th verse: “The Yogi who understands the full meaning of the seven questions and understands the mystery of the twofold departure paths – he becomes a Jivan mukta. He gets liberated while living in this world, realizes the supreme truth, and gets results that transcend the collective meritorious results of all the ancient Vedic rituals.”-Such a Jivan mukta realizes his true spiritual identity as the Atman. He looks upon life from a higher perspective and is not disturbed by the ups and downs of life. He experiences spiritual oneness with the whole existence. Some of the greatest men of action, such as Shankaracharya and Swami Vivekananda, were Jivan muktas.-Vyadha became a jivan mukta through his spiritual practices. Upon attaining the highest realization, he did not give up his profession as a butcher. He continued his secular activities, fully established in his true spiritual identity. His dialog with another saint constitutes Vyadha Gita.

-8th chapter: verses 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 21, 2021.-20th and 21st verse: “Beyond this Avyakta (unmanifested) and Vyakta (manifested), which belong to the realm of the relative, there is the one Absolute Reality which is different from the unmanifested state of the relative – it is Aksharam (imperishable) and it is Sanatana (eternal). Those who realize their spiritual identity with this Supreme Reality, they get liberation from this cyclic rotation”-22nd verse: “This Supreme Reality is the source of everything. It is our true nature and is attainable through pure devotion.”-One method of developing this devotion is to give a spiritual orientation to our natural human impulses, such as our love for friends and parents. Under Navadha Bhakti, one follows nine disciplines: Sravanam (Hearing about God ), Kirtanam (Chanting His Name and Glory), Vishnu smaranam (Remembering Him), Pada sevanam (Serving His Lotus Feet), Archanam (Worshipping Him), Vandanam (Prostrating before Him), Dasyam (Being His Servant), Sakhyam (Befriending Him), and Atma Nivedanam (Offering Oneself to Him).-Prapatti is the highest state of a devotee of God. Prapatti means complete surrender and is composed of the following characteristics. (1) Always having a positive outlook in life, full of sattvic qualities such as serenity, wisdom, compassion, and broad mindedness. (2) Rejecting all the opposing qualities such as skepticism and self-doubt. (3) Strong faith that God will protect me. (4) Total self-surrender.-23rd verse: “I am going to tell you about the two spiritual paths that Yogis take upon departing from this body, and attain non-return or return.”-24th verse: “Yogis of the highest type follow the bright path of Shuklagati or Devayana. It is the path of fire, flame, daytime, the bright fortnight, and the six months of the northern passage of the sun - departing by this path the knowers of Brahman attain Brahman.-The Yogis who follow the path of Shuklagati are devoted to a higher spiritual ideal. They lead a pure life and are free from selfish desires. To them every action is a spiritual offering. They have dedicated their life to the realization of Brahman, and they practice seeing the same divine principle everywhere. Taking this path, they gradually realize Brahman and do not come back again to Samsara.-The Yogis taking the path of Shuklagati are less evolved compared to the Jivan-muktas, who are liberated while living in this world.-Such a Yogi is able to leave the body with full awareness. His focus is between the eyebrows, from where a light comes and lights up the path that takes him through different stages, which are guarded by different deities and who take care of him. The whole journey is lighted up by the power of his spiritual sadhana until he merges with Brahman.-25th verse: “Yogis whose spiritual practices are driven by a motive, follow the dark path of Krishnagati or Pitrayana. It is the path of smoke, nighttime, dark fortnight, and the six months of the southern passage of the sun – departing by this path, the Yogi reaches a higher abode, but returns to Samsara.”-The message of the 24th and 25th verses is twofold. First, it inspires us to lead a good life. Second, it tells us that we are independent travelers. We came alone and will go back alone.-Chandogya Upanishad describes the scenario of a dying person. First, the function of speech becomes quiet and merges in the mind. Next, other sense faculties merge in the mind. Next, mind merges in mukhya prana. Next, mukhya prana merges in the jeeva. Then, the individual self merges into the five elements. Samskaras that are accumulated in the Antahkarana, constitute the subtle body - they are preserved and transmigrate, as the subtle body takes a long journey. When we are born again, we are born with these accumulated samskaras.-There is a third category of spiritual seekers who do not have a higher spiritual ideal and keep on doing wrong things. They take a descent and come down the ladder of evolution. They may be born in the animal or insect world.-26th verse: “These are two paths - one bright and the other dark. One takes the Yogi beyond the transmigratory cycle. The other keeps him confined to the transmigratory cycle.”-27th verse: “A Yogi who knows the secrets of these two paths, is not deluded. Therefore, we should always be steadfast in Yoga, staying linked to a higher spiritual ideal.”-Even if the Yogi is not in the path of Shuklagati, he does not feel lost. He feels secure. He knows that he will be reborn in a family where he can continue his spiritual journey.-One should not expect to reach the highest spiritual goal immediately. Even if noble deeds are done with desires, they produce results that are deposited as a spiritual bank balance. These results are Adhrishtam (not visible) and Apoorvam (did not exist before the activity). These results are never lost.-Spiritual qualities are not inseparably connected to family. One of the greatest devotees, Prahlada, was born to a demon, Hiranyakashipu.