Pragmatic Bhagavad Gita: Unlocking the Practical Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita with Krsnadaasa

Shri Krishna explains Dhayana Yoga, the yoga of meditation and self discipline in this chapter. We cover topics like samatvam, importance of handling desires, the nature of desires, etc.

Revision of complete chapter 5 with full participation from the students.

Reiterating the importance of self purification The verse 5.25 emphasizes the spiritual enlightenment where ‘sages’ or ‘ṛṣayaḥ’ attain ‘brahmanirvāṇa’ or unity with the Ultimate Reality, Brahman. Shri Krishna speaks about individuals whose impurities and sins, ‘kṣīṇa kalmaṣāḥ,’ are completely eradicated. Only such purified individuals can truly comprehend their inherent nature. Shri Krishna spoke about the need to get rid of impurities back in the beginning of the 2nd chapter: श्रीभगवानुवाच | कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् | अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन || 2|| śhrī bhagavān uvācha kutastvā kaśhmalamidaṁ viṣhame samupasthitam anārya-juṣhṭamaswargyam akīrti-karam arjuna The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, from where have these impurities come upon your mind at this critical hour? It is not befitting an honorable person. It leads not to the higher abodes, but to disgrace. When a person, through persistent meditation and control over their senses, manages to cleanse themselves of all the mental impurities and sins, they experience profound joy and realization of their true self.  Another profound truth explained by Krishna is that enlightenment is not an escape from the world but a deeper engagement with it, driven by love and compassion and a sense of unity with all beings.

Divine Presence Everywhere Shri Krishna says that a truly wise and self-realized individual perceives the same divine essence in all beings, regardless of their external differences. This understanding is rooted in various spiritual teachings and scriptures.  Just as the ocean views all its waves as one, and gold sees no difference in various ornaments made from it, the wise see the same divine essence in all beings. Lord Krishna explains that a self-realized soul sees the same divine presence in all creatures, be it a Brahmin, an elephant, a dog, or even an outcast. Let us take the example of water, ice and steam. Now imagine you come across some people who are debating and fighting over which is superior of the three. Some say water is superior, some say steam is superior while some say ice is superior. What will you tell them? A learned person can see that all three are basically just different forms of the same water molecule H2O. In normal state, H2O is liquid water, in condensed state it is ice and in expanded state it is steam.  Just like that, Krishna is saying that vidyā vinaya sampanne, people with knowledge and humility can see that all living beings, regardless of whether they are brahmins, shudras, cows, dogs, etc are all tiny parts of the same supreme God. In verse 5.18, Shri Krishna calls this the ‘vision of knowledge’. Please note that Krishna keeps reiterating the importance of humility while gaining knowledge. According to Krishna, humility is the first sign of possessing true knowledge. Humility is a very important quality of a vaishnava as per Krishna and the same thing has also been reiterated by lord Chaitanya.

Verse 5.14 - 5.17We think we are the doers, but we are not There's an old Indian parable about a puppet show. The puppets in the show dance and act based on the strings controlled by the puppeteer. To an observer, it might seem like the puppets are performing the actions, but in reality, it's the puppeteer controlling them. Similarly, we, as individuals, might feel that we are in control of our actions and their outcomes. However, Shri Krishna reminds us that there's a greater cosmic play at work, influenced by the modes of material nature. Just as the puppets are not the real "doers" of their actions, we too are influenced by the gunas of nature. Krishna has said that we should not have a sense of ownership or doership. When it comes to ownership, we know for sure that God is the ultimate owner of everything in the universe. When it comes to doership, the question arises who is the doer? Is God the actual cause of everything that happens in the world? Imagine God was the doer of everything, meaning He is responsible for all our actions. If that was the case, then there would be no possibility of bad actions or imperfect actions because God is perfect. Isn’t it? If God was the doer and responsible for all our actions then we would never have to read about dharma, adharma, etc and Krishna would not have felt the need to impart the knowledge of Bhagavad Gita to humankind. Shri Krishna explains that the actual cause of various actions is our guṇas. These are Sattvic (goodness), Rajasic (passion) and Tamasic (ignorance/ badness). Krishna will talk a lot more in detail about the gunas in chapter 14. For now, let us understand that the body is constituted of these gunas, and all actions are performed by these modes of nature.  But out of ignorance, we identify with our bodies and think that the body is the doer of actions, which are in fact done by material nature.  The Supreme Lord doesn't dictate our actions or decisions. Instead, it's our innate nature, similar to instincts in animals, that drives most of our behaviors. Just as animals are driven by their natural instincts, humans too are influenced by this inherent nature. This nature isn't just external; it's deeply embedded within us, guiding our basic actions like eating, drinking, and forming families. It's not God directing us to act in certain ways; it's this intrinsic nature that's a part of us. Ok, so we are not the doer and God is not the doer. Then who is?

Verse 5.10 - 5.13 Practice detachment like a lotus leaf In 5.10, Shri Krishna says that "One who performs their duty by dedicating their actions to the divine, abandoning attachment, remains unaffected by sin, just as a lotus leaf remains untouched by water." Shri Krishna speaks about a few key terms here: Dedicating Actions to the Divine (ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि / brahmaṇyādhāya karmāni): This means dedicating to the Divine or Brahman. In the current context, Lord Krishna emphasizes the importance of performing actions as an offering to the Supreme. When one dedicates their actions to the divine, they are not seeking personal gains or rewards. This attitude transforms ordinary actions into sacred actions. It's a shift from "I am doing this" to "It's being done through me by the divine will." Abandoning Attachment (सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा / saṅgaṁ tyaktvā): This translates to "abandoning attachment." Attachment here refers to the outcomes of our actions. In life, we often get attached to the results of our endeavors, leading to either elation when things go our way or disappointment when they don't. Krishna advises that while one should be dedicated to their duty, they should remain detached from the fruits of their actions. This detachment ensures mental equilibrium, irrespective of success or failure. Unaffected by Sin (लिप्यते न स पापेन / lipyate na sa pāpena): This means "remains unaffected by sin." When actions are performed with selflessness, without ego and attachment, they don't accumulate karma, neither good nor bad. Such actions are pure, and the individual remains untainted. पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा / padma patra mivāmbhasā: Shri Krishna compares such individuals to a lotus leaf in water. A lotus leaf, though born in water, floats on it without getting wet. Similarly, a self-realized person, though living in the material world, remains untouched by its dualities and temptations. The lotus leaf symbolizes purity and detachment, and its relationship with water exemplifies the ideal interaction one should have with the world around them. In many Vedic traditions, the lotus is given a special status. For example, we call the Lord’s feet as lotus-feet (kamal-charan).

The importance of bhava or intention As discussed in chapter 4, the ‘bhava’ or intention is extremely important and that is what either creates bondage or liberates us from it. Even when we are performing puja for example, what matters is not the physical actions we perform but rather the bhava that matters.  Krishna has said that even when we are performing our social duties, as long as we do it with the right intention, with devotion, and intending to sacrifice the results of our actions, we will not get into bondage from karmic reactions. Likewise, even if we are practicing karma sanyasa, where we are devoting 100% of our time to devotional services, if we are not having the right bhav or intention then we cannot progress and in fact we would tend to experience a downfall. The wise see that both the karma sanyāsa and nishkama karma yoga involve having a bhava of devotion and engaging our mind in God, and so they are both identical in their internal consciousness. Krishna says that karma yoga and karma sanyasa are not contradictory and instead, they are both supposed to be performed with the same bhava and they both lead to the same destination. Besides, we must understand that we have to first elevate ourselves using nishkama karma yoga before becoming eligible for karma sanyasa. Importance of Karma Yoga

Introduction to the 5th chapter After Krishna has explained karma yoga in chapter 3 and jnana yoga in chapter 4 in so much detail, our friend Arjuna has another big question for Krishna. In the BG there are 16 major questions asked by Arjuna to Krishna and verse 5.1 is the 5th question from Arjuna. We will go over all 16 questions below. Before that, we can talk about what chapter 5 is all about.  At the outset, Arjuna is perplexed. He's caught between two paths – that of "renunciation" (Sanyasa) and that of "selfless action" (Nishkama Karma Yoga). Krishna clarifies that both paths can lead to ultimate truth, but their approaches differ.  In this chapter, Shri Krishna talks about the following topics:True Renunciation, the role of a renunciate, how to rise above the dualities of nature, the state of a self realized soul, and the ultimate goal of liberation. Now let us go over the 16 major questions that Arjuna has asked Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Q1. Shloka 2.7 कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभाव: पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेता: | यच्छ्रेय: स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् || 7|| kārpaṇya-doṣhopahata-svabhāvaḥ pṛichchhāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-chetāḥ yach-chhreyaḥ syānniśhchitaṁ brūhi tanme śhiṣhyaste ’haṁ śhādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam I am confused about my duty, and am besieged with anxiety and faintheartedness. I am Your disciple, and am surrendered to You. Please advise me on what is certainly best for me. This question pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the Bhagavad Gita.

Revision of chapter 4. All the questions answered by volunteer students. Many thanks to all of them. Grateful for all the love and support of this Satsang family.

Asking questions vs questioning the teacher While studying verse 4.1, we discussed ascending knowledge and descending knowledge. Ascending knowledge is knowledge gained by people based on their trial and error and with limited scope. Whereas, descending knowledge is given by people who are subject matter experts. The Vedas and Bhagavad gita are examples of descending knowledge where God himself has given the knowledge, so it is perfect knowledge. In 4.34, Krishna is telling us to gain spiritual knowledge by approaching a spiritual guru or guide. Krishna is instructing us to inquire from our spiritual guide with humility and with a submissive mindset and to render loving service to our guru.  There are three things Krishna says we should follow to acquire transcendental knowledge (descending knowledge): Praṇipātena — This refers to the act of humbling oneself before a knowledgeable person, showing respect and acknowledging their wisdom. In the spiritual context, it signifies surrendering one's ego and approaching the teacher with humility. Paripraśhnena — This refers to humble inquiries aimed at understanding the concepts (Not questioning the teacher) and making sure that there are no doubts lingering in our minds   Sevayā — This refers to rendering service to the spiritual guide or guru. Serving the teacher or guru is a way to show gratitude and respect. It also helps in building a bond of trust and understanding between the teacher and the student.  We should understand that Krishna is using the term ‘pariprashna’ and not just ‘prashna’. In Sanskrit, prashna means question. Pariprashna means questioning with humility and with the intent to understand, and not just questioning for the sake of questioning or questioning disrespectfully.  In verse 2.7, Arjuna admits that he is confused. He says “I am confused, I take recourse to your superior wisdom. My wisdom fails here. I am your student. Your disciple. Please teach me what is really good for me”. It is only when a student surrenders to the teacher will the teacher begin to teach. Unsought advice is not allowed in Vedanta. Unless you seek something, what is given to you has no value. Krishna is saying that we should prepare ourselves to be a good student by cultivating a mindset of humility and submissiveness and we should seek knowledge from a spiritual guide or guru who have themselves understood the truth.  There is a lot of importance given to a guru. In the vedas it is said that spiritual knowledge cannot be purchased for a price. It is revealed by the Guru’s grace, when the disciple develops humility, and the Guru is pleased with the service and attitude of the disciple. After developing the right mindset, purifying ourselves, approaching the guru and facing many challenges, we may gain higher spiritual knowledge. However, there's a fear that we could forget this knowledge, just as we forget many things from our past. But here, Shri Krishna is providing a strong assurance that once we receive and truly understand this divine knowledge, we will never lose it. This is a very reassuring promise coming straight from Shri Krishna. People without knowledge may feel very confused when they look at a plane flying and think it is some kind of magic. However, people who have the right knowledge will realize that the plane is flying only due to the support of laws of nature. They also realize that the same laws of nature allow for huge ships to float on water as well.  Similarly, Krishna is saying that once we get the higher spiritual knowledge, we will start seeing God’s presence in everything, everywhere. Once we reach that stage, we will never get delusional again and we will get on the path to liberation. Krishna tells Arjuna that by truly understanding his inner self, he'll realize that everything around him - from the physical world to emotions and thoughts - is just an extension of his own true nature. This deeper understanding aligns him with Krishna, the ultimate soul.